X-Men: The Pota(y)to, Pota(h)to Tangent
Original Fic: The Death of Arthur, by kindkit
Remix: The Pota(y)to, Pota(h)to Tangent [Gina, 575 Words, Rated G], by itcomesinphases
Gina wandered amongst the chess tables in the park. The pieces were roughly at eye level and she watched nimble hands move them, set clocks. Click, ting, clack, ting, click, click, ting. So many different pieces and such a plain board. It was a stupid game. It was stupid because it wasn't fun. No one ever laughed or smiled when they played it. What was the point of a game that wasn't fun?
And there was an old man playing by himself! How funless was that!
"Hey mister." She said, scooching herself onto the chair across from him, careful to keep her school skirt from getting wrinkled because mother would scold her for it. "Why're you playin' by yourself?"
"I'm not, really." the old man said, his index finger on top of a castle, tilting it to one side like that Pizza Tower. He wasn't paying much attention to her.
"I'm Gina. I think chess is dumb. What's'r name?"
"Gina!" her uncle called without looking up from his own board. "Stop bothering people. Go play in the sandbox or something."
She frowned. "I don't wanna play in the sandbox! Someone barfed in there!" Gina smiled innocently at the look her uncle gave her and then turned that grin back on the old man in the flat hat. He looked familiar.
"You look familiar." she said, her face crinching around the nose as she tried to place that large nose. It was the kind of nose that was easy to make fun of.
"I'm here almost every day. You've probably just seen me around."
"That's not it, though." she pouted and traced the outline of a horse with her fingernail. There was dirt under it. She stuck her finger in her mouth to clean it out with her teeth. "You've got a really big nose. Like a potato!"
"Gina!"
"I'm not bothering him! He doesn't mind!"
"And neither do you. Now, leave him alone!"
"It's alright." Mr. Potato Nose said, "She's no trouble." Gina's uncle seemed satisfied with that and returned to his game.
"He makes a bigger commotion than you do." he muttered conspiratorially and Gina giggled at her uncle's expense. She sat there and watched as the old man moved pieces around the board. He didn't mind when she tapped the tops in round, swirly patterns and zigzags that changed every time he moved a piece.
***
Two months since she'd gone to the park with her uncle, she saw Mr. Potato Nose again. On the television of all places! That's where she'd seen him!
"Mommy! It's Mr. Potato Nose!" Gina pointed emphatically at the television screen where the old man was standing at a podium saying things to make people shout and cheer and boo.
"That's Magnito, honey. He's a very bad man."
"No he isn't! He let me watch him play chess in the park!"
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"When I went to the park with Uncle Kevin and he told me to play in the sandbox but I didn't want to so I said there was barf in it and watched Mr. Potato Nose play chess and he let me touch the pieces and didn't yell."
"I think you've gotten them mixed up, honey. Magnito doesn't play chess in Golden Gate Park."
Gina frowned again and turned back to the television to be sure she was right, but there was only a commercial for soda pop.
Remix: The Pota(y)to, Pota(h)to Tangent [Gina, 575 Words, Rated G], by itcomesinphases
Gina wandered amongst the chess tables in the park. The pieces were roughly at eye level and she watched nimble hands move them, set clocks. Click, ting, clack, ting, click, click, ting. So many different pieces and such a plain board. It was a stupid game. It was stupid because it wasn't fun. No one ever laughed or smiled when they played it. What was the point of a game that wasn't fun?
And there was an old man playing by himself! How funless was that!
"Hey mister." She said, scooching herself onto the chair across from him, careful to keep her school skirt from getting wrinkled because mother would scold her for it. "Why're you playin' by yourself?"
"I'm not, really." the old man said, his index finger on top of a castle, tilting it to one side like that Pizza Tower. He wasn't paying much attention to her.
"I'm Gina. I think chess is dumb. What's'r name?"
"Gina!" her uncle called without looking up from his own board. "Stop bothering people. Go play in the sandbox or something."
She frowned. "I don't wanna play in the sandbox! Someone barfed in there!" Gina smiled innocently at the look her uncle gave her and then turned that grin back on the old man in the flat hat. He looked familiar.
"You look familiar." she said, her face crinching around the nose as she tried to place that large nose. It was the kind of nose that was easy to make fun of.
"I'm here almost every day. You've probably just seen me around."
"That's not it, though." she pouted and traced the outline of a horse with her fingernail. There was dirt under it. She stuck her finger in her mouth to clean it out with her teeth. "You've got a really big nose. Like a potato!"
"Gina!"
"I'm not bothering him! He doesn't mind!"
"And neither do you. Now, leave him alone!"
"It's alright." Mr. Potato Nose said, "She's no trouble." Gina's uncle seemed satisfied with that and returned to his game.
"He makes a bigger commotion than you do." he muttered conspiratorially and Gina giggled at her uncle's expense. She sat there and watched as the old man moved pieces around the board. He didn't mind when she tapped the tops in round, swirly patterns and zigzags that changed every time he moved a piece.
***
Two months since she'd gone to the park with her uncle, she saw Mr. Potato Nose again. On the television of all places! That's where she'd seen him!
"Mommy! It's Mr. Potato Nose!" Gina pointed emphatically at the television screen where the old man was standing at a podium saying things to make people shout and cheer and boo.
"That's Magnito, honey. He's a very bad man."
"No he isn't! He let me watch him play chess in the park!"
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"When I went to the park with Uncle Kevin and he told me to play in the sandbox but I didn't want to so I said there was barf in it and watched Mr. Potato Nose play chess and he let me touch the pieces and didn't yell."
"I think you've gotten them mixed up, honey. Magnito doesn't play chess in Golden Gate Park."
Gina frowned again and turned back to the television to be sure she was right, but there was only a commercial for soda pop.