znaegele

The Three Sided Coin

Object Class: Safe Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXX is to be kept in a containment locker at site 115 and not to be touched without authorization from the site director. Any experiments done on SCP-XXX must be approved by both the site director, and any experiment involving D-class personnel must also be approved by the ethics committee.

SCP-XXX is currently uncontained and believed to be possessed by (Redacted) who is now classified as SCP-XXX-1. If located it is advised that SCP-XXX-1 be detained by whatever means necessary and their hands must be bound. Under no circumstances should they be allowed to touch SCP-XXX with their hands. Any gambling propositions from SCP-XXX-1 are to be strernly denied with prejudice. SCP-XXX should be secured and brought to a the nearest foundation facility. It is believed that once secured outside the reach of any persons it can be reclassified as safe.

Description: In all foundation testing SCP-XXX always first appears to an individual as the Heads side of a standard American quarter. When rotated 180 degrees once it displays the Tails side of the same coin. When rotated 180 degrees a second time, instead of the Heads side, it will display a face of a strange creature now known to be SCP-XXX-2. This side has been designated as its "anomalous side" because it causes the most dramatic effects, however it has been reported in journals found by the foundation that the general heads and tails sides can alter their appearance to match the currency of the local area. If rotated a third time it will once again display the Heads side. If flipped by an individual there is an equal chance that the coin will land displaying any of these 3 sides. Notably the date of minting displayed on the coin seems to change over time, always displaying that it was made 13 years ago.

SCP-XXX does not appear to display any anomalous behavior without human contact, with the notable exception of changing the minting date on its non-anomolous sides. Individuals in possession of SCP-XXX are now classified as SCP-XXX-1. If SCP-XXX-1 flips SCP-XXX and it lands on the image of the creature, that individual will immediately transform into what appears to be the same creature on the anomalous side of of SCP-XXX, this creature has been classified as SCP-XXX-2. However if SCP-XXX is simply placed upon the anomalous side and not flipped no change will occur. SCP-XXX-2 appears to be an altered version of the SCP-XXX-1 subject, but with several noticeable differences. They will grow in size by about 20%. The irises of their eyes will become blood red and their skin will become a lighter shade of red, however the exact shade seems to depend on the original skin color of SCP-XXX-1. Their mouths will widen significantly and their teeth will become sharp. They also will gain a second row of sharp teeth. On the top of their head five points will appear, approximately 4 to 5 inches in length. Their arms will extend by a further length of 12 to 18 inches in addition to the 20% general increase in body size. Perhaps the most striking change is in their hands which will change into the shape of scythes. SCP-XXX-2 may attack anyone who is in its immediate vicinity. This appears to always be the case when another individual agrees to a wager with SCP-XXX-1 prior to SCP-XXX being flipped.

SCP-XXX appears to require SCP-XXX-1 for its anomalous traits to be activated. SCP-XXX-1 in possession of the coin for long periods of time appear to alter their behavior the longer they have it. Their behavior will be outlandish, charming and clever. They will adopt the persona one might expect of a carnival worker, inviting others to play games, telling riddles and jokes. This behavior could be described as a constant state of manic behavior, and the feeling has been described as an incredible high by those in possession of it. They also appear to be less effected by things that would impare cognition, including drugs and alcohol. This allows them to be able to drink far more than others in social settings and gives them some resistance to meeting hazards.

The SCP was obtained by the foundation in ■■/■■/1973 after reports surfaced of a man that appeared to have been decapitated and mutilated outside a casino in Las Vegas. Upon further investigation Agent ■■■■■ ■■■■■■■ was able to track down an individual named Francis Exolia. The agent reported that Mr. Exolia was the last person seen with the victim and was already in police custody when he arrived. Despite being detained by law enforcement Mr. Exolia was still in possession of SCP-XXX, which has since resulted in him being classified at an instance of SCP-XXX-1. At the time Agent ■■■■■■■ arrived at the precinct he was chatting with the officers and trying to get them to gamble with him on flips of SCP-XXX.

