Some People Are Blessed (standard:horror, 1949 words)
Author: Alpha43	Added: Apr 17 2005	Views/Reads: 3553/2346	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Every Village has one, and Buck Plummer is Kalkaska's Village Idiot. He is also the unluckiest and most misunderstood person for miles around, but he has a plan...

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

Liquidating his assets took all of ten minute by making an all or
nothing sell off to Mike Deitter at the Ace Hardware. Forty-seven 
dollars in cash and Mike threw in an ‘Ace Hardware’ duffel bag. Buck 
felt a little foolish when he realized he didn’t have anything to put 
in the duffel bag except three left-hand jersey gloves and his military 
key chain can opener. 

Several chapters could be written about the events surrounding Buck’s
travels, but the best thing that happened was a ride in the mail truck 
from Kalkaska to Grand Rapids. The worst thing that happened was that 
by the time he got to Chicago, Buck had been rolled, was broke, and he 
needed a few more stitches. He had also been relieved of his duffel 
bag, but that left both hands free to hitch-hike. Buck always tried to 
think positive. 

Eventually, Buck did make it to Las Vegas, and being a natural at
begging, he survived quite well at panhandling. Buck had a plan and 
panhandling was only the first rung of the ladder to success. He began 
to think that this relocation was the smartest thing he had ever done; 
things were turning around for him. This was a money town; cast off 
clothing, shoes, and pawnshops were everywhere. Buck never achieved any 
great success, but he was able to stay clear of the law and eventually 
lost that look of a hobo. 

Soon Buck made some friends. He and a crony devised a scam where Buck’s
pal would harass tourists that wandered into the seedier part of the 
strip. Buck would rush up and chase off the potential assailant, acting 
the perfect gentleman, directing the visitors to a safer part of town. 
This usually resulted in a sizable tip or reward. Goldmine; like taking 
candy from a baby. Thumbs up. 

Life was good and he seldom thought about the ill-fated days back in
Michigan. He could even joke about his former bad luck. Like the time 
he was on trial for assault and battery, with Buck claiming he had 
merely defended the honor of one of the ‘girls’ that hung out at the 
Kal-Ho Bar. 

When Buck identified the lady of the evening, and she turned out to be
Judge Davenport’s sister, Buck was given an additional ninety days, 
added to the sixty days for the assault. Those ‘Bad Luck’ days were 
gone, he was on his way to making it big! 

Buck had no understanding of the wagering odds on the gaming tables, and
he had no desire to play. Buck did understand the principles of the 
slot machines (what’s not to understand), and after every successful 
evening of his tourist scamming, he would celebrate at the “Lucky 
Seven”. He would get their four dollar buffet (didn’t need to tip), and 
on the way out he would drop one dollar into the progressive “Big Mama” 
slot machine. 

One evening Buck had eaten all the macaroni and cheese, hot wings, and
soft ice cream he could hold and as he ambled out to the Lucky Seven 
lobby, he dropped a dollar coin into his favorite slot machine and 
pulled the handle. The handle went down and stayed down. 

Buck pushed up, pulled down, yanked and still the handle stayed in the
down position. He had just turned to get an attendant when the handle 
flew up, the wheels turned, and turned and seemed to be stuck in the 
rotation mode. Then finally clunk, Blue Diamond, ... clunk, Blue 
Diamond, and slowly the third wheel stopped, clunk ... Blue Diamond. 

Lights lit up, bells rang, a screech emitted from the machine. A
mechanical voice was droning “BIG MAMA.” People turned to look; the 
machine rattled and dollar coins started filling the return tray at the 
bottom of the machine. Coins poured out. More “BIG MAMA.” Buck grabbed 
a large cup and it was full in seconds. He grabbed another, and 
another. He had heaping cups stacked everywhere. People were yelling, 
there was a large crowd, the cups were running over, the machine still 
rattled, a siren started blaring out of the machine, more lights 
flashed, more “BIG MAMA.” He couldn’t find any more cups, he yelled for 
an attendant. Coins were rolling on the floor; people were grabbing his 
coins. 

Somebody grabbed a full cup, Buck turned to stop him and two more cups
were gone. The guy with the cups tripped and people dived for the loose 
coins, and then they were picking up the coins at the base of the 
winning machine. Buck was pushed back and he tripped over an old lady 
who was on all fours behind him. He shouted at the crowd, but he was 
just another scream out of hundreds. More “BIG MAMA.” He tried to get 
up but somebody stepped on his face. He rolled onto his stomach, 
getting his feet under him, just to have a large lady land in the 
middle of his back. That was the cause of the first wet spot in his 
underwear. 

Buck couldn’t breath; he had the wind, and a couple other things knocked
out of him. He heard the bones break in his left hand as some guy tried 
to stomp a rolling coin. Buck was able to get enough air to scream when 
somebody crushed his ankle. 

Buck thought he smelled smoke. He was in severe pain. The crowd was
shaking the machine, but it still spit out coins even faster. A 
computerized voice was monotoning, “Million Dollar Winner” 

He was able to roll on his right side just in time to get kicked in the
crotch. Buck smelled an obnoxious odor shortly after the second kick to 
his solar plexus. Another wet spot in his shorts. The machine was 
declaring “Million Dollar Big Mama!” Some mammoth was crushing Buck’s 
watchband into his wrist. People were rocking the machine. Coins were 
hitting Buck in the head. He pushed a foot off his chest and looked up 
in time to see the slot machine slowly falling towards him. 

Buck thought about James Cagney, standing on those burning refinery
tanks in the movie ‘White Heat’ yelling, “Look Ma, I’m on top of the 
world!” 

Buck thought about the good times; his childhood, his mother, the old
weekend job sweeping out the ‘Fireball Lounge’ and all that free booze. 
Buck thought that he had finally made it, and made it big time! He 
could hear an even louder “Million Dollar Big Mama!” Buck thought about 
Agnes, the jailer, who always gave him a pair of socks at Christmas and 
extra turkey slices if he was a guest of the County during a Holiday. 

Buck was really feeling the pain now from at least six broken bones.
Buck thought it was possible that he was having a turn of bad luck at 
this very instant. He was too dizzy to try to get up. Buck thought he 
saw an ‘Ace Hardware’ duffel bag in the grip of an old lady, full of 
his dollar coins. Buck thought the slot machine was smiling at him as 
it ever so slowly got closer. 

The Casino paid to ship Buck’s body back to Michigan and he is planted
at the Lodi Cemetery. The stone says “Buck Plumber” (misspelled), 
followed by, “Here lays the Lucky Big Winner!” 


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