The Cursed Checkerboard

River sat on a rock with the chess board in front of her. She placed her chin in her hands and watched as the mist drifted across the bog ways off. Absentmindedly, she moved a chess piece and watched a few deer scamper across her path. She attempted halfheartedly to touch one, but it danced away before she could. The graceful movements made River a little jealous of the deer. She would love to move like that, so graciously and effortlessly. She watched the bog intently. She checked her watch, and wished her brother would show up so she could play chess with him! It was their favorite pastime. Kegan usually let River win, which she knew. Even when she instructed him to not go easy on her, he still did. That was just how Kegan was. 

Back when they had lived together, Kegan had liked to play checkers with his friends instead of chess with River. But now that they lived separately, he was plenty happy to hang out with her. Since she liked chess better than checkers, he was willing to play that with her and save checkers for his new friends on the other side of town.

“Where is he?” she whispered to herself, feeling silly. The woods were so quiet that she wished she would hear something. She missed the graceful deer, who had made her happy. Where was Kegan? 

She looked down at the chessboard once more, and was surprised to see that a piece from the opposing side had been moved, protecting the queen from danger. Her spine prickled as she looked around. Cautiously, she moved another piece, and when a bishop from the other side moved without guidance from any visible hand, River flipped the chessboard off the stump in front of her. The board and it’s pieces clattered to the ground. Her muscles tensed, and River stood from her rock and looked around again. Then, she stomped on the chessboard with both feet until it was cracked and not visibly usable anymore. 

She resumed her seat and checked her watch. It was half past nine in the morning. Kegan was supposed to meet her there to play chess at 9:15, and she was growing impatient. Clearly they couldn’t play chess anymore since she had ruined the board, but she was still eager to see her brother. It had been a whole week since they last met for chess, and since he lived with their father and step-mother, River hardly ever got to see him anymore. She took her hair out of the ponytail it had been in and placed their hair elastic on the stump in front of her. She played with her hair for a minute, and then stopped, feeling even more impatient. 

She decided to wait another ten minutes before starting back to her house. If Kegan didn’t show by then… she would probably call Dad to see where he was. River wasn’t set on doing anything rash over her no-show brother. Kegan often forgot things, although she had assumed that their meeting once a week was important enough to remember. She scowled indignantly and stood. If Kegan was so self-absorbed that he forgot all about her, it was a waste of time to wait there for him, in her thin hoodie and soaked sneakers. Ten minutes was too long to wait when she was so cold. 

She stared at the chessboard and scattered pieces on the forest floor. She stomped on it one more time, and retreated. It was ruined already, but it appeared to be cursed and if it wasn't, it was just plain freaky. One stomp for good measure couldn’t hurt. 

It was only five minutes later, when she was nearly halfway home, that she remembered her hair elastic sitting on the stump. It was her favorite. Was it worth going back for? She would be back next week, but what if the wind blew it away? Or what if something ate it? River decided to go back. Part of her was hoping that Kegan would be sitting there, waiting for her. Maybe he would ask her about the chessboard, but probably not, because that was how Kegan was. She smiled at the thought of seeing her big brother. He would have his apologetic face on, but when he saw her approaching he would grin like he usually did. That made her happy to think about. Eagerly, she ran back to the meeting place and was horrified to see the crushed chessboard sitting on the stump again, fixed into one piece again. Her hair elastic was sitting on her rock. 

“Hello?” she said, panic-stricken. “Kegan?” 

There was the sound of cracking sticks and rustling of leaves. They were so close that River wondered where they were coming from. 

To her absolute relief, she saw Kegan appear from behind a nearby tree. It had been him all along! But how, she wondered?

“Oh Kegan! Am I glad to see it was you all along! You know I don't like pranks!” 

“Were you scared?” 

“Yes! When I heard those sticks… Kegan, that wasn’t very nice!” 

He grinned sheepishly. “I like pranks. Sor-ee.” 

“Don’t you ever do that again!” she said. “I can’t believe you were there all along!” 

Kegan looked confused all of a sudden. “What do you mean?” 

“Just that you did all those… pranks! I was scared, Keg. You really got me good. I usually don't admit it, but I really fell for it this time.” 

“Huh?” 

“By the way, how did you get that chess piece to move? Was it attached to a string or something? Although I still don’t see how you could pull it along, standing where you were. And the chessboard! Did you bring an extra along? You couldn’t have fixed that one! You’re a master, Keg- really. Usually, I know how you did it, but you've really stumped me this time.” 

Kegan looked baffled. “I don't understand...” 

“Oh, quite pretending!” River said with a laugh. “I know it was you doing all those things to scare me! I’m not going to fall for that again, Kegan.” 

He looked even more bewildered. “What are you talking about, Rio?” 

Rio was his special name for River. It was the name he had called her when she was a baby, because he couldn’t pronounce River, since he was only two. 

“How you moved the checker piece…” she said, trailing off. “And the checkerboard… how you fixed it and put it back up on the rock…?” 

His face changed. “River, I just got here.”