A whole lotta luck

PROLOGUE:

            The golden coin flipped high in the air and landed with a quiet snap. The man had caught it, rather lazily. He studied his surroundings, with slow eyes and no hurry. The room was tiny, and painted a shimmery purple. There was a wooden dresser, a bedside table with a lamp, and a rocking chair next to a crib. 

The man was shorter than average and had a look of orderliness. Everything from his tailored suit, to his shining black shoes, and to his dark bowler hat were ironed, crisp, and neat. The only things that destroyed this image were the two week old beard, a half glass of whisky in his left hand, and his bright—almost glowing—yellow eyes.

             He took a long swig and finished the last of his drink. He set his sticky glass down on the dresser which was pushed against the wall. The man, or the intruder, approached the baby in the crib. The girl was sleeping, soundless. The intruder carefully and tentatively picked up the child. The baby opened her large brown eyes and stared at the man. He unconsciously tensed; waiting for the baby to cry out or scream.

The baby remained silent. In fact, she smiled and snuggled deeper into his arms. The man relaxed and shifted the baby into a more comfortable position.

             Suddenly, “Fancy seeing you here,”

             A second man emerged from the window and dropped lightly onto his feet. He was the complete contrast to the first man. Instead of a tailored suit, polished shoes, and a bowler hat, the second man wore a casual button down shirt, loose pants, and no shoes or hat to be seen of. He grinned, wolfishly.  When he didn’t receive any response, the man continued with a glint in his eye.                                                                                                                                                                                                      “Tsk, tsk, tsk, now what are you doing?”

             The bowler hat man was very quiet. “You know exactly what I’m doing here. Now, please, just leave.”

             The casual man stopped grinning, and turned serious. “I’m not here to stop you. However, I’m begging you to reconsider your actions . . . brother.”

             The bowler hat man sighed, almost inaudible. “No,”

             The casual man took a deep breath. “I won’t stop you, but I’m not helping you, either. But they’ll put your head on a spike . . .  and hers.”

             The bowler hat man hesitated and turned. However, the casual man had vanished, almost like smoke. The baby in his arms shifted and gave out a light yawn. The bowler hat man returned his attention back to the baby. Her eyes slipped shut, and she fell asleep. Her first memories . . .  were of the yellow eyed men.