This is my entry for the @freewritehouse contest, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words."
Hugo knew he was in excellent physical shape. His muscles impressed men and women alike, his tall stature drew attention every time he walked into a room, and his neatly-trimmed hair gave him the appearance of a model for a shampoo commercial.
Right now, however, Hugo also knew he was in trouble. It had been Karl's idea to enter a boxing match in order to earn some extra money to help pay off his gambling debts. But he had never boxed before. It was the only sport he had never tried. Something about the jabbing and punching had never appealed to him. Yet here he was, facing an experienced opponent in the ring.
Hugo tried to remember boxing matches he had watched in the past. What did they do first? His mind went blank, and unexpected fear overwhelmed him. He held the boxing gloves up in front of his face in what he hoped was a threatening pose, shielding his eyes from the sight of the equally-large and muscular opponent he faced. Maybe the other guy would be so dazzled by his height, muscles, and nice hair that he wouldn't focus on the match. It was his only hope, and certainly not a strong one.
This made me laugh and feel for Hugo at the same time. He’s confident about his looks but completely lost in the boxing ring.
Yes, that's exactly right!
Hugo makes a big mistake thinking that his opponent would be interested in his appearance... I imagine how this ends. Hugo's appearance changes, and in what way, something he'll remember his whole life.
Even life itself compels us to be prepared, NOT to take things lightly. When this happens, we literally lose.
An excellent story, I congratulate you.
Thank you for your kind words, and for reading my story.
He's doomed, I tell you, doomed!:)
Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking. I could have written more, and if I had, it wouldn't have been pretty. LOL! But I decided to just stop there and let the reader decide what happened next.
Hugo is about to get hurt for real ... but this is a WONDERFUL story for this prompt -- good job, first-timer!
Aw, thank you for your kind words!