When Agent ■■■■■■■ tried to take SCP-XXX away from Mr. Exolia he appeared to hide it in a location that could not be found, claiming he was a magician and had made it dissappear. He then agreed that he would make a wager with Agent ■■■■■■■, heads and he would come willingly with the agent wherever he wished to go, but if it landed tails he asked to be freed and have all charges dropped. Despite it breaking many foundation protocols the agent agreed. Mr. Exolia then retrieved SCP-XXX from behind his ear and flipped it resulting in heads. He then willingly submitted to Agent ■■■■■■■ but not before once again hiding SCP-XXX. Mr. Exolia was brought to site 115 and upon delivering him to the site Agent ■■■■■■■ was required to report to the ethics committee for breaking protocol.

Mr. Exolia was detained in a holding cell for the next two weeks. Upon his arrival he appeared to understand that the foundation was aware of SCP-XXX's anomalous properties and was looking to study it further. He suggested that he be allowed to demonstrate to them what it could do and requested an audience because he "loved to perform for a roaring crowd". His request for an audience was denied, however the site director believed Mr. Exolia may have knowledge of SCP-XXX which could be useful.

During an interview with the a site researcher Mr. Exolia revealed that SCP-XXX requires a bet to be placed upon it to activate it's most dramatic anomalous properties,

Interview XXX-1-1 between Dr. ■■■■ Reynolds and Mr. Francis Exolia
Reynolds: Hello Mr. Exolia. My name is Dr. Reynolds.
Exolia: Good morning Doc, how are you on this fine day?
R: I'm fine. What can you tell me about what happened to Mr. (REDACTED) in Las Vegas on the night of (REDACTED)?
E: Ah yes, poor fellow. Seems he ran into some bad luck that night, didn't he?
R: You were the last person reported to be seen with him.
E: Yep thats exactly what the police said when they arrested me. A stuck up lot they were, not a one of them wanted to play games with me. Not like old (REDACTED), he may have been unlucky but at least he was fun.
R: So you knew him?
E: No I just met him that night. We had quite a time at the bar and he agreed to play a betting game with me after closing. He'd been winning all night at the black jack table and was feeling pretty cocky so I bet him $500 on a coin flip just to test his luck.
R: And did he agree to this?
E: You betcha he did! Old (REDACTED) wasn't scared to play! But it seemed he left his luck at the table, because my side came up.
R: And then what happened? Did he refuse to pay up?
E: Oh no. He paid.
R: Then how did he end up decapitated? Did you do something to him?
(Mr. Exolia pauses for a minute before speaking again)
E: Why don't you let me demonstrate what my lucky coin can do? Let's make a bet.
(Mr. Exolia pulls SCP-XXX from behind his ear)
R: Unfortunately I'm not authorized to do that Mr. Exolia. However we may be able to set up a way for you to give us a demonstration if you're willing to tell us what you know about your quote "lucky coin".
E: Well all I can tell ya is that it definitely works best when the stakes are high, hardly works at all if nothings bet on it.
R: Thank you, thats very helpful. Anything else?
E: Not that I can think of right now. Sorry pal. Maybe some brain food might help jog my memory ya know? What do yall even have to eat around here?
R: I can see about getting you some food? Thank you Mr. Exolia, that will be all for now.
E: Alrighty Doc, guess I'll see ya later then!

A test was run in which a D-class personnel designated D-717 was allowed to enter Mr. Exolia's holding cell with $200 worth of cash. D-717 was instructed to sit at the table and say "let's gamble", which he did. Mr. Exolia then objected stating that he had nothing to gamble. He was brought in $200 of his own cash. Mr. Exolia then pulled out SCP-XXX and began placing bets with D-717. D-717 won the first of these bets and received $50 dollars from Mr. Exolia. On the second flip SCP-XXX landed on its anomalous side and Mr. Exolia transformed into SCP-XXX-2. SCP-XXX-2 immediately decapitated D-717 and began eating his body. Once it had devoured most of the body it transformed back into Mr. Exolia. Following this test it was determined that no further bets should be placed on SCP-XXX.

