Good entered the shabby hotel tentatively, and promptly walked to the front desk.

“Hello!” said the female concierge cheerily. “You must be Good!” ‘

“That I am,” replied Good, returning a genuine smile to the delighted woman.

“I believe Evil has already arrived, and I assigned him to business room number three. You will go down this hall, and it will be the fourth door on your right. Have a wonderful battle!”

Good followed her instructions and arrived at a door with a neatly typed sign that said “Please do not disturb. The Battle of Good versus Evil (something quite important, by the way) is happening in this room. Have a nice day!” Good smiled again and humbly walked in. Evil was waiting.

The room was rather dark and musty. Evil was sitting in the corner waiting. He smelt like cats and money. He was sitting on the far end of a wooden table in a spindly black chair. There was a chess board in front of him.

“Well hello Good. I have been waiting for two hours. Is it a habit of yours to be late?” sneered Evil. His teeth were yellow and pointy.

“I really am very sorry,” replied Good warmly. “I was held up curing a 12 year old girl of Cancer. It was a genuinely delightful experience! You should try it some time.”

Evil snickered and said, “I’m too busy giving people Cancer and persuading politicians and lawyers, don’t you know that child?”

Good sighed. “I suppose so. But don’t you think we should begin our battle? I see you’ve already set up the chess board. How kind of you. It’s only natural that I should be white and you should be black, don’t you think?”

Good walked to the ivory chair opposite Evil and gently sat down. He studied the chess board for a while with a furrowed brow, blinked twice, then reached out a hand, picked up a pawn, and moved it two squares forward.

“And so the game begins,” said Evil.

Four strenuous hours later, the words echoed across the small room.
"Check Mate."