When Table Turns Novels & Stories

“Coming right up.” “I want to win,” I replied in English this time. “What are you going to win?” Table breathed at me. “Have you ever heard of waterboarding?” I said to Table, leaning my elbows against the clear space next to Table’s head and staring at him. Table’s eyes shifted from left to right, signifying he hadn’t heard of it before.

Megan stood up Immediately and met her at the door, as they whispered something softly Tanya kept nodding her head before she walked out of the door. The table was also agog with whispers. Megan came back to the table “well that was unexpected” My heart was beating too fast and I felt self aware. It felt like the table had all their eyes on me. “Let’s do this the proper way shall we” Megan spoke She took a glass and a spoon and clicked them together. She all had our attention now and everyone had taken their seats. “First off Jennifer said yes to Samuel, eve thought we all know she couldn’t say no” the table started laughing.

The group settled into a loose circle, waiting, the anticipation building with every minute. A sharp ping made Adrea glance at her phone. The app had lit up with a bold notification: Table 47. Round One. Please proceed within ten minutes. Her pulse quickened. This was it. “They’ve started calling tables,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. She showed the screen to Aris, who leaned closer, his hand brushing lightly against her arm. “Forty-seven,” he repeated with a small smile. “Come on, I’ll walk you there. Do you need a bathroom break before you get situated? They will have one after every two to three hours anyway.”

They remained in their position, breathing hard but no one dare ruin the human table they'd formed. "Congrats to you all. You reached this stage," said Mel and the audience applauded. "Now this stage will decide whether you get to claim the prize or not. Don't worry, even if you lose you'd still get something special," said Mel. Someone came over carrying four thick wooden boards and started placing them on the four teams' chests. "Now the crucial part is here. I'm gonna close my eyes and pick a random person. Whoever I pick will get the chance to do whatever he wants to the table. Are we clear?" he asked and the audience replied with a resounding: "Yes!"

The heat flushes in my cheek as he looks up from his glass with a gaze I can’t quite read. “Oh so that is why you want to teach me to play ? So you can get the table”. I wiggle my eyebrows. “Of course”. He sends me a mischievous smile and points at the table. “Your turn”. When his eyes are no longer resting on me I realise that I have been holding my breath. I take a deep breath and walk down to the end of the table and the red ball. “Just hit it straight on and a bit hard”. He says encouragingly and comes to stand on the opposite side.

It wasn't something I wanted to announce anyway, and I planned to keep it as hidden as possible until it was apparent. The plump woman standing before me raised an eyebrow. "Open your eyes, Katie, and not everyone is settled yet. Table 13 needs attention." And true to what she said, the girls sitting there had nothing on their table. "Oh," I exclaimed, straightening. "Yeah, see ya." Milicent shook her head with a slight smile on her face. That same slightly exasperated smile that she reserved for when she was speaking to me.

“Yes, please. Wait, shouldn’t we both turn around?” Javan shrugs. “You can do whatever you want. I just want you to be comfortable.” “I’ll turn around!” Addison huffs, walking over to the table on the right and turning her back to Javan. “There’s no reason for me to—why would I—I’ll turn around.” “Okay,” Javan says, laughing a little. “Alright, I’m turned around now, too.” “Okay.”

A pause built into the structure, a moment where the room turned, by habit now, toward my corner of the table. "Luna. What are you reading?" The room's attention settled on me, forty pairs of eyes finding their way to my corner of the table in the unhurried, practiced way a room turns when it has done this before and trusts the answer will be useful. I felt the weight of that trust land before I felt anything else — heavier, in that moment, than the static, heavier than the blur, simply because it arrived first.

"The track is closed, but the Pit is open. It’s time for the Queen’s Ransom!" A feral cheer erupted from the Iron Kings’ side. I saw Justin stiffen, his eyes darting to the center of the lot where a massive wooden cable spool was being rolled out to serve as a table. "What is that?" I whispered as I stepped behind Ryan. His jaw was so tight I thought it might crack. "A tradition.” He muttered, his hand dropping to the knife at his belt. "A stupid one." "It’s the Harvest, sweetheart." A new voice drawled.