Fiction: The Last Bet (ENG-ESP)
English
Far from feeling abandoned by life, Abigail blamed the irrationality of men as the cause of so many bad things happening to her, seeing as she was a good person. Even so, she wanted to place her trust in the fact that human inventions could materialize her dreams—dreams reflected through the screen of her cell phone.
Every time she checked the market values of the token in which she had invested all her savings, her disappointment grew greater and the fear of losing everything left her tense, unable to sleep.
As if someone had given a little push to finish Abigail off, the cryptocurrency meant to bring her triumph plummeted.
Guided by her survival instinct, she tried to sell the token in which she had deposited her future, but right at that moment, the platform froze.
—No, please, noooo! she whimpered, striking her closed fist against the mattress of her bed.
Her old cell phone, which had been with her through so many joys, struggles, and sorrows, which had endured so many tugs on the bed, the floor, and uncontrolled tantrums, apparently couldn't handle the shock of its owner watching everything slip away.
After a few minutes, the mobile's touch screen reacted and the platform updated, but it was already too late for Abigail to save any of her money.
Helplessness snatched from her eyes the tears that, out of pride, refused to come out. She felt like a loser, a fool who hadn't analyzed things well and now possessed no financial safety net for herself or her family. Realizing that she had defrauded herself and the people she loved most was the hardest thing to face that night.
Suddenly, the cell phone screen blinked twice. Although amidst her tears and grief she couldn't give it the proper attention, Abigail kept staring at it without worrying about its functional state. Nothing even worse could possibly happen to her now in this living nightmare.
Feeling alone and helpless, she felt the urgent need to be consoled by someone. She thought about calling her mom, but she couldn't bear to burden an elderly woman with worries who wouldn't understand anything about cryptocurrencies or tokens, only that she had ultimately been scammed. Then she thought about calling one of her friends, but they all had their own problems and wouldn't give her any solution that could change her situation, unless one of them could lend her money so she could recover what she lost by investing in another high-value token in the market. Determined to make this kind of call, she took her cell phone with trembling hands—its screen still flickering—and searched through her contacts list for what might be a good option.
—I promise I'll get out of this somehow —she told herself.
Adrian's name popped up at the top of the call log, and she dialed it without realizing what time it was: past 11 o'clock at night. On the other end of the line, a grumpy voice answered after emitting what sounded like a yawn.
—Hey, friend, friend, how have you been after all this time? It's Abigail —she said, her voice sounding hoarse.
—Abigail, I know it's you. If I remember correctly, the last time we saw each other you told me you were going to get rich investing in cryptocurrencies and that you didn't need advice from negative people like me.
He hung up.
Pride goes before a fall.
She was clearly hurt by Adrian's cold rejection. She kept staring at her phone, which wouldn't stop flickering. She was alone in this. She let the hand holding the cell phone drop onto the white sheets. She sighed wearily and squeezed her eyes shut to keep from crying again.
At that instant, an automatic notification from the investment platform vibrated, catching her attention. It brought with it a soulless and heartbreaking message: Insufficient balance. Better luck next time.
She looked at word after word in the darkness of her room. She felt exhausted and drained of strength. She understood that her obsession with making money by staking everything on cryptocurrencies was healthy neither for her mind nor for her dignity.
She turned off her phone and told herself in silence that there would be no next time on virtual betting websites.
Español
Era tarde en la noche, pero el día aún no había acabado para Abigail. Sus pensamientos eran como una montaña rusa: subían y bajaban cargados de emociones al tiempo que analizaba cada paso para lograr sus expectativas.
Lejos de sentirse abandonada por la vida, Abigail culpaba a la irracionalidad de los hombres como la causa de que le sucedieran tantas cosas malas siendo ella una buena persona. Aún así, quería depositar su confianza en que los inventos de los hombres podrían materializar sus sueños, sueños que se reflejaban a través de la pantalla de su celular.
Cada vez que revisaba los valores del mercado del token en el que había invertido todos sus ahorros, su decepción era cada vez más grande y el miedo a perder todo la tenían tensa, sin poder dormir.
Como si alguien hubiera dado un empujoncito para acabar con Abigail, la criptomoneda para triunfar se desplomó.
Guiada por su instinto de supervivencia, trató de vender el token en el que había depositado su futuro, pero la plataforma justo en ese momento se bloqueó.
—¡No por favor, noooo! —lloriqueó dando un golpe con su puño cerrado contra el colchón de su cama.
Su viejo teléfono celular, que había estado junto a ella en tantas alegrías, luchas y tristezas, que había soportado tantos tirones sobre la cama, el suelo y rabietas descontroladas, al parecer no pudo con la conmoción de que su dueña viera cómo perdía todo.
Luego de unos minutos, la pantalla táctil del móvil reaccionó y la plataforma se actualizó, pero ya era demasiado tarde como para que Abigail salvara algo de su dinero.