Following the test the site director ordered that SCP-XXX be taken from Mr. Exolia. Site security personnel stripped him and found SCP-XXX in a pocket that had been sewn into the sleeve of Mr. Exolia's suit. Upon removal of SCP-XXX Mr. Exolia became distraught and angry, however he did not appear to be able to transform into SCP-XXX-2 without flipping SCP-XXX. Over the course of the next ten days he went through what appeared to be withdraw symptoms, spending hours sobbing in the corner of his holding cell. He refused to eat, stating that he had no appetite. He repeatedly begged for SCP-XXX to be returned to him. Dr. Reynolds noted that this behavior seemed to resemble the five stages of grief one might associate with losing a family member. Following the ten days the site director ordered Mr. Exolia be given Class-E amnestics and put into witness protection.

In testing done on SCP-XXX it was discovered that the anomalous side of the coin will not appear if either of the Heads or Tails sides are being constantly observed by another individual. If being rotated and any side is temporarily unobserved the anomalous side will still appear on the third rotation. SCP-XXX does not seem to be breakable and any damage such as scratching or chipping seems to disappear when the coin is rotated again.

Addendum 1

SCP-XXX was being stored in a containment locker when it was stolen from the foundation on ■■/■■/1995 following an earthquake. It is believed that it was taken by former foundation custodial employee (REDACTED). (REDACTED) and SCP-XXX's current whereabouts are unknown.
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This is where the SCP article ends and the Tale begins.
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TALE: If by chance your eye offend you, pluck it out lad.

Anders Calta walked into Topeka hungry and alone. He had been robbed on the road 2 days ago and they had even taken his canteen. The hunger he could deal with, he'd done it before, but the thirst was killing him. The dehydration was causing a headache that made his skull feel like it was going to split in two. He needed to find a saloon, or the nearest horse trough.

Lucky for him he found a saloon first. It looked like almost every other saloon he'd seen in the last twenty years. It was wooden, had swinging doors, and looked both depressing and comforting at the same time. This being Topeka he knew there were nicer saloons he could go to if he wanted, but he didn't need a nice saloon, he needed water and he needed it now. He stepped inside and found the bar.

The bar tender was a tall, older man who looked like he had probably been the bouncer of the saloon three decades prior. He looked at the man who had just come into his bar. Anders was dirty, as most of the folks just getting into town were, but he looked worse than most. His shirt was torn around the collar and he was quite sunburned. His left eyebrow was swollen and had a small cut that had scabbed up, and there was a streak of dried blood that had run down his cheek.

"Can I have a glass of water?" Anders asked the bartender.

"It'll cost a penny," said the bartender.

Anders reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handful of coins. He had about seventeen cents. The only bit of money that hadn't been taken. It had been tucked away in his tobacco stash for emergencies, and without a pipe it was the only thing useful left there. He placed a penny on the table and the bartender brought him the glass.

"Can I get ya anything else?"

Anders chugged the entire glass. He slammed the glass down on the bar with his right hand and a penny with his left.

"Another," he said. The bartender brought him one. "How much is a whiskey?"

"Twenty cents."

"What kind of food can I get for fifteen cents?"

"That can get you some steamed veggies or a slice of pie, but not both."

Anders looked at the dime and five pennies in his hand. He knew he needed to eat but if this was the last of his money it would be better spent on some bread from the market, more bang for his buck.

"What's the matter bud? Can't afford a slice of pie?" asked a voice from the other end of the bar.

The voice caught him off guard and he jerked his head up from his change. Anders looked at the man at the end of the bar. He was skinny, a little tall, and had a finely groomed mustache. He was dressed in what appeared to be a nice, but dirty, maroon suit and had a stovepipe hat to match it on his head. Anders wondered how he hadn't noticed the man when he'd  first walked in, probably just the dehydration he thought. But he hadn't liked the man's tone, and looking at the fancy get up only made him dislike the man further.

"None of your business what I can afford!" Anders snapped.

"I'm sorry pal, I didn't mean it like that," the man said as he walked over to Anders' side of the bar and took a seat one over from him. "I meant it sincerely. If you need some supper I'll help ya out. No offense but you look like you've had a rough day. Did a bandit give ya that lump on your head before cleaning you out?"

