Top Gun taught me many things: Sniffing a lot can ease the tension during an awkward apology. Don’t write checks your body can’t cash. Shots fired below the hard deck will get you in loads of trouble. Penny Benjamin was a woman of loose morals.But the most important lesson was, “There are no points for second place”, an axiom made familiar to me yet again.
Several weeks ago, I entered a piece into a writing competition for the South Davis Chapter of the League of Utah Writers. The ‘Anecdote’ category seemed like one I could crank something out for before the deadline (the day after I learned of the competition). Trying to squeeze a story into 150 words seemed like a fun challenge so I gave it a shot.
Yesterday, I was informed that my entry came in second place. Even though many refer to second place as “The #1 Loser”, I’m excited about it as this was the first time I've entered a writing contest since elementary school.
I’ve posted my contest entry below for your review and enjoyment:
Jackpot
Flashing, ringing slot machines promise a teenager the greatest protection from discovery on a casino floor. Sneaking a coin cup for my change, I slink
into an aisle between glittering boxes.
I feed some coins to a machine. They clink as it swallows them, jingling down its gullet. Tapping the flashing red button, I am now a gambler.
Wheels spin, their blurred hieroglyphs becoming sharper until they stop in turn.
I’m now ‘in the hole’ like so many desperate drunks and determined old ladies
before me.
I rap the button again. Images whiz by and their final order forces the machine to regurgitate a few of my previous offerings.
The tapping and spinning repeat until my cup is empty but my squat, chrome partner is still hungry.
I walk to the change machine, offering my last dollar. Coins rattle in exchange and five quarters rest in the tray below. Jackpot!
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