Chapter 2: Chapter Two – The Game of Stones

All through their childhood, the two boys were inseparable, for when one was seen the other was surely with him. Moreover, none ever loved his brother more than they loved each other, and at times it was as though their hearts and minds were one.

However, even though they were very close and hard to tell apart, no two brothers were ever more different in personality. Calamitous was outspoken and full of passion while Salubrious was quiet and reserved.

So it was that the twins grew, and like all Ancients, they were not fully grown into adults until they were one hundred years old. When they had at last become men, they spoke together of the promised prophecy.

“If I am to destroy the Tree of Deepshadows,” Calamitous reasoned. “Then I will need that sword they call Doom.”

Salubrious considered this. “I suppose you are right.”

And so, the two young men traveled to the sacred mountain, and there, they found the charred tree and the darkened sword stabbed into the black stone.

Salubrious went to the Tree-Glimmering and laid his hand upon its burned trunk.

“It seems to me that your task is the easier of the two, for how shall I ever heal this tree?!?” he remarked with a sad expression.

Calamitous shrugged. “Perhaps, after I have destroyed the evil, the cure for the good will be revealed.”

This sounded sensible to them both, and so they turned their eyes upon Doom. Calamitous climbed on top of the huge black boulder and grasped the sword’s hilt with both hands. After a deep breath, he pulled as hard as he could, but the weapon did not budge, nor did it awaken.

“Maybe it is not yet time.” Salubrious offered as his eyebrows pitched upwards forming an uncertain look.

Without reply, Calamitous pulled again and again until he could pull no more. Completely exhausted, he tittered sideways and fell from the black stone. He would have crashed to the ground except his brother caught him.

“I do not understand.” Calamitous gasped.

Salubrious made no reply. He only looked at him with deep concern.

After his strength returned, the two brothers wordlessly made their way home while disappointment and confusion filled their hearts.

Several days passed, and still Calamitous was full of discouragement. It came to the point that Salubrious was beginning to worry about his brother.

“Come, let us play the Game of Stones.” He finally suggested with the hope that it would brighten his twin’s mood.

Calamitous shook his head while his indigo-colored eyes darken further.

Ignoring his brother’s refusal, Salubrious began to draw the first circle upon the ground with a sharpened stick. He continued by drawing another circle around the first. He did this until he had made seven concentric rings.

With a sigh, Calamitous reluctantly brought out his playing stones as Salubrious finished scoring the seventh and final ring into the dirt. Then, like warriors, the two brothers took their positions on either side of the seven circles, and Salubrious brought out his own small bag of round rocks.

The twins had invented this game together when they were only children, and over the years, they had spent many hours perfecting the rules. They had even gone so far as to polish river stones of different colors for the game – Calamitous used brownish-red rocks while Salubrious used grayish-blue.

“I called for the game, so you go first,” Salubrious said with a smile.

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Shrugging miserably, Calamitous agreed and threw his first brownish-red rock. It landed with a small thud inside the fifth circle.

“Five points,” he announced gloomily.

Salubrious nodded cheerfully and then made his first throw. His grayish-blue stone gently rolled into the fourth ring.

“Four for me,” he said. “Your turn again.”

Calamitous nodded with another depressed sigh and tossed his stone with little care. It landed hard within the sixth circle.

“You add six points to your five,” Salubrious declared happily. “That gives you eleven.”

Salubrious tossed his second stone with a little more force. It landed in the fifth ring but then rolled forward striking a glancing blow against his brother’s rock and knocking it into the seventh circle. His own stone came to rest within the sixth ring.

Salubrious pretended to be disappointed. “With that slip of the hand, I add a point to your score and gain only six giving you twelve and myself ten.”

 Despite himself, Calamitous let a small grin come onto his gloomy face. “Did you do that on purpose?” he grumbled without any real irritation.

“Give you points willingly?!?” Salubrious protested with a shocked look that hid a playful smile.

Thus, they continued to play until Calamitous had spent all his stones, and his eyes were glowing like red-hot coals.

“Well, I have only thirty-one points, and you have thirty-three plus your last stone to throw, so I think it is safe to say you have won.” Calamitous declared with a note of aggravation.

Salubrious knew his brother all too well, and so he understood that, as usual, his twin was not angry with him but with himself.

With a sad smile, Salubrious replied, “Never start a game you do not intend to finish, and never count your efforts wasted until the contest has come fully to its end. You never know if you might just find victory in the final throes of the struggle.”

After saying this, Salubrious threw his stone high into the air. It landed with a loud clack upon the edge of Calamitous’ second stone sending it from the fifth ring to the center of the circles. At the same time, Salubrious’ rock ricocheted with such force that it rolled backwards, tapped a glancing blow upon another grayish-blue stone knocking it from the third ring to the second.

Calamitous was so shocked that his mouth fell open, and his eyes shone bright yellow.

“See!” Salubrious issued an overdramatic sigh. “Now, I have only thirty-two points and you have thirty-three.”

“There can be no doubt that you did that on purpose!” Calamitous accused with a growing grin and yellowish-green colored eyes.

Salubrious returned his smile, but his eyes gleamed with a bright scarlet which is the color of unselfish love. “I would have to be a very good player to do something like that on purpose!”

Calamitous stared at him with amused disbelief. “Have you ever let me win before?” he asked while narrowing his teal-colored eyes.

Salubrious shrugged. “Sometimes, love compels one to take strange actions.”

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