Crystal Themes Anthology

In that triumphant, spiritual journey from Hollywood to Philadelphia, my eyes were cast upon, when I entered Pittsburgh, that Pearl by the River.  Its majesty had shone in its reflection like the evening star.  Returning westward from New York, I sang this happy tune, having seen the glory and magnificence of that City, that some day all wrongs will be made right, all defeats will be made victories, and in that day, some day, I will be called “Mathematician”.

In a vision, a brilliant young mathematics student, Troy Thompson, lay asleep in his new home, a luxurious four-bedroom house.  The alarm clock sounded, and he, like an un-oiled robot, prepared for a shower as the music from the alarm clock played.

His sister, Susan Quinn Thompson, nicknamed Susie Q., was at the family piano with her instructor, as she began to practice an advanced lesson.  She had been taking lessons from that instructor, Mr. Larousse, since she was a five-year-old girl.  Her parents praised her effort, discipline, and just “sticking-to-it”.

Susie Q. had wavy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a serious, deep facial expression. She was tall for her age.

Troy was slender, green-eyed, and brunette.  He showered quickly, and he re-entered his room.  He then turned off the radio and joined his parents as they listened to Susie Q. play difficult classical pieces.  Troy dastardly hid the envy of his heart, as he wished he could play the piano that well.

In the middle of practice, an older sibling, Davy, called Davy from the Navy, arrived as a solidly built fellow with brown hair.  He was handsome, solemn, quiet, and strong-willed.

As Susie Q. finished her lesson, she received a strong commendation form Mr. Larousse and praise from her family, including the youngest sibling, her brother Chad and another brother Kevin, who was four years older than Troy.

“Susie, go with Mr. Larousse and discuss the recital Friday night,” said Mrs. Thompson, as Mr. Larousse took the hint.

“Troy, come here!  Now!” she demanded.

“What?”

“I’ll tell ‘What?’.  You better be on your best behavior tonight for Susie Q. ’s birthday party.  Step out of line once, and you will be red, black, blue, and white.  Understood?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Alright,” she concluded.

“Hey, Dave,” Troy saw him looking in his direction intensely.

“You heard?’ he asked.

“Yeah, Dave,” Troy reaffirmed.  “Areya gonna take us to a movie while you’re here?

“I’ve been discharged!  And I will be looking for a job here.  As for a movie, we’ll see.”

As the ten o’clock hour arrived, Davy and Mr. Thompson sat and played chess on a rectangular table and benches.  It was Mr. Thompson’s day off for Susie Q. ’s special night.  Mr. Thompson liked absolute quiet when trying to concentrate, especially because Davy gave him strong competition.

Troy began to watch.  He crept closer, as they played.  He continued to watch as they played solemnly, hearing an occasional “Check!”.

Troy, not knowing the etiquette of the game, asked in a whisper, “What’s the name of this game?”

“Get away!” exclaimed Mr. Thompson.

“Go, Troy,” his brother told him.

“Get away!  Get away!”

Troy left.

Upon the noon hour, Kevin gathered a crowd of boys and Susie Q. for football.  These were the little kids.  Angie, Kevin’s girlfriend, was the opposing captain.

“There’s an odd number. That girl has to drop!” cried a boy named Carlos.

“You better drop dead!” exclaimed Susie Q.

“You are a girl.  You have to drop.”

“Like I told you, you better drop dead.”

“I’m a girl,” cried Angie.  Flexing her muscles, she added, “Let me see you tackle me.”

Carlos said nothing.

“We’ll pick, and whoever doesn’t get picked just doesn’t get picked,” Kevin decided.

It came to three: Carlos, Susie Q. and Troy.  Kevin picked Susie Q., and Angie picked Carlos.  Troy felt humiliated, and the other boys including Carlos laughed at him.  Holding back his tears, he slipped inside.

“Why aren’t you playing football?” his mother asked, as she preparing the night’s meal.

“I didn’t get picked.”

“Where’s Susie Q.”

“She got picked.”

Troy made a long walk to the library, after having oriented himself to the new part of town.  All the computers were free as usual, which is why he went to that particular branch.  He looked under the “games” menu to find the game that his father and brother were playing.  So there, he discovered chess.

He fiddled with the menu of the chess program until he found a demo.  He studied the demo for twenty minutes, and learned all the rules: the castling rules, en passant, promotion of a pawn, as well as piece movements, checking, and capturing.