A Deadly Game of Chess

A game played by the old and by the new, a dangerous game, a game too real to be true

Two sides come together and slaughter each other in a frenzy, taking turns at deciding who’ll strike next

This is no mere game of strength and brutality

This game requires logic, wits, trickery, and above all else, a good show

There is the light and the dark, good and the bad, shells of a cliche

There are several pieces to this morbid game

Firstly, there is the weakest link of them all: the pawns

Each pawn is expendable, to be thrown away at one’s pleasure, and are often sacrificed first in the place of more important pieces

Usually, these pawns don’t even know that they are pawns until it is too late to escape their fate

Scattered, they are useless, picked off one by one by the more powerful forces

United, these pawns transform into a strong barrier, a mob that guards their superiors

They shield not for their masters’ sake, but for their own, for if they do not obey them, they will die

Either way, their death is almost inevitable

It is rare that even one pawn survives the massacre

The second pieces are the rooks, the headstrong of the bunch

The rooks only see what is in front of them and think not for their future, but for their present, the very moment of existence

Straightforward and stubborn, they neglect to see the deeper meaning behind their actions and follow their leader blindly

Emotions shift side to side, but in the end, they shift back to the center

Swift as a horse, they warn about the danger that may or may not come to be

Rooks are stubborn and charge ahead into the unknown, usually the second to fall

The third pieces are the bishops, sleek, sly, and built for show

There is no overlooking the obvious with these pieces

Taking in every detail, analyzing every situation with great care, for they know that one mistake could cost them their lives

Unpredictability is their strength, moving every which way, all leading up to their ultimate goal

To them, the world is a giant stage that is holding its breath, waiting for them to take the spotlight

And so, they give the world a flashy performance, dazzling the crowd with their dark acts

Going “over the top” has never been a phrase that bishops have known, not the true bishops

Some sneak around in style; others are outright with their appearance

Always following the unexpected path, they can be hard to trust, but are indispensable to the collection

Some are able to keep up with their antics and continue on, but some are so consumed by their performance that they lose their footing and fall

The fourth pieces are the knights, strategic and serving with undying loyalty to their leader

Knights are useful at the best of times, but act independently once their beliefs are changed

They are bold, strong, and hold power over the lower pieces

They are assassins, marksmen, skilled murderers, never stopping their endless plight of madness

They think with their heads more than their hearts, but that can easily change since their trusts sway

Often, they deal the ending blow and show no mercy when killing their prey

Knights hold nothing back, making every movement with the greatest of their potential

They know the strategy of the game, having played it before

They slip so easily through the enemies’ fingers and carry out their objectives with precision

Power means everything to knights, and without it, they transform into mere pawns

The fifth piece is the queen, dominant over the playing board

She always strives to please her king and carries out his most personal orders herself

The queen does not entrust important tasks to the lower pieces

She instead uses them as a distraction from the real chaos that only she and the king are aware of

The lives of her pawns are meaningless, and she often will kill them just for fun

Navigation is always an easy task for the queen

She knows all the ways with which she can reach something or someone

Rumors and lies are the poison she spreads among her insufficient allies

Murderous intentions have always been associated with the queen

In her position of power, she cannot fall as easily as the rest of her companions

Her efforts do not go unnoticed, and so to her enemies, she is the greatest threat

However, she could never deny the king for whom her heart beats with great intensity

He essentially controls her, and in the end, she turns out to be just another puppet through which mayhem emanates

The king is the sixth and final piece, necessary for the game to have begun in the first place

His mind is above all

His strength is above all

He watches from his velvet throne as the world around him falls

The chaos, destruction, and obliteration of the deadly game are all trapped in his head

It is only through his pieces that he transfers them to reality

The queen remains by his side, ever loving, ever listening

He knows that she is his most valuable piece and uses her to carry out his gruesome will

But, because he sits on such a high throne, he has the farthest to fall

If he loses the game, his dear queen lying before him splattered in blood, he, too, will share her fate, sitting upon his throne, bloodied and defeated

Then all will fall

The game has been lost