February 1, 2011 - Jihl

Prompt: Thimblerig

Source: Dictionary.com's word of the day for January 31st. It means to cheat or to swindle.

Response:

The coins clinked as they fell to the table. The pile was growing. Jihl smiled – a smile that was engineered to appear reassuring to onlookers while giving him the pleasure and release of gloating. The man across the table from him swallowed hard.
To him, Jihl’s smile probably looked anything but reassuring. The man’s abnormally large forehead was drenched with perspiration.

Jihl touched the bowls before him, showing the pebble beneath the middle bowl. He took a stabilizing breath. He was going to thimblerig this fool out of his every last coin. Jihl smiled again, and began shuffling the bowls across the table.