• The Ace of Spades was going to get into so much trouble for this! If he got caught, that is.

    And it was all because of his stubborn parents! If only they didn’t have to be in the same suit!

    It started when he was minding his own business, playing in the sandbox like all Aces should. His mother and Father were too busy ruling the rest of the Spades to play with him, so he’d taken out his shovel and pail, along with some other various sandbox necessities1. There was no one in the sandbox at the park, so he’d just sat down to mind his business.

    And then the Ace of Diamonds, a pretty little card, if I do say so myself, came and asked him if she could play with him. Now, Diamonds and Spades don’t mix very well. But what’s an Ace to know these days?

    He said yes.

    Eventually, they got into a little game of putting sand in the pail, using the shovel, and dumping it on top of the other various sandbox necessities. Then, when completely covered up, they retrieved the object and shook all the sand off of it, and repeated the process. It was a simple game, but one that they enjoyed very much nonetheless2

    So they passed the time playing, and became quick friends.

    And when it came time to be home for supper, they agreed to both come tomorrow and play again.

    So at supper, when his parents, the Queen and King of Spades, asked him what he did that day, he said, “I played in the sandbox with the Ace of Diamonds!” He said it through a mouthful of food though, so they couldn’t here him3.

    “What was that, dear?” Said the Queen.

    “I was playing with the Ace of Diamonds today,” repeated the child after he’d finished his mouthful.

    Spoons and forks, and of coarse knives, clanged. Choking noises could be heard from the other end of the table, where the King of Spades sat. Ace’s older siblings, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, and Jack all gasped and his mother nearly feinted.

    Ace looked up from his plate. “Is something wrong with the food, dad?”

    “Not the food…” gasped the King, who was regaining his breath.

    “What’s wrong then?”

    The Queen sat up straighter and fanned herself with her outstretched hand. “Honey, um, Spades and Diamonds don’t mix, you see.”

    “Why not? We got along really well.”

    The King shouted across the table. “It doesn’t matter if you got along! Her parents and your mother and I don’t get along! I’ll not have you spending time with her!”

    “But Da-”

    “That’s enough young man! To your room, this instant!” His father bellowed.

    So the Ace of Spades stalked to his room, up two flights of stairs and down the hallway. He opened the door, and walked over to his bed. It was a loft bed with a tent underneath it and a slide off the top4. He crawled under the bed, where he had a lamp and a nice area to do drawings and read his picture books.

    He clicked on the lamp and took out a piece of paper to doodle grumpily. Why does dad have to be so controlling? Why can’t we be friends, the Ace of Diamonds and I? All the Spades only tease me.

    All his short life, his father had controlled him. He was the King, after all. But now, in a burst of rebelliousness5, he would still be friends with The Ace of Diamonds.

    He would still meet her tomorrow at the sandbox. He could just tell his parents he was going to the park again, which wouldn’t be a lie. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

    When his nanny called for him to turn out the lights and get in bed, he got up from his tent and climbed the ladder to his bed. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

    ****


    So when he woke up, and remembered his plans for the day, he slid down the slide at the foot of his bed excitedly. He got dressed6 and headed to where he kept his pail and shovel, and the various sandbox necessities.

    He headed out the door, and down the street to the park, where he saw the Ace of Diamonds waiting for him in the sandbox.

    “Hey!” He called when he reached the edge of the playground. When he sat, he said, “I got into trouble yesterday for playing with you.”

    She nodded and said, “Me too! My dad choked on his food.”

    The Ace of Spades laughed and said, “Mine too!”

    “Why don’t they like each other?”

    “Beats me, let’s play!”

    So they spent another happy day playing their game in the sandbox.

    But they didn’t see the two pairs of eyes watching them from the bushes.

    They agreed to meet the next day, and the Ace of Spades left the park happily.

    And this is where the story began, and what’s to come is next7.

    ****


    At dinner that day, when his parents asked what he did that day, he simply said, “I played in the sandbox again.” And they didn’t argue or ask further.

    But there was a nervous look from across the table, where his sister Ten sat.

    After dinner, when he had to go to bed, he went to his parents’ room, where his mother sat alone, reading a large book he didn’t understand8.

    “Hey mom?”

    “Yes, sweetie?”

    “Why don’t you and dad like the Diamonds?”

    After a pause, and much thinking, the Queen of Spade said, “Well, honey, before you were born, that Jack of theirs broke your sister Ten’s heart. Ever since then, we haven’t spoken to each other and blame each other for the hurt feelings of our children.”

    “So you think it’s silly?” He asked hopefully.

    “Oh, no. It’s entirely their Jack’s fault. He broke Ten’s heart and can’t be forgiven.”

    He sighed and said, “Goodnight, mom.”

    “Goodnight, Honey.”

    ****


    The next day at the park, Ace of Spades and Ace of Diamonds played the same game in the sandbox. But they were beginning to be bored of it.

    So they got up and decided to explore the bushes around them.

    When he had suggested it, some of the bushes had rustled a bit, so he said, “Let’s go to that one first!” And ran to see what it was.

    He parted the leaves, and suddenly he was very confused. There was a gasp from behind him, where Ace of Diamonds stood.

    “Jack?!” She said.

    “Ten?!” Said Ace of Spades.

    “Um, hello, Ace… both of you.”

    Ten’s face was a bright red, and Jack looked a bit flustered.

    Remembering what his mother had said last night, the Ace of Spades said, “Ten, didn’t he brake your heart?”

    After a long silence, she said. “Yes.”

    “Then why are you still together?” This was Ace of Diamonds, speaking to her brother.

    “It was a little figurine Ten of Hearts made me, not the heart inside me!” Blurted Ten. “We were in my room, and we got hyper, and he accidentally knocked it off my dresser! Why can’t anybody understand that?”

    “Let’s all go tell mom and dad!” Said both Aces at the same time, and they giggled and said, “jinx!” Both at the same time, so they started laughing more.

    Ten and Jack seemed to ignore the crazy antics of their younger siblings. “It’s worth a try if it means we can be together in public without our parents getting into a fight.” Ten was getting up from where she had been sitting in the bush.

    So they all headed first to the Spades' house, and explained everything to the King and Queen of Spades. After a few loud moments and some confused ones, realization seeped into the brains of them, and they agreed to talk to the Diamonds again.

    Their encounter with the Diamonds went much the same, for the families were much the same. And the next day, the Ace of Diamonds played with the Ace of Spades in the sandbox again, this time, with their parents chatting at a bench close by.



    1 Gotta have those various sandbox necessities, you know.
    2 They were young, what could you expect?
    3 Again, he was young, and didn’t have many manners yet.
    4 I once saw one exactly like it while looking for a bed, and nearly got it… And I’m 16!
    5 All kids go through that stage. It came on a bit early for him though.
    6 He dressed in a green vest with a blue turtleneck underneath, with red socks. Pretty good for one of his age dressing himself.
    7 Duh.
    8 And he wasn’t sure if anyone really did.