Sliced Off

I stared at the email for several moments, before I got up and headed into the kitchen.

I cracked open a few eggs, added sugar, flour, cocoa powder, milk, and began to mix, pour and make the cake.

She walked in as I was cutting up the slab and putting frosting between each layer.

"Celebrating the good news?" She asked me, sounding hopeful. I didn't turn around.

"Making something to help soothe bad news?" She asked, sounding sad.

I still didn't turn around.

"Were the eggs going bad?"

I showed her the email.

"That's extortion!"

I finished making my bribe.

Card Counting

What we consider playing cards and what we call Tarot cards are not completely different, but instead two versions of the same thing. And thus, the power in Tarot cards is in average playing cards as well.

Including the Devil's order.

A specfic order of the cards, if achieved by chance, will open a portal to the Demonic planes, and allow death and destruction to emerge.

And yes, there are more combinations than seconds in the universe, but I'm just worried about any plans of machine learning computers studying poker counting as card decks as far as demons are concerned.

Company Loyalty

The phone call was made at 11:57pm, 3 minutes before the deadline. I had been by the phone for the sake of completeness, and was slightly stunned when the call came through.

I picked up the phone, the call lasting maybe 30 seconds.

It didn't take too long to inform your boss you were leaving, when the boss knew of the deal on the table.

I wished him well, and hung up, sighing as I lost my best worker to the competition.

So, I picked up the phone again, and made a call, getting him accused of company embezzlement.

Gin And Tonic

I poured out another gin and tonic for the customer, judging he was still sober enough, just.

He drank it quickly, and then looked up at me.

"You ever had the love of your life leave you for your worst enemy?"

I sighed.

"Can't say that I have, no."

He snorted.

"It fucking sucks."

"I can imagine."

He knocked back the last dregs of his drink.

"Worst thing is, she's not even happy! She's only with him because she can't watch me destroy myself!

Another one."

He needed help.

But all I could do was pour him yet another drink.

Merge Left

It started with trying to bring back my wife after she died. Another universe had to exist where she hadn't, so I found it, and merged the universes.

But that led to a cascade loop with the star, so I had to merge with another universe to stop it.

Then, since I had it sussed, I merged another universe to get my best friend back. Then my pet. Then that restaurant...

But I was never worried, since I knew every time I did this, I was making a new universe where I didn't.

Until one of those universes came calling.

Counting On Me

At first, I was only helping her because I liked to think I was a good person, and that meant helping people when I could.

Every second I spent with her was tough, as she constantly demanding and expecting more, nothing was ever good enough.

The third time she complained about the color of the car I got for her, I lost it, and after telling her off, I walked away.

It was four days later when she turned up, drunk, desperate, begging me to take her back.

At last, I had the energy and the willpower to refuse her.

Starboard

The voyage was five months in, three weeks into the calm. The need for disciplinary whippings had increased tenfold, but the Captain was sure the wind would pick up soon.

The Quartermaster, who was the true leader of the voyage, was growing impatient, knowing that they had maybe three days of supplies before they crossed the tipping point.

The Mutineers assumed that they would get the support of the crew when they made their move.

They did not.

On the plus side, the supplies issue was now solved for a few days, enough for the wind to pick back up.