Warning! The following may contain bad spelling, grammar, punctuation, cardboard characters, cheesy plots, offensive NSFW material, and / or puns. Reader discretion is advised.
Vinnie mulled it over. “That’s an interesting idea. Normally I’d say just give me the two hundred and thirty grand. But you’re not my usual customer. What did you have in mind?”
“Well, since I made the bet, I suppose you could supply the challenge. Mind you, we will not do anything illegal for sake of covering this bet.”
“Please, where would be the fun in that.” Vinnie thought for a minute. “So what kind of challenge would be good. I want something that will give you a sporting chance.”
“That’s much appreciated. A fair competition, after all, makes the contest that much more interesting. Stacking the deck in either side’s favor would cheapen the victory.”
“Let me think about it.” Vinnie looked at the clock. “Hey, I’ve got to check on something. Come with me.” Vinnie went through the door into the warehouse.
Tom passed through the door into the warehouse. He stopped to take in the vast diorama with trains running everywhere. “This is a very impressive set up. How long have you been working on this?”
Vinnie puffed up with obvious pride. “You like it? This has been a labor of love for me for the last fifteen years. Take a look at this.” Vinnie motioned Tom over to the control board. “I can control all the different trains and the tracks from this board. I can run all the lights, even the people and animals in the fields.”
Vinnie pressed several buttons on the control panel. Up in a mountain of the layout a train whistled. A switch flipped and the train went off onto a new course, taking it down a side track heading away from the mountain.
“Are you using HO or N gauge?” Tom asked.
“You know something about trains?” Vinnie looked surprised.
“My uncle used to dabble. I helped him on a few projects growing up.”
“Well, its always nice to meet a fellow enthusiast.”
“Maybe our bet can revolve trains then?” Tom said.
“What? Like who can make the best layout?”
“I was thinking something more like a contest of wits. You obviously know a lot about the model train world. I’ve got some knowledge about it. How about a game of riddles? You ask me a question about model trains, then I ask you one. Whoever misses an answer, loses the competition.”
Vinnie seemed to warm to the idea. “Yeah, that would work. But I don’t know how fair this is going to be to you. There’s nothing I don’t know about these trains.”
“I’ll take my chances. Do we have a bet?”
“Yeah, we got a bet.”