Five minutes at the casino

It was four when she entered the premises. She was full of hope and joy although a little bit apprehensive of what was going to happen this time. Everything was all right with Alice; she was with her father on the beach. They were probably in the waves now, unless she was building her usual sand castle and her father reading his newly acquired book. She went directly to the cash counter to change her money and get the fake coins. She decided to start with was the machine located at the far end of the room. Few people usually ventured to go that far. "I'll be safe and quiet," she thought. She began inserting the coins into the three-cent gamble flamboyant cube. A few minutes later the five red stars appeared on the screen and she could hear the sound of hundreds of coins going down the bowl at the bottom of the machine. "Good start," she thought. She took all the money and decided to try a new game with another machine.
She paced the room to and fro and finally stopped behind an old lady who was franctically pulling the handle of a multicolour Five Star machine. Sophie looked for a while in the secret hope that the lady would go. Machines usually start to yield after a long period of gamblers' unsuccess, and Sophie felt that this particular machine would yield if only the old lady went away and she could take her place at the handle. She came nearer the old lady and casually remarked: "Doesn't give today. Does it?" The old lady seemed delighted that a stranger spoke to her and looked at Sophie. "I have been trying this one for an hour now and it doesn't work," she sighed. "How much did you fill her up?" perniciously asked Sophie. The old lady wouldn't say an exact figure and contented herself in saying :"A lot my dear, a lot more than you can figure out." Sophie knew what she wanted to know. The machine was filled up and it should normally yield. If only the old lady stopped she could replace her and, well, who knows…?
After a while, the old lady was short of coins and she had to stop her gamble, very dépitée for not having cropped even a single coin although she had been on this machine since the opening hour. Sophie inserted three coins, took hold of the handle and pulled it gently, with care and attention, almost with love. Her gesture had something sensual about it. The old lady who was standing nearby and looking at her sub got suddenly green. The clinking sound of descending coins was heard. Sophie had won the five stars again.