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Writing > Users > pebbleinapond > 2015

Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction


The following is a piece of writing submitted by pebbleinapond on February 19, 2015

The Last Man on Earth

The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door. He yelled “Enter!” Two men stood in the doorway. He motioned them forward to sit at the poker table. The first one was blond with curly hair, short and skinny, and wore a sly grin on his face as if to say, "You’re not the last man on Earth." The other was more burly with short black hair and a friendly smile. If the last man on Earth were lonely, this would be the kind of guy he would’ve considered friend.

The three men played poker. The cards were dealt, the stakes raised and then raised again. The last man on Earth thought, "These guys are rich, but I am the last man on Earth, I own all its riches, where are they getting all this money?" The three men now sat staring each other down across the table. Someone had to draw, but who? The black haired man was deep in thought and glanced from one companion to another. Even deep in thought he wore a friendly, pleasant half-smile, and his eyes bounced with some private amusement. The blond man was staring straight at the last man on Earth. His cold stare said, "You’re not the last man on Earth." After a few minutes of this, he reached into his pocket and produced another stack of chips. The last man on Earth was surprised, because he didn’t have any more chips to bargain with. At the same time though, he had a strong hand, and if he won, than the blond man’s chips would be his. He was pleased to see the dark haired man was as surprised as he was. The dark haired man was honest and he had put everything he had on the table.

The three men continued to stare each other down. They waited for the blond man to present his hand, but he wouldn’t. His lips turned up at the corner and a sly smile echoed in his eyes, like he knew something the other two didn’t. He reached into his pocket and produced another stack of chips. This time the words were as clear as if he had spoken them: "You are not the last man on Earth!" It was painstakingly obvious the blond man was stealing and the audacity of flaunting it in their faces baffled the other two. The last man on Earth picked up one dice from the cheery green velvet of the table and threw it at him. The blond man chocked and died, surprise wiping that infernal smile off his face and turning the knowing cold stare murky with death. Three was a crowd anyway.

Two men were left sitting at the table, and the last man on Earth was happy it was just him and the black haired man. This was his friend. But, he thought, those chips of his didn’t really belong to the black haired man because the last man on Earth owned all the riches of the world. So really, the other man was cheating, because he was borrowing from the last man on Earth. The two continued to stare at each other. The last man on Earth knew he had the perfect hand, and he would win, but the fact that the other man wasn’t moving unnerved him. Was he missing some sort of clue? The black haired man wore a half-smile, like always, but now it looked more like the blond’s smirk; and his eyes danced with private amusement, all-knowing and terrible. He seemed to say, "I know what you’ve done. I saw you." Was he cheating too? Did he know more than he let on? Had he been playing everyone this entire time? Did he know that he was on borrowed funds? The last man on Earth eyed him suspiciously for a long time, and every time he looked at him, it seemed the man’s gaze became more and more penetrating and secretive at the same time. Finally, the last man on Earth picked up another dice and threw it. The dark haired man chocked and spluttered and eventually died. His hand relaxed and the cards spilled free. He would’ve lost anyway and the last man on Earth would’ve regained the funds he lent out.

The Last Man on Earth sat alone in a room. This time, there was no knock on the door, and no one showed up for a game of poker.

The Last Man on Earth sat alone in a room; and he felt lonely.

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