"Hey, Youngblood, what's up?"
Greeted, one man who was surrounded by a curious crowd of onlookers. Shaun stopped and noticed he had a small table before him with three cups and two pearl-like pink pellets. Without a doubt, this was one of the well-known hustlers of hustlers Paradise, too bad for him that Shaun was as broke as they come.
"Hey, give Youngblood some love," he beckoned for Shaun to make his way over as the crowd parted. Right off the bat, Shaun went straight to the point. "Listen, I don't have any money, so you picked the wrong person".
The man who was quite generously portioned laughed, "Big Steve taking money? Big Steve is lucky to leave these streets with his clothes intact. They call this Paradise, but all Big Steve has been doing is crying; these people have been hustling me." He weirdly spoke in the third person.
Shaun shrugged his shoulders as he made his way to the table; what else did he have to do?
Big Steve: "Now it's simple, Youngblood. To show these people how easy it is you just won the lottery. I won't even charge your first try. It's free".
Shaun's face lit up when hearing it was free, but he allowed Big Steve to continue, "I'm going to put one pearl under each of these two cups. I then add an extra cup, and all you have to do is pick just one cup with a pearl underneath, and all my money is yours. That simply, Big Steve wishes Vegas had these odds because he would be living lavishly," He once more laughed at his joke. In his hand was a big coil of money, which Shaun couldn't help but notice. Currently, he was strapped for cash; Big Steve might just be his temporary cash cow.
He knew this was all part of a ruse by this conman; it was by no means a coincidence he was called out of the blue. Still, he would play his role to perfection as he, too, plotted. He then innocently inquired of Big Steve.
"So all I have to do is find one, and all that money is mine, yes? " he spoke with a bit of naivety in his voice and enthusiastic grab at the cash, which caused the crowd to laugh. Even more, people began to take in the show. It was beyond what Big Steve had hoped for, and at that moment, he saw Shaun as a godsend.
Big Steve: "That's all Youngblood, but if you choose correctly, you have to give me a chance to win back all that cash".
Shaun scratched his chin before agreeing. "Sounds fair, let's go then," He smiled, sitting before the small table. Through this planned set-up, all could see what was unfolding. Seeing his eagerness, Big Steve chuckled while thinking, if only all his nights worked out as perfectly as this one.
"Just follow the pearls, Youngblood, and you will be fine," he stated. He covered the two tiny pearls with two red cups before adding a third cup. He then began to shuffle slowly at a pace where Shaun knew in an instant where the two pearls were before increasing his speed two folds.
He then stopped giving Shaun the chance to choose. "That one!" Shaun shouted, drawing attention to the cup dead centre.
"You sure that's the one you want, Youngblood?" Questioned big Steve as Shaun nodded his confidently. Big Steve sighed as would you believe it; when he lifted the cup, one of the pink pearls was underneath.
"Yes, I won!" Shouted Shaun enthusiastically. As for Big Steve, he continued to shake his head as though astonished and at a loss. Yet he did not hand over the coil of cash. Instead of saying, "Ok, Youngblood, as agreed, you have to give Big Steve a chance to win back all that cash. Though, those eyes of yours have been too quick for me. What do you say?"
"Yeah, we did have a deal", Responded Shaun.
So once more, Big Steve showed the two pearls before swiftly interchanging the cups on the table. This time Shaun's eyes barely could keep up, and he was less assured of his answer, but once again, he randomly picked.
Surprisingly he won again, even though he didn't think this would be the outcome. Still, Big Steve held onto the coil of cash and simply pleaded for another shot at the money.
Shaun knew Big Steve must have taken precautions as it was a con. He had to place himself in Big Steve's position to gain anything from this night. What would he do to secure himself? He probably had someone waiting up the street if Shaun sought to dash away with cash.
So Shaun continued to play it cool and gave Big Steve a chance to win back his money.
When the cups were shuffled this time, Shaun's eyes became dizzy; that was how fast Big Steve's hands moved.
He then made another random guess and, just as suspected, when the cup was lifted below, was empty. The crowd sighed, and he then heard Big Steve say, "Aah- Sorry Youngblood, the cash stays with me".
Big Steve: "Surely folk you're aren't going to let a kid have more guts than you? If a kid can beat Big Steve, imagine your odds". Some in the crowd were hesitant, but for one. "I'll give it a go," A man walked out. He was young and seemed so innocent that he could not hurt a fly.
It was to the delight of Big Steve who shooed Shaun away. He had played his part and was of no more use. He was simply a bait to catch two or three morons within the crowd who could not see through the facade.
With the beckoning of Big Steve, the man came forward, sitting on the chair that Shaun had abandoned. Yet he did not stray too far, positioning himself just at the right angle to see the show.