Blog Title: The Rook Everyone Loves Chapter One: Alone by the Board

Story from the Rook himself:

They call me Rook. But if you want to call me warmly, say "Everyone's Friend."

You might ask why?

• Let me tell you from the beginning...

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Where is my place?

I sit in the corner of the board. The right side. The same corner where dust settles and no one comes to me for a long time.

It has always been this way.

The game starts. The player goes to the Queen first. Then the Knight. Then the Bishop. Even the Pawns go to the battlefield before me.

I stay in the corner.

Behind me is a cold stone wall. No one looks at me. But that's okay. I am used to it.

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The first one who loved me

One year ago, a little boy came with his father. At the very start of the game, he picked me up and said: "Dad, what is this one? It looks like a beautiful castle."

His father answered: "They call it a Rook. It moves straight. Not diagonal, not curved. Just left and right, forward and backward. Simple but very powerful."

The boy held me tight in his hand and said: "I really like this one."

Can you believe it? Among the King, Queen, and all the beautiful pieces, he chose me.

From that day on, every time he played, the first thing he did was say hello to me.

He told me: "You are good with everyone. You walk with the Knight, you protect the Bishop, you help the Pawns. That's why I will name you 'Everyone's Friend'."

His father laughed and said: "What a beautiful name. The Rook really is everyone's friend."

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Now that he has grown up...

The boy has grown up. He is not like before. Sometimes he forgets me. Sometimes until the middle of the game, he doesn't remember I am waiting in the corner.

Some nights, when the board is put away and the box is closed, I say to myself:

"I wish he would remember I am here. I wish he would take one look at the corner."

But then I remember what his father said to him one day:

"The Rook is patient. He waits for his turn. And when his turn comes... he takes over the whole board."

I am still waiting.

Because I believe one day his eyes will fall on me again. One day he will understand that the quiet one in the corner is the most loyal friend on the board.

End of Chapter One

In Chapter Two: The Rook leaves the corner...