"Yeah, something like that," mumbled Anders.

"Happens too often to folks 'round here. I happened to have come into some luck recently and it would only be right of me to share it with someone who needs it more than I. Can we get two orders of potatoes and steak sir?" said the man as he turned to the bar tender. Then he looked at Anders and winked as he shouted over his shoulder "and two whiskeys, each!"

"Who are you?" asked Anders.

"My name is Chance," said the man.

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Anders and Chance sat at the bar together for quite a while. Chance explained that he was a traveller as well who just happened to like Topeka and had decided to stay for a little longer than most of his other stops.

"So what exactly do you do for work though?" asked Anders. "You sure don't look like a prospector or a bounty hunter. Are ya some kinda government rep? A tax collector?"

Chance laughed and said "Oh hell no, nothing like that. I couldn't stand workin' for anybody quite so official, plus it wouldn't be very smart o' me either. They might start lookin' into me too much. You see sir, what I am," he paused and took a quick glance each way with his eyes, "is a professional gambler."

"A gambler? Shit, most of the gamblers I know tend to end up broke."

"Very true, but I ain't your average gambler. As you can see it hasn't put me out on the street yet."

"Nah, it looks like you play a little too well. You keep a couple aces up your sleeve at the poker table?"

"Absolutely not! I would never cheat!" said Chance looking just the slightest bit offended. "But I do have a talent for readin' people. Any game that has a way to exploit it, well, let's just say I'm good at findin' those."

"So you make your own luck."

"I s'pose in a way I do. But the truth is I know the odds are always in my favor. They have been for the last twelve years."

"Twelve years eh? And how do you know that?"

"Cause I've kept track of my score playing my favorite game over the years. A game that requires no skill and you can not cheat even if ya tried."

Anders laughed. "Oh yeah? And what game is that?"

"The flip of a coin," said Chance.

Anders laughed even harder this time, the whiskeys were starting to get to him. "The flip of a coin?! And you think the odds are in your favor in that?"

"I know they are. I got my lucky quarter, and I've kept track of my score with it. I've won more times than I've lost, which means the odds are in my favor."

"Oh yeah? Well let's put it to the test then. I've only got fifteen cents to my name right now, but I'll bet you a beer on a coin flip, just to see this luck of yours."

"Alright then, now we're talking," said Chance. He pulled out a quarter and held it out for Anders to see. "Heads is you," he said. He then flipped it high. It came down on the bar, bounces twice then began spinning slowly down until it laid flat on heads.

"Ooh, well thats a bummer there fella, guess the odds aren't with ya tonight!" chuckled Anders as he pat Chance on the back.

"Oh no, they're still on my side. But even when they are one can still lose, and it looks like that's what happened. Bartender, a couple of beers over here."

The bartender brought them their beers and said "Alright boys, its getting late. That'll be your last for the night."

"Damn, well I don't much feel like goin' home yet do you buddy?" said Chance.

"Man, you saw me when I came in here. I've got nothing and nowhere to go. Seems like it'd be a waste of whiskey to just go pass out in some alley," said Anders.

"Well then," said Chance, "let's toss these back and see where the night takes us."
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They get into some shenanigans. A couple more flips of the coin that safely result in heads or tails. It is revealed that guy 1 doesn't have the best morals.

Anders and Chance stumbled towards downtown Topeka. Anders hoped they would find another bar where his new friend might continue his generosity by buying him another round. As much as he had hated it when Chance first called him out at the bar, he had to admit to himself that he liked this man. He had been feeling lower than he had in months walking into that saloon, and in just a couple hours Chance had him feeling like he could conquer the world. He wasn't sure why the man felt like being so charitable. He had a slight suspicion that maybe Chance fancied him, but he would never let it come to that. Whatever the reason for it was, the charity was not the only thing Anders liked about the man. He had a certain swagger to him, not your typical cowboy tough guy type, but still a confident and daring attitude that was a rarity amongst folks in the dangerous western territories. He seemed to show no hesitation in diving into unknown situations, always assured that, as he said, the odds were in his favor. Anders had to admit, it did seem to be working for him.

