As I entered the casino I was assaulted
by a cacophony of sensations. The incessant chattering of the penny
slots, an epileptic cascade of lights. The scent of stale cigarette
smoke and broken spirits permeated the air. Mindlessly the people
pressed the buttons on the box in front of them. Bing, bing, bing
went the machines as they performed their teasing ritual. Letting
the down trodden catch a mere whiff victory. Tantalizing them with
the hope of a better life, yet constantly withdrawing to just outside
of their reach like a stripper before pay-day. Milking each and
every cent from the zombies that clambered through the door. Robotic
strippers bilking and tormenting their prey. Draining the last bit
of value from the shattered dreams and hopes of the masses.
And there it was that I saw Louise. A
large woman by any standards, her skin reduced from its former glow
to the color of three day old coffee. Dark black circles under her
eye accentuating the red eyes and the tiny pinpricks of her
pupils. She was surrounded by an aura of desperation as she fed her
ill-gotten funds into her robotic lover. Hoping and praying to get
her fix, to fill the hole inside her where her soul had once been. She was completely lost in her own world; a world brought on by ice
and her mechanical mistress. So intent was she upon her mission that
she didn't even notice as her emaciated partner was dragged off from
the seat next to her. His unconscious form being roughly deposited
in the back by the trash like a used condom. Limp, disgusting and
filled with wasted potential.
Yet she continued. Pull, pray, pout. Pull, pray, pout. Over and over the cycle continued until what
remained of her purse was depleted. Only then did she notice the
absence of her partner. Genuine emotion began to flutter within her. A tiny ember of who she used to be before the twin demons sank their
claws into her.
DING! DING! DING! JACKPOT! JACKPOT!
JACKPOT!
And just like that the ember was
snuffed out.
