Annual Old-Fangled Board Game Night

The invitation landed on Hannah's formal dining room table with a ring of a bell, a puff of smoke, and a scattering of gold confetti.

Win or lose

You can't refuse

Lose or win

It's time again

Annual Old-Fangled Board Game Night

2023 Middlewoods Way

Midnight

Refreshments provided

Bring your own potions!

Hannah chuckled to herself as she wiped up the confetti. Maudie was so creative. It was hard to believe a year had passed since the last time they played. She and Amos, her late husband, had attended the gathering together the previous year. There had been nine guests then, and sadly there'd be only eight this time. She missed him. Soon they'd all be gone. The contrast between what they once were and what they'd become became more apparent every time they met. Grey and bald, wrinkled and stooped, bespectacled and antiquated. Still, the invite perked her up. She planned what she'd wear as she hummed an old tune. 

When the night came, Hannah arrived dressed in blacks and used the gremlin-faced door knocker to knock three times. When no one answered, she let herself in and followed floating arrows to a room lit by the flickering flames of a fireplace. Maudie had been busy. 

"Hannah, my dear," the hostess exclaimed. She was dressed in whites. "Do come in. How have you been?" 

Soon, Hannah was drinking a brew of Foggy Mist and conversing with Bertrand, a once towering warlock who'd lost his wife several years back and now leaned on a stylish cane.

The sorceress Serena arrived in a display of grandeur, dressed in reds, wearing her entire jewelry collection, it seemed, followed by a wizard, a goblin, and an enchanter.  

Oliver, the goblin, gave everyone a quick nod and headed for the refreshment table. Sebastian waved at Hannah. He'd been great friends with Amos. Lastly, timid Wilhelmina, a conjurer dressed in grays, tiptoed in.

The wizard Benjamin, nicknamed Jamin, waved his hand, igniting the many-candled chandelier that hung above the game table.

There it was in all its splendor. Pugna Magorum—Battle of the Mages! The board was carved of ancient wood, hand-detailed by a craft master with special dyes and chemicals made to last an eternity. 

An amber ring, an amethyst crystal ball, an emerald cauldron, a garnet dagger, a lapis lazuli wand, an obsidian black hat, an opal sword, and a sapphire shield were the eight not-yet-assigned game pieces. It would all depend on which scroll one drew, and the scrolls, a hundred or more, made of infrangible parchment, waited inside a golden bird cage. 

"Choose your scrolls," commanded Maudie, and she opened the cage door. 

She used a wand, noted Hannah. Maudie had never had to use one before.

The scrolls rose into the air, darting this way and that, avoiding capture until every player caught one. The remainder were called back to the cage. 

The guests then unrolled their scrolls, keeping them hidden from the other players.

Name of Mage: Angelina of the Doventail clan

Special Powers: flying, superhuman strength, intangibility 

Weakness: Water

Game piece choice: 101

Special Twist: One Banshee Scream

Surprisingly 101 was the lowest number, and Hannah had the first pick of the game pieces. She would also go first to start the game. She chose the opal sword and took her place on the chair marked with the number one. Wilhelmina was next and sat next to Hannah with the obsidian black hat. Oliver was to go last and sat on Hanna's left with the amber ring. 

"Begin!" shouted Maudie.

The board illuminated. 

Hannah tossed the twelve-sided cube. She rolled a seven and moved the opal sword ahead seven spaces. The object of the game was to reach the top of the tower at the end of the path that spiraled around the circular playing board. Hannah landed on a space that read:

You have been captured by a tribe of gnomes. Lose two turns.

This was a terrible spot to land on. She had started out first, but she'd likely be in last place by the time everyone had two turns. Still, it was early—anything could happen.

The game went on. On the second time around, Wilhelmina landed on a space that said:

You must tell a truth about yourself to the troll guarding the bridge or lose a turn.

"I didn't want to come tonight," she said.

"Why ever not?" several voices asked.

"You know," she answered. 

Sebastian took the lead, with Bertrand coming up behind him. Hannah threw the dice. She moved one space ahead. 

You fell into the wishing fountain. Collect the golden goose.

