Chance by Name, Chancer by Nature
written by: Trevor Flanagan
@FlanaganTrevor
The sulphurous stench pulled at Chance’s nose and throat. He retched, spewing embalming fluid onto the riverbank. Grasping a wooden post, he attempted to steady himself. Weirdly, the echoes of his bile-inducing episode helped him feel less alone. He focused on them as they receded.
The sound of splashing caught his attention. He watched as a jet-black punt, lit by a flickering lantern, touched the banking. The gaunt ferryman aboard threw a rope over the post. With the ferry held steady, the ferryman held out a grey, bony hand toward Chance.
Chance reached into his suit pocket and pulled out his trusty pack of cards. “How about we play a game?” he suggested. “If I win, you take me across for free. If I lose, I pay you.”
The ferryman pointed toward a sign on the riverbank. It read: ‘All fares must be paid in full! All fares to be paid in advance! By Order, Charon.’
“Of course,” Chance said, reaching into another pocket. “Here.” He pulled out one of the silver coins that had been laid upon his eyelids. He placed it into the palm of the ferryman’s hand. The hand didn’t move. “But that’s all I have,” he protested.
Frustrated, Charon lowered his head and pushed the coin into the folds of his cloak. He stepped back, allowing Chance past.
As he stepped aboard, Chance looked into the eyes of Charon. The abyss stared back. Despite the steam rising from the river, he shivered involuntarily. He took a seat in the middle, facing the bow. He turned his pack of cards over in his hands. In the past, they’d brought him a lot of luck. That was, he thought, until I cheated the wrong person.
The ferry turned and eased away from the bank. As they approached the middle of the river, the ferry stopped moving forward and began to rotate. Chance marvelled as ever-increasing eddies seemed to form, then dissipate. The ferry turned faster as a large eddy grasped hold. A deep rumble emitted beneath them. Alarmed, Chance turned to Charon. “What the hell is that?”
On either side of the ferry, thick blue-green tentacles rose out of the water, reaching toward Chance. Wide-eyed and gasping for breath, he stood and tried to back away. The ferry rocked wildly. Unbalanced, Chance tripped and landed on a tentacle. It wrapped tightly around him and lifted him over the side. “HELP!”
Charon reached into his cloak and showed Chance the single coin. As he did so, flaming letters appeared mid-air above the ferry: ‘All fares must be paid in full!’.
Panic caught in Chance’s throat. “ALRIGHT. I’M SORRY.” Freeing an arm, he reached into his pocket and threw the second coin onto the ferry. It landed at Charon’s feet.
‘All fares to be paid in advance!’ appeared. As the words faded, Charon kicked the coin over the side. He watched Chance’s features disappear beneath the murky water before turning his ferry back toward shore to collect his next passenger.
- Chance by Name, Chancer by Nature - February 8, 2025
