Ace of Spades

The Ace Of Spades is known as the death card. Nobody knows why it became associated with death, but most cultures believe that the Ace of Spades is a bad omen.

Two young girls, named Nicole and Tamara, were sitting in their backyard one evening. They were passing their time playing cards at the garden table. It was getting dark and the moon was visible in the night sky. There was a forest and a swamp behind their house and the wind was blowing softly through the trees.

The girls were just about to start a new game, when a tall man appeared from the darkness. The two girls had never seen the man before and, as he came shuffling through the long grass and approached them, they felt a little afraid.

"I see you two are playing cards." he said.

The girls nodded.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked. "I can teach you a new game."

Tamara shook her head. Her mother had always warned her not to talk to strangers. Besides, the man looked very creepy.

But the other girl said, "OK, I suppose. It's kind of boring just playing with two people. Show us your new game."

Tamara nudged her and whispered in her ear, "I don't want to play with him. Let's just go inside."

"Come on." laughed Nicole. "Stop being such a baby. Stay here. Don't you want to learn a new card game?"

Reluctantly, Tamara agreed to stay. The tall man picked up the deck of cards and began shuffling them.

"I don't know if you will like this game," he said, grinning broadly, "but I know I will enjoy it immensely."

He dealt the cards, one to each of the girls and one to himself. Tamara's card slid off the table and fell face-up on the ground. It was the Ace of Spades.

When Tamara bent down to pick it up, saw that the man wasn't wearing any shoes. His legs were long and hairy and his toenails were curled. A chill went down her spine. Holding the Ace of Spades in her hand, she began to feel very frightened.

She began tugging at her friend's blouse and begged her to leave. Nicole refused and dismissed her with a wave of her hand. Tamara ran into the house and locked the door behind her. She scrambled up the stairs and into her bedroom. Grabbing her mobile phone, she called the police.

When they arrived, a few minutes later, Tamara answered the front door and led them out to the backyard. When they got to the table, they found Nicole's dead body lying underneath it. The poor girl had been torn in half. The chair on which she had been sitting was covered in blood. A note had been placed on the table.

It read: "You were saved from death by the Ace of Spades!"