The table collapses under the accumulation of ransom.
And still the flow of gold into the room continues. More than a horse could carry. Maybe more than an elephant could carry, if we’d brought one on the galleons.
What a naïve fool this man is, thinking we’ll let him live.
Backstory: In 1532 the Inca’s king Atahuallpa, with possibly 30,000 soldiers, walked into an ambush that Francisco Pizarro’s 180 men had laid. Thousands of men with stone weapons were no match for cavalry, muskets, and artillery (which must have seemed like magic to Atahuallpa and his men). Atahuallpa was captured and offered to fill a room with gold, silver, and other treasures to pay for his release. Pizarro accepted and then reneged on the deal, later having Atahuallpa garroted.
Written in response to the #fiftywords challenges that @jayna has been posting.
money was this week’s prompt:
@jayna/new50-wordshortstorychallengeandannouncement-6oh5ldwft7
(public domain image)