Should I Or Should I Not

by Kimberly Anonuevo

   The voices around me take me back to the beach, where the waves dance and sing very gracefully. The other players hitting their clocks and slamming the pieces thoughtlessly makes me want to punch my opponent in the face to win.

   I need to beat that evil boy sitting in front of me! If I wasn't so nervous, and my hands weren't super glued to my chair with perspiration, I would not hesitate to demolish this little creation of sin.

   Looking around, I can see the beads of sweat on people's foreheads. They even smelled rancid, which made my nose want to pop like a balloon. I really hope my opponent doesn't think the horrible odor is coming from me.

   Disgusted by what I saw, I immediately wanted to run to the bathroom, but my focus on the board between me and my enemy was not a choice. The board was our battlefield with the pieces as my soldiers. The untouched pieces were becoming a blur; they started to look like ice cream cones to me, but I knew that it was just an illusion.

   Still being, my turn to move I start to feel my fingers tearing apart from each other. I could feel my eyes wanting to retire; my lips were dry, and wanted to lick them to moisten them up.

   My opponent, with a mate position on the board makes me wonder what I should do. Resign and give up or take the pain of getting mated?

Should I Or Should I Not?