La impotencia arrebató de sus ojos las lágrimas que, por orgullo, no querían salir. Se sintió una perdedora, una tonta que no había analizado bien las cosas y que ahora no poseía ningún respaldo económico para ella ni para su familia. Darse cuenta de que se defraudó a sí misma y a las personas que más amaba fue lo más duro de afrontar aquella noche.
De repente, la pantalla del celular parpadeó dos veces. Aunque en su llanto y desconsuelo no podía prestarle la debida importancia, Abigail se le quedó mirando sin preocuparse por su estado funcional. Nada aún peor podría pasarle ahora en su vida pesadilla.
Sintiéndose sola y desamparada, sintió la urgencia de ser consolada por alguien. Pensó en llamar a su mamá, pero no soportaría llenar de preocupaciones a una anciana que no entendería nada de criptomonedas o tokens, solo que había sido estafada a la larga. Entonces pensó en llamar a alguno de sus amigos, pero todos tenían sus propios problemas y no le darían ninguna solución que pudiera cambiar su situación, salvo si alguno pudiera prestarle dinero y ella pudiera recuperar lo que perdió inviertiendo en otro token de gran valor en el mercado. Decidida a hacer este tipo de llamada, tomó con las manos temblorosas su celular, cuya pantalla aún pestañaba, y buscó entre su agenda de contactos cuál podría ser una buena opción.
—Prometo que saldré de esta de cualquier forma —se dijo a sí misma.
El nombre Adrian se colocó en la parte superior de la sección de llamadas y lo marcó sin darse cuenta de la hora que era: pasada de las 11 en punto de la noche. Del otro lado de la línea una voz gruñona respondió después de emitir lo que sonó como un bostezo.
—¿Eh, amigo, amigo, cómo has estado después de tanto tiempo? Es Abigail —dijo y su voz sonó ronca.
—Abigail, sé que eres tú. Si bien recuerdo, la última vez que nos vimos me dijiste que te harías rica invirtiendo en criptomonedas y que no necesitabas consejos de personas negativas como yo.
Colgó.
La soberbia precede a la caída.
Estuvo claramente herida por el rechazo frío de Adrian. Se quedó contemplando su teléfono que no dejaba de pestañar. Estaba sola en esto. Dejó caer la mano que sostenía el celular sobre las sábanas blancas. Suspiró cansadamente y apretó sus ojos para no volver a llorar.
En ese instante una notificación automática de la plataforma de inversiones hizo una vibración que llamó su atención. Traía consigo un mensaje sin alma y desgarrador: Saldo insuficiente. Más suerte la próxima vez.
Miró palabra por palabra en la oscuridad de su habitación. Se sintió agotada y sin fuerzas. Comprendió que su obsesión por ganar dinero a través de apostarlo todo en las criptomonedas no era saludable ni para su mente ni para su dignidad.
Apagó su teléfono y se dijo en silencio que no habría una próxima vez en un sitios web de apuestas virtuales.
It was late at night, but the day was not over yet for Abigail. Her thoughts were like a roller coaster: rising and falling, loaded with emotions while she analyzed every step to achieve her expectations.
I really liked your story, because it's a situation that, in this age of online business, can happen quite often. I think Abigail's mindset played a big role in her not achieving what she so desperately wanted.
Best regards @estilodereba and have a great evening
Desgraciadamente Abigail se creyó muy inteligentona, pero este fracaso solo la hará más fuerte. Muchas gracias!!
The moment that stayed with me is the platform freezing just as Abigail tries to sell — that helpless second before the screen updates and everything is already gone. And then that cold little notification, 'Insufficient balance. Better luck next time,' landing right after Adrian hangs up on her. You let pride do the real damage here, quietly, and the ending earns its silence.
How helpless, really. But time heals everything, she will move forward 😁
Qué impotencia, de verdad. Pero el tiempo todo lo cura, ella saldrá adelante 😁
Poor Abigail, she learned that the world of cryptocurrencies is ruthless and offers no second chances. A very entertaining story to read.
Thanks for sharing your story with us.
Excellent day.
Lo aprendió de la peor forma 😁. Muchas gracias por tu comentario!!
Fantastic job capturing the mounting psychological tension and the raw weight of the character's choices..
Thank you so much!!
Thank you so much!!
I hope she gets through this and doesn't stay too long being sad.
There's always another way you know.
She will be sad for a while, but she'll get over it 🥲
Ella estará triste por un tiempo, pero lo superará 🥲
An interesting concept from there. Abigail didn't know that investing in cryptocurrency is a risk with no guarantee, although it can yield bountiful returns if you are lucky enough to flow through the lucky significance.
She counted her hens before the eggs were laid, and in the end, not a single hen was produced.
It has happened, and "no man dies" should roll through her mind: if you fall riding a bike, so far you don't die; you should pick yourself up and continue riding.
Excellent week.