Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes
By Harlan Ellison, first published in Knight
A man happens upon unexpected luck in a casino, but the reason for his winnings seems mysteriously tied to a beautiful woman’s death at a slot machine.
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A man named Kostner gambles away the last of his money in a casino in Las Vegas, but as he contemplates either bumming a ride home or killing himself he finds one last silver dollar in his pocket. He goes over to the slot machines and plays the dollar not expecting to win, but hits the jackpot for $2,000. Dumbfounded, all he can do is stare at the mysterious three blue eyes that appear on the jackpot, which he feels a strange connection to. Maggie Moneyeyes is a beautiful woman with striking blue eyes who came from a life of poverty to a position as a prostitute in Las Vegas. Her allure attracts many men, including one named Nucino, who one night proposes a dirty act. She gets so angry that she takes his money and goes to the casino. At the slot machine, she thinks of all her hatred towards the men she sleeps with and how she wants all the money in the casino, and she has a seizure and dies on the spot. After receiving his winnings, Kostner returns to the slot machine and wins the jackpot with the blue eyes again. The casino men check the machine, but there’s no evidence of cheating. He plays and wins nineteen times, at which point the owner of the casino asks him to take a break so that they can check the machine. Kostner goes to sleep, and in his dreams he meets Maggie Moneyeyes, who tells him she loves him and that she’s been waiting for him to release her. He realizes her eyes are the same as those in the machine and accepts her love. When he returns to play the slot machine, he pulls the lever and dies immediately. The casino decides to pull the machine and melt it down, and the men who destroy it notice Kostner’s brown eyes are now on the jackpot marker.
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