Elias felt the heat rise to his neck. "That was completely unnecessary. You had another move that wouldn't have bumped me."
Elias grunted, his eyes fixed on his blue marble, currently sitting three spaces away from his 'Home' row. He had been playing conservatively, avoiding risks, while Maya played like a chaotic whirlwind.
The board was a landscape of polished wood and precarious marble stacks, and for Elias, it was a minefield. Aggravation wasn’t just the name of the game; it was the precise emotion tightening his chest every time his younger sister, Maya, picked up the dice. aggravation
"You’re playing too fast," Elias muttered, shaking the dice cup with rhythmic intensity. "Strategy wins this, not speed." He rolled. A four. He moved his marble safely into his row, exhaling a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
Elias looked at the dice. He realized he’d been spending more energy being annoyed at the "clack" of the marble than he had on the next move. He picked up the cup, gave it a single, sharp shake, and let the dice fly. Elias felt the heat rise to his neck
"Yeah," Maya agreed, leaning forward. "But the board doesn't change. The shortcuts are still there. You just have to roll again. If you stay in the Base because you're mad about being bumped, you’ve already lost."
"Six!" Maya chirped, sliding her red marble out of the starting gate. "Watch out, Eli. I’m coming for that shortcut." He had been playing conservatively, avoiding risks, while
She wasn't just talking about the marbles. Elias had been "stuck at base" in his real life lately—terrified of taking a new job offer because he might fail, staying in his safe zone while the world moved around him. He treated every setback like a personal insult rather than a mechanic of the journey.