Hannah reached across the table to snatch it from Serena, who glared daggers when she took it. She didn't care much for Serena. Years ago, the sorceress had tried to enchant Amos. It hadn't worked. Hannah had tossed her a squirming spell that still brought a smile to her face whenever she thought of it. She smiled now. The golden goose could be used to disregard the mandate on any landed square. Most saved it for one of the spaces that sent them back to the beginning.

Wilhelmina landed on:

You must hide from the dragon. Tell a secret to the person on your left.

"She used a compulsion spell on the invitations," the conjurer whispered into Hannah's ear. "That's why the verse says you can't refuse."

Around and around the board they went. Oliver took the lead once. Hannah found herself in seventh place ahead of only Serena. Luck was not with her tonight.

Maudie's turn.

A volcano has destroyed your village. Return to the beginning.

When Maudie dragged her Lapis Lazuli wand all the way back to Start, timid-as-a-mouse Wilhelmina cried out with glee. The game moved on. 

As game pieces neared the top of the tower, tension grew, and tempers got short. Wilhelmina was drinking heavily, and so was Oliver. Hannah herself felt the need for another drink and refilled her glass. 

"What will happen when there are only two of us left?" Wilhelmina slurred. "Can you even imagine such a thing?" she asked everyone.

Oliver began to cry. 

Hannah patted his back and gave Wilhelmina a look that went unnoticed.

"And what will happen when only one of us is left in the world? Tell me that. Who in this room wants to be the last?"

"Shut up," hissed Serena.

There was a minor altercation when Serena went out of turn, skipping Jamin, who didn't notice until Oliver's toss. The sorceress blamed it on Wilhelmina's ramblings. Oliver demanded he be allowed his seven toss, which landed him on a safe spot. When Sebastian threw three twelves in a row, Bertrand accused him of cheating. Sebastian laughed it off. It was impossible to cheat in this game. They'd all tried it. 

Sebastian was two squares away from the tower. To win, he needed a two. He threw a five. Hannah landed on a square that would have sent her back to the beginning if she hadn't used the golden goose. Wilhelmina then landed on the same square as Sebastian—two spaces away from the finish. While that spot was marked safe, the very next square, one move away from the tower, read:

Don't be upset, but you haven't won yet. Go back five spaces.

Five spaces back landed you on a square that read:

Thank the stars. Move ahead four spaces.

Four spaces ahead sent the player two spaces before the tower, where Sebastian's garnet dagger and Wilhelmina's amethyst crystal ball lay. Because of this, when Wilhelmina threw a one, she stayed where she was. It was Maudie who put up a fuss.

"You have to move your piece," Maudie said. "That's the rule."

"You're so petty. I'll end up in the same spot, and you know it."

"Do you wish to forfeit? Is that what you're saying?"

"Fine!"

Wilhelmina made an exaggerated show of reading the instructions aloud, jumping her game piece from spot to spot like a high-leaping frog while over pronouncing each number. She did the same for the square that landed her on the exact place she'd been before throwing the one. 

Moods were not likely to improve. 

When Maudie overcame Hannah for the seventh-place spot a few rounds later, Wilhelmina looked as disappointed as Hannah.

Sebastian needed a two and threw a six.

Wilhelmina threw a two. 

"I win! Whooo!" she shouted. The first-place conjurer jumped up with a fist in the air and instantly regretted the sudden movement, rubbing her shoulder. Then, she prepared another drink, moved to a seat beside the crackling fire, and began singing a farewell song no one else knew.

"What's gotten into her?" someone asked. 

Shoulders shrugged all around. Normally, Wilhelmina was so quiet everyone forgot she was there. 

The remaining players continued on. Only the last person to reach the tower was the loser. Jamin came in second. Sebastian third, followed by Oliver, then Serena. While the others got up to stretch and visit the food table, Hannah and Maudie battled it out for last place. 

"Do you know what's eating Wilhelmina tonight?" Hannah whispered. 

"She's furious with me. I forgot about her card party and didn't show. I told her she should have reminded me. She told me I should have remembered. My, but she holds on to a grudge."

