Certified Score: 7.8/10 Here he was again. Steve flicked the Keno ticket absently in his hand as he watched the numbers bubble up on the screen in the main bar of the pub. 10 games, $1 per game and his last $10 on this ticket. Bob moved over to him from behind the bar. “Another?” He asked, pointing at Steve’s empty glass. Steve nodded, eyes still fixed on the screen. “Running a tab are we?” Quizzed Bob.
Steve nodded again, eyes never diverting. Right now, how he was going to pay for that beer rested squarely on if he won any money on the last 2 games. He’d known for days that his bank account was running dry but an opportunity to give it a water never presented itself. Some days Steve felt like he was going to break down. This cycle of ups and downs were always in the back of his mind. Earlier, he had enjoyed a meal in the bistro. It wasn’t the best meal he’d ever eaten but it certainly wasn’t the worst either, a simple chicken Parma with chips and salad. There was a time when the plain Parma would have been beneath him in all honesty but for now he was kicking himself for spending so much of what little money he had. $15 dollars he thought to himself, slightly irritated that he hadn’t settled for a packet of noodles like he had been eating for several days. He could have stretched that $15 out for another couple of days, even more with the $10 he was now likely to lose on the Keno. Steve was shaking his left leg nervously, it made his thong tap against the bottom of his heel as he did. Damn it! Steve thought to himself. Now he was feeling a mix of frustration and anxiety at the thought this may not be his pay day. He took a sip of the bitter ale in his glass and swallowed it down with force. He watched the timer on the screen count down for the next game, his final game. Steve’s mind wandered. He’d made and lost fortunes in his 34 years on earth but every time he hit it rich, it would flash away before he knew it. He tried to fight to hold onto it but every time something would come up that would take it all away. Like, in his early 20’s Steve developed an app that went viral. Downloaded over one hundred million times. He’d bought a house, a Bugatti and took private jets across the world on holidays. This lasted for 6 months. He got into a car accident, and wrecked the car which was uninsured. He also had injured himself and couldn’t keep with updating the app and sales lost momentum. Then the government came calling for their cut, with sales of the app coming through in a trickle; he couldn’t keep his payments up on his house and it was taken back from the bank with interest. It took 6 months for Steve to lose it all the first time, back to zero to start again. Lightning struck a 2nd time for Steve but this time the loss took a greater toll on him emotionally. He was able to find financial backing to open a bar in his hometown which ended up being the place to be seen. High profile celebrities, athletes and influencers all packed into his establishment and soon he was able to buy out his partners and become the sole owner of the bar. Steve was once again riding high, he’d met a girl and after dating for 6 months they married. It was pure bliss for a further 12 months and Steve thought his life had turned a corner. He was more cautious this time about spending his money. Unfortunately his new bride was less so and she freely used his accounts to live a more extravagant lifestyle. One day, the same government but a different department came knocking. It looked like his accountant had been cooking the books and his wife was complicit in the crimes. Steve paused his train of thought as he watched the new game start and the first number bubble up on the screen. He did his best to try not to cry, again. Steve thought about the 6 months in prison he had to serve after he was found to be committing fraud against the government. A fraud that was actually perpetrated by his accountant and ex-wife, who were working together to frame him. Back to zero once again. Another 3 numbers had flashed up on the screen and his heart started to beat a little bit faster now. Steve double checked his ticket. Three out of the first six numbers, this was the game. As usual, the final game. Steve motioned to Bob to bring him another beer as he took the last mouthful of his current drink. Bob set down the beer as another two of his numbers set into place on the screen. A total of twenty numbers showed up per game and now he had five from eleven. Steve was winning some money today. He tried to contain his excitement, but could help to wonder. The million dollars was off the table, he needed to get all his numbers right but there could still be a couple of thousand in it for him. His excitement was short-lived however. Steve watched on as none of his other numbers made an appearance. Steve quickly drank down the rest of his beer No need to hang around now. He thought. He made his way to the Keno cashier and handed her the ticket. “Not a big win darl but a couple of bucks in it for you.” She said as she handed Steve $9.60. “Hey Bob, how much do I owe you?” Shouted Steve across the bar. “$9.60 for those beers mate.” Replied Bob. Steve let out a little huff of a chuckle and shook his head as he thought to himself. Bloody ‘Even Steve’ strikes again.
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Writing PromptsUsing writing prompts was a great suggestion that was discussed at one of the writing groups I attended. Typically at the start of any of the meetings, everyone is given a word or phrase and they spell the next 10-15 minutes writing whatever comes to mind.
I find this exercise is awesome at firing the brain up and starting to think creatively. But I didn’t want to do all the work myself so who better then my 12 year old to provide me with the writing prompts and I attempt to write something from it. Typically I try and write a short story of about 1000-1500 words which I then share with said 12 year old for feedback and a rating, this rating is captured on each story as the Certified Score. Shh.. It’s also a sneaky way to get him reading a bit more as well. I post my writing prompts to Medium so I can get some more eyeballs on them and get feedback on anything I can improve on. Archives
June 2023
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