h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Chance of my life - A25457051
Author: ianhimself - U5477852

Another one of mine

Just to see what people think.....

As ever with your writing, brilliant.

Hyphenate your compound numbers.

At quater to three, I'm going to bed. Reading this has been a good end to the day.

TRiG.

A very satisfying story, with a fascinating premise.

Love the details.

This is a lovely story, with excellent characterisation.

I didn't quite understand the playground scam. Must be very slow on the uptake

Greetings!

I was just browsing and came across your short story. The Dice man reference in your work wrt to Chance is an interesting one. Rhinehart's (or George Cockcroft to give him his real name) book is built on both a conceit and a fallacy. In the book Rhinehart decides both when to consult the dice and what the consequences of a particular number will be. This begs the questions, is this chance? (and, yes, I was born in the 60's!)

S.P.

P.S. I'm new here so please ignore if this is completely over the top!

I've read this before, on a previous posting but I enjoyed it again second time around. It does challenge you think bout how much risk you should take in life.

It's not as absorbing into time and place as some of your other pieces, but I think that's inevitable covering so much ground in a short story.

Hello, Ian, I believe I read this first time round. As usual, thoroughly enjoyable.

Wish I had half your talent

i forgot that i'd posted it before! ...... old age...mind wandering...nothing new to put up..... or at least that's my excuse!

Reading this again, I have two quibbles.

The first is the playground game scam. Surely, if you have a group of (say)eight kids throwing coins into a ring, there will usually be a mixture of heads and tails. Won't the chance of an odd man out occur regularly only if you have 3 playing? Or have I misunderstood?

The second point is that, if Chance is to go off with Janet at the end, it would be better if we got to know Janet, and discovered that she liked Chance earlier in the story.

I only raise these quibbles because I think the story is otherwise excellent.

hi minor

janet appears at the end, because she imnposed herself on my mind at the end of the tale. this is a (totally speculative) story about a guy with whom i was im primary school back in belfast in the 70s. He grew up in temporary huts set close to a relatively middle calss area, and i always wondered if he had done something spectular with his life. no janet of any description had any time for him when i knew him ... children being cruel at heart.

as for the coin game...... between the ages of 10 and 12 i made a lot of money at that particular game. you only play with 3 or more people. you and your "partner" cheat and ensure that the two of you always have different sides of the coin. If you keep numbers limited to 5 max, the probability is that you will clean up in around one game in 4 and you will never lose!