"Well now, wouldcha take a look at that," said Chance as he pointed to their left.

Anders looked and saw an alley that seemed mostly empty except a couple of barrels. But as he looked closer he saw what Chance was pointing to. It was a wallet sitting next to what appeared to be a puddle of vomit. Apparently some poor soul had gotten too drunk and didn't notice it fall out of their pocket while they were expelling some demons. Anders looked inside to find about five dollars in cash. It wasn't much, but it was more than he'd had in several days.

"My my. It seems tonight is your lucky night pal," said Chance.

"Well shoot, you found it. You sure you don't wanna split it?" asked Anders.

"Oh God no. I wouldn't do that. I'm an all or nothing kind of guy. Why don't we see if your lucky streak can continue eh? Why don't we flip for it?"

Anders looked at the money and thought about it. He'd certainly prefer the whole sum to half. Besides, odds are that if he lost Chance would still spend the money on him tonight, and while that certainly wouldn't help him tomorrow, it would  be fun. And there was a chance that he would win.

"Your on," he said with a grin.

Chance pulled out his lucky quarter again and said, "I chose last time, would you like ta make the call this time?"

"Sure, I'll take tails this time."

Chance flipped the quarter high and let it fall to the ground. Anders leaned down to take a look and smiled. It showed tails.

"I think you might be right," said Anders, "maybe it is my lucky night."

"Why don't we celebrate with some more whiskey?" suggested Chance.

"Why not!"
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Finding a bar at this hour that would still serve them at this hour was tough, but they found one near the edge of town. It was full of drunkards and ladies of the night trying to woo their money from them. In fact by comparison Anders and Chance seemed rather sober, although Anders knew he was far from it. They drank just one round before getting bored of the place. They discussed their next move at the bar.

"This place is depressing as hell!" Anders drunkenly claimed, just loud enough to get a look from the bartender. He was quite drunk right now and it was beginning to show. Chance on the other hand seemed to be very coherent for the amount he had drank. This gave Anders a false sense of his own sobriety and suddenly he felt a desire for more whiskey.
"Say whatdya think the odds are that this guy would sell us a whole bottle?" Anders asked Chance.

"Hmm, ya know they're probably pretty good at this hour." Chance turned to the bartender and asked him " I know its gettin' late sir. Would ya like to make a little extra cash tonight by selling us a bottle before last call?"

The bartender agreed, Chance turned to Anders and said "Perhaps you could get this one pal? I'm a generous man, but it is nice to have the favor returned after a while. Since you happened to come into some money tonight it would you mind?."

Anders gave him a sly look. He had a devilish idea that he was confident would work. With a wide grin he said to Chance, "Why don't we flip for it?"

Chance smiled. "You know how to keep things interesting bud. I like that."

"Well whadya say?" said Anders, still grinning.

Chance answered by pulling out his quarter and said "I think you forgot that the odds are in my favor. Heads or tails?"

"Heads."

Chance flipped the coin high in the air. It bounced off the bar and onto the floor. Anders clumsily got up from his bar stool and bent down to see it.

Tails. He had lost. He instantly felt a wave of sobriety come over him. Suddenly he had gone from having a scrap of hope in his pocket to nothing. He would have to spend nearly all the money he had found on the bottle, and he didn't think it was worth it anymore.

"Well well well, looks like your lucky streak has come to an end my friend," Chance said from above. "We'll take that bottle now bartender, and a couple of shot glasses please."

Anders got back on his stool and laid his head on the bar. He was mad at himself. He truly had lucked out that they had found that money, and now it was gone. He had gotten caught up in the excitement of the evening and had forgotten how he had started this night. He knew he would wake up tomorrow just as destitute as he was this morning. He slammed his fist on the bar in anger.

"Easy pal!" said Chance reassuringly, "it happens to all of us. Sometimes you lose, but ya gotta pay up with some dignity."

