Week 9 Story: Yudi Loses Everything
If you asked Yudi, the night was still young.
Rhythmic, thumping music filled the room around him. It was carried along with the hushed and hurried voices of the other players. He sat at a grandiose oak table covered in a rich green velvet. At his table were six other men dressed in their best suits and ties. A few puffed on cigars; others swirled their glasses of scotch. All of them eyed Yudi.
"I'll meet that bet." Yudi sneered as he met each of the other players' gazes. "And I'll raise you $1000."
The table erupted. Three of the players slammed down their hands and yelled at Yudi. "You're bluffing. You have to be kidding." A chorus of disbelief broke out. Finally, a slender and haughty young man raised his scotch glass and simply declared, "Enough." The table fell silent once more.
This man was Dura and he was the fiercest poker player that had every set foot in the lounge. Dura and Yudi glared at each other across the table. Without losing eye contact, Dura cooly spoke, "I will raise you $100,000."
Everyone at the table inhaled a sharp breath.
"I fold." I fold." "Me too." Soon, it was just Dura and Yudi in play.
"I hope your hand is as good as you think it is." Dura taunted Yudi.
Yudi glared at Dura. The two had grown up together. Each of them heirs to large family enterprises. Dura had grown jealous of Yudi when Yudi had acquired the owning share of his father's business on his eighteenth birthday. Since then, Yudi had enjoyed a blooming business, steady market growth, and healthy stock investments. Dura had not been as lucky. While still a successful business man, Dura had not been given his father's business. He was envious of the relationship and trust Yudi's father had in him.
"I am so positive, I will bet my father's business." Yudi replied.
By this time, the duel between the two had attracted a substantial crowd. In response to Yudi's wager, they leaned forward, both intrigued and worried.
Dura matched Yudi's bet with his entire business portfolio. It was time to show each other their cards. Yudi grinned as he laid down four of a kind. Everyone in the room cheered.
Dura stared at Yudi from across the table. Slowly, his solemn expression turned into a smile. His smiled turned into a laugh. He laid down his hand: a royal flush.
Yudi was dismayed. Dura jumped into the air, spinning and taunting Yudi.
Yudi could not believe what happened. His horrified expression was echoed by his business associates who had previously shared the table. Yudi knew what he had to do. He had to exile himself. Run away.
Author's Note: This is based off of the story in the Mahabharata where Yudhishthira loses everything, including himself and his wife, due to gambling. I wanted to modernize that story. In this story, Yudi is obviously Yudhishthira and Dura represents Duryodhana. While in the original story, it is Shaken that gambles with Yudhishthira, it is Duryodhana's jealousy and anger that fuels the match.
Bibliography: Yudhishthira's Gambling by CA Kincaid
Rhythmic, thumping music filled the room around him. It was carried along with the hushed and hurried voices of the other players. He sat at a grandiose oak table covered in a rich green velvet. At his table were six other men dressed in their best suits and ties. A few puffed on cigars; others swirled their glasses of scotch. All of them eyed Yudi.
"I'll meet that bet." Yudi sneered as he met each of the other players' gazes. "And I'll raise you $1000."
The table erupted. Three of the players slammed down their hands and yelled at Yudi. "You're bluffing. You have to be kidding." A chorus of disbelief broke out. Finally, a slender and haughty young man raised his scotch glass and simply declared, "Enough." The table fell silent once more.
This man was Dura and he was the fiercest poker player that had every set foot in the lounge. Dura and Yudi glared at each other across the table. Without losing eye contact, Dura cooly spoke, "I will raise you $100,000."
Everyone at the table inhaled a sharp breath.
"I fold." I fold." "Me too." Soon, it was just Dura and Yudi in play.
"I hope your hand is as good as you think it is." Dura taunted Yudi.
Yudi glared at Dura. The two had grown up together. Each of them heirs to large family enterprises. Dura had grown jealous of Yudi when Yudi had acquired the owning share of his father's business on his eighteenth birthday. Since then, Yudi had enjoyed a blooming business, steady market growth, and healthy stock investments. Dura had not been as lucky. While still a successful business man, Dura had not been given his father's business. He was envious of the relationship and trust Yudi's father had in him.
"I am so positive, I will bet my father's business." Yudi replied.
By this time, the duel between the two had attracted a substantial crowd. In response to Yudi's wager, they leaned forward, both intrigued and worried.
Dura matched Yudi's bet with his entire business portfolio. It was time to show each other their cards. Yudi grinned as he laid down four of a kind. Everyone in the room cheered.
Dura stared at Yudi from across the table. Slowly, his solemn expression turned into a smile. His smiled turned into a laugh. He laid down his hand: a royal flush.
Yudi was dismayed. Dura jumped into the air, spinning and taunting Yudi.
Yudi could not believe what happened. His horrified expression was echoed by his business associates who had previously shared the table. Yudi knew what he had to do. He had to exile himself. Run away.
Author's Note: This is based off of the story in the Mahabharata where Yudhishthira loses everything, including himself and his wife, due to gambling. I wanted to modernize that story. In this story, Yudi is obviously Yudhishthira and Dura represents Duryodhana. While in the original story, it is Shaken that gambles with Yudhishthira, it is Duryodhana's jealousy and anger that fuels the match.
Bibliography: Yudhishthira's Gambling by CA Kincaid
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| The Ingredients to a Fun Night. Source. |
Hi Haley, great story! I was wondering what the outcome was going to be, part of me wanted it to be Yudi who won, but another part wanted it to be Dura who won. I kind of felt bad for Dura but I also didn't want Yudi to lose everything. This story really goes to show how high the stakes can be when gambling, and not just in the sense of poker matches or casinos. Awesome story!
ReplyDeletehi haley. your story is great, you do a great job of writing in a way so i can picture exactly what the setting is and exactly what the characters are thinking. You made me feel bad for Dura and Yodi at the same time and really did a great job writing this story. I love the picture you used for this story, it goes along perfectly. Great story!
ReplyDeleteHi Haley! Your imagery was perfect! And you built up the story really well! I could see the suspense growing. I liked your adaptation from the original story. It's unique and I never would have thought of anything like it. I felt like this could have been a scene from a movie or show and I love the thought of that!
ReplyDeleteHey there Haley! I really enjoyed reading your story. You are such a great writer and I really appreciate the witty/sarcastic tone that you put into your text. It was so easy for me to connect to your story, and I even found myself putting voices to the characters in your story. Great job overall, so keep up the good work. I really look forward to checking out your stories in the future!
ReplyDeleteHey Haley!
ReplyDeleteYour story was really great! You had my attention from the beginning and kept me wandering what the outcome of the game would be. I thought you did a good job on modernizing the story from the original. Also, I loved how you wrote the story because I was able to picture the scenes. Overall, you did a great job!
Hey there Haley,
ReplyDeleteThis was a great story! You do a really good job at describing the setting and the characters, so I can really imagine the scene in my head. The picture you chose does a really great job at setting the scene for the rest of the story. You kind of feel bad for Yudi, but he set himself up for failure in this. Great job!