Maudie suddenly tossed the winning number of moves. Hannah never reached the tower. She and Wilhelmina would now battle to the finish.  

Wilhelmina and Hannah took their places in front of the crackling fire where the match would play out.

The other six players pulled up chairs and made themselves comfortable, balancing plates of snacks and freshened-up drinks on their laps, ready to watch the show. Eyes glittered with anticipation.

The possible weaknesses were water, fire, wind, and stones. As the tower winner, Wilhelmina would get three minutes to guess Hannah's weakness and destroy her. While under attack, Hannah could only use the superpowers listed on the scrolls they now surrendered to Maudie, who passed them around for all to examine.

A silver timer included with the game, was set for three minutes.

"You may begin!" shouted Maudie.

 Wilhelmina first conjured a pile of stones, and the first struck painfully before Hannah could turn on her tangibility power. After that, the barrage of stones flew right through her, breaking windows, porcelain figurines, crystal vases, mirrors, and more. A chandelier rained shards of prisms. 

The surprised spectators threw up a shield of protection amidst their guffaws of mirth. 

"Great fun," someone said. 

Once the stones were used up, the howling wind began outside and stormed in through the broken windows. Curtains blew to the ceiling, and the fireplace and candles snuffed out, leaving the audience in darkness. While the onlookers shrieked and screamed, the loss of light only added to their entertainment. Gales of wind gusted through hair and tugged at clothing before beginning to swirl. The house lifted and spun. A funnel of wind tried to suck Hannah out the window, but she used her superhuman strength to stay put, though her hair was ruined, upsetting only because she'd spent the day at the salon. 

Once the wind died away, Wilhelmina chose fire, re-igniting the crackling fireplace and candles with a whoosh before tossing torches and throwing flames in Hannah's direction with both hands. Hannah, in defense, used her flying ability to dodge every single one. By now, the room was on fire, and smoke became the enemy. Laughter from the audience intermingled with coughs. 

The timer went off. 

Wilhelmina's three minutes were over, and she had failed to destroy her opponent. Now it was Hannah's turn. 

There was a three-minute interval in which everyone pitched in to restore the room to its undamaged glory. With a sweep of a hand, the fireplace changed to warm and welcoming again. A wand righted the house back to its foundation. Other gestures turned the broken glass back to whatever it was before and whisked the smoke away with the fire damage. Even the table of food was revivified.

Once again, the timer was set.

"Begin!" shouted Maudie.

It was over in a minute. 

Hannah let out a Banshee scream and attacked with stones, wind, fire, and water all at once. The stones felled Wilhelmina. Stones were the element listed as her weakness on the scroll. She lay still as death as Maudie declared Hannah the winner and rushed forward to hold Hannah's hand in the air as a sign of victory. 

The bombardment ceased at once, and again, everything was set to rights, including Wilhelmina. 

The sun was beginning to rise. 

Maudie waved her wand over the food table, and breakfast food appeared with a coffee service. 

"Well done!"

"Bravo!"

"Good show!"

"You were the best!"

Serena gave Hannah a hug. "You are amazing!"

Wilhelmina stood and stretched her arms. "What a showdown! I feel so alive!" she smiled. "However did you do it, Hannah? All four at once?"

"It's called multitasking. My daughter showed me because she thinks I'm slow. It's similar to a juggling act, and I've been practicing at home."

Maudie timidly offered the conjurer a cup of coffee. "One percent milk. Just the way you like it."

Wilhelmina sipped. "Thank you, Maudie. I've been a terrible guest tonight, but I've had a great time. You were right. I should have reminded you. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. I should have cast an alarm on my calendar. I'm sorry too."

"Apology accepted." 

The eight guests sat around the six-foot fireplace with plates of quiche, croissants, and fresh fruit. Mugs of coffee hovered within reach. For a bit, no one spoke but let the fire and the early sun command the attention.

"Did they ever find Amos's killer?" Sebastian asked quietly.

"They never did. A hit-and-run. He was in town, walking across the street to the hardware store. I arrived too late to do anything. Witnesses say the car never slowed. How could anyone live with themselves after doing such a thing?"

"Monsters," Oliver answered. "They say that monsters walk among us."