The Knight Waiting for a Question

On Saturday, cousins Inez and Ravi helped Aunt Leela dust her living room. Between two books sat a wooden chess piece shaped like a horse's head. Inez recognized it as a knight. A small card beside it had the heading “A Game for Two.”

“Did someone forget to put this away?” Ravi asked. “I can put it with the board games,” Inez said. She reached for an empty box. “Wait. Let's ask Aunt Leela why it's here,” Ravi said.

“That knight has a job,” Aunt Leela said. “When I was little, I wanted to learn chess. But I was shy about asking. One afternoon, I noticed this piece on my grandfather's desk. I asked him about the funny horse.”

“He told me its name and offered me a lesson. We played together every week after that. I learned that a small question could be the start of something wonderful.”

“So it isn't lost?” Ravi asked. “Not at all. I keep it here as an invitation. When visitors ask about the knight, I offer to teach them chess.” Inez set down the empty box. “Could we have a lesson?”

Aunt Leela brought out a chessboard and the other pieces. Soon the knight stood on a square instead of the bookshelf. After their game, the cousins put it back beside the card. Now they knew it was waiting for another curious visitor.