Showdown: Nickel Man vs. the Ballerina

It wasn’t a fair fight, that Halloween night. He was a towering fifty-something; she was five, standing below him in her tutu. He offered nickels, not candy, for correct answers to three questions:

“Who was the first president?”

“George Washington.”

She took her nickel.

“Who’s president now?”

“Bill Clinton.”

She took another.

“Who discovered America?”

“Native Americans.”

“Wrong!”

“No!” She stomped her foot.

“Christopher Columbus!” he insisted, withholding her reward.

“He was a murderer and a thief!” Her tiny fingers flew toward him to punctuate, “they were already here!”

She left him red-faced, three nickels clutched in her fist.

This was written in response to Charli Mills’ (Carrot Ranch) challenge to writers to In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about fingers that fly. Think about the different ways we use our fingers and what happens when we add speed. Go where the prompt leads.