Anders didn't say anything, but pulled out the money, laid it on the bar, and went back to sulking. The bartender brought over the bottle and glasses. Chance gave him a nod and he poured two shots for them.

"Here bud," said Chance as he pushed a glass towards Anders. "At least we've got drink for the night. Drink it, it'll help to cheer ya up."

Anders looked at the glass. He wasn't sure he felt like drinking anymore. But if he didn't drink then he would lose all his money and not get anything out of it. He took the shot.

The rest of the night went by in a blur.
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The sky was purple to the east as the two men sat on some rocks just outside of town. Anders couldn't remember exactly how they had gotten here, but he didn't really care. The magic of last night was starting to wear off and the reality of his situation was slowly creeping back into his mind. He was thinking about all the events that had happened prior to his arrival in Topeka.

He looked at Chance staring out at the horizon. He was still so perplexed by this man, even after spending all night with him. He had given Anders so much when he had nothing, for seemingly no reason other than that he wanted some company for the night, someone to be ridicules with. What kind of man does that? He had no idea who Anders was. No idea of where he came from or why he had looked so rough.

"It's a little reckless of him," Anders thought. "What if I had been someone dangerous?" Then he chuckled just slightly as he thought, "in fact to the wrong person on the road, I am someone dangerous."

Almost as if he had read Anders' mind Chance turned and asked, "so how'd you end up in Topeka in such a sorry state?"

Anders was hesitant at first to answer. If anyone else in town had asked him that he would have lied right away, but he liked Chance. He thought maybe this man would be understanding of his past.

Chance noticed the hesitation and offered a jumping off point. He said "When I met you at the bar I asked if you'd been robbed, and you said something like that. But I have found when some says "something like that", what they really mean is "not that". So what really happened to you?"

Anders chuckled, Chance had seen right through him. He might as well tell him the truth.

"Well," he started, "I said it was something like being robbed, but the twist in the story is that the man doing the robbing was me."

"Oh that is a fun twist."

"Ya see I was part of a gang that worked the road out of Lawrence. There were four of us, me and the other guys were Stu, Mac and Paul. We were good at it but someone tipped off the sheriff about us and they got the jump on us. They showed up at our hideout about two weeks ago fully armed. Mac took a bullet to the skull from one of the deputies, I saw it with my own eyes as we were were running. The rest of us made it out to the prairie and started heading this way.

"But we were broke. We had to leave most of our loot behind, all we had was the money in our pockets and the little food that had been in our saddlebags when we fled. We rode until we were about a days ride from Topeka, we figured we could rob some people on their way into town.

"But the word must have gotten around in Lawrence that we were running the road between there and Topeka because the first wagon we stopped had half a dozen men in the back armed to the teeth. As soon as we stopped them a pistol fired from the cart and caught Paul in the chest. Stu and I darted to some rocks while the men piled out of the back of the wagon. Our horses had been spooked at the first shot and darted so we didn't have any way to escape other than shooting our way out. Stu managed to pick off one of them before catching a shot in the shoulder. He said he'd hold them off while I tried to make a run for it."

"Seems awfully noble for a thief," said Chance.

"Yeah well me and Stu went back a ways. But he knew as well as I did that we weren't both making it outta there. He told me to take off and I did. Had a bullet take a chunk outta my shirt here," Anders said as he pointed to the tear near his collar. "But Stu held them just long enough to keep them off of me. I heard them hit him with a shotgun from a ways out though. I knew I couldn't do anything for him so I waited until the next morning to see if I could salvage anything from our camp. When I got there it was empty. Not a crumb of bread or even my canteen. So that's when I started heading towards Topeka."

" And what would you do for money? If you're a known thief its not likely you'd be able to find work in town."

"I was gonna try to sell this." Anders pulled a golden locket from his pocket. He popped it open to show a picture of a young woman inside.

"Who's this pretty lass?"

"It's my sister. I haven't seen her in about fifteen years. But I know she was living in Chattanooga about three years ago. I was gonna sell the locket and take the picture, see if I could buy a horse and head east to find her. She was the original reason I was heading out west. I was supposed to get to California and find some gold, send her back some money. But my dumbass didn't even get halfway there before I got caught up in the bandit life. I know I let her down, and I don't know how many nights her kids had to go hungry. But I'm hoping that I can find her and with any luck she'll forgive me."

