She was recast as the villain.

The guru had insight. He understood his chela. The relationship between a guru and his chela was as a father to a son, as a whole person to a whole person, individual and unique.

All that was about what you should do in a full-handed hold 'em game when you're the small blind versus a big blind. But, suppose instead that the game is two-handed from the get go.

Faintly above the ocean's roar Mermaids are ringing phantom bells, Fragments of buried ocean-lore Echo in hearts of singing-shells.