"You'd never get enough money for that locket to buy a horse pal," said Chance, "but I happen to have a horse."

The expression on Anders' face revealed his desperation instantly. After a second he dared to ask the question. "Would… would you be willing to sell it to me? I don't have much now but I could find a job when I get to Chattanooga and send ya…"

"I don't think so," Chance said, cutting him off. "From the story you just told me it doesn't seem like your that reliable at sending money back to folks. Besides, I think you should know by now that I'm not one to sell things."

"A flip? But for what? I spent the last of my money on that damned bottle. I could put the locket up…"

"But like I said, that locket is not worth what a horse is. No pal, I think you need to bet something as valuable to me
as this horse is to you."

"Well what then?"

"Your life," said Chance flatly.

"What the fuck are you talking about? I know your pansy ass ain't threatening to kill me right now, and I ain't gonna be no one's slave!"

"Oh I don't think you have the work ethic for that. No, the way I see it is this. Your a wanted man in Lawrence, and I'm sure by now word has made its way to Topeka that there's a bounty on your head. Judging from the way those men on the road were killing off your buddies it would seem you're wanted dead or alive. Now your bounty might be worth what my horse is. So it seems to me that this wager is your best chance."

Anders couldn't believe what he had just heard. He thought this man was his friend, but clearly he had miscalculated. Chance was just a lunatic who had managed to sweep him up into his crazy antics for a night. He had no love for Anders, he just wanted someone who was willing to risk everything he had on the flip of a coin. And now Anders had no choice in the matter. Chance had said he was good at reading people and he had read Anders the second he had walked into the bar last night. What he read was that Anders was desperate. If he didn't get a horse to get out of town he would likely be arrested within the week anyway.

Anders hadn't said anything so Chance pulled out his lucky quarter and said, "Well bud, whatdya say?"

Anders looked at the coin sitting in the man's hand. He didn't have a choice. With a heavy sigh he looked at Chance and said "Alright, I'm heads."

Chance flipped the coin. The sky had changed from purple to bright orange by now. As the coin rose into the air the clouds behind it seemed to Anders like they were the fires of hell, where a thousand demons were waiting to drag him into a pit of despair. His stomach was full butterflies as the coin came down to rest in the dirt.

Anders bent down to look at the coin, praying for heads. At first glance it appeared he had won, a face was displayed in the coin. But as he looked closer he saw that it wasn't the face of George Washington, it was a creature with horrible teeth and spikes on its head. The worst part of it was that it appeared the creature was winking at him.

"You remember what I said about my lucky coin right pal?" said a deep voice from where Chance had just been standing. Anders looked up and where the man had been was now a horrible red creature. It vaguely resembled Chance but was larger and far more powerful looking. Its face also resembled that of the face on the coin, with red irises, two rows of sharp teeth, and five large spikes that stuck out of the top of the hat on its head like a terrible crown. Its arms were longer than that of any man's and at the ends were boney scythes that were razor sharp. It stood menacingly above Anders with a wide toothy smile on and said, "The odds are always in my favor."

With one quick swipe of its scythe like appendages it took Anders head clean off. It landed in the dirt with eyes still wide open. It watched as the rest of Anders' body collapsed to the ground and the creature pounced on it, hacking off limbs and tearing out organs with its teeth. A drop of blood leaked out of one of its eyes, as if Anders himself was crying at his own demise.

OTHER TALE IDEAS

1. A tale that is a series of journal entries from a person who has found the coin and slowly changes as it influences their behavior.

2. A tale about someone stealing the coin from the foundation.

3. A tale where one of the circus people has obtained the coin and it is used as part of a dark carnival game.

4. By popular demand I will be brainstorming an origin story for the coin, but it might take some time. (I'm about to start working on the journal entry tale which I think will help give a better understanding of the way the coin influences those in possession of it. But origin story will be next on the list.)