Roberto Bolano puts the word 'burn' and Fernando Pessoa makes a face, then connects 'renounce' to Bolano's. He uses all seven letters and adds an extra 50 points to his score. Bolano stares at the board, then spells 'carp.' Pessoa adjusts his eyeglasses and looks at Bolano. He places 'portion.' Bolano is eighty points behind Pessoa and is upset. He is not used to losing at Scrabble and this is the first time he has played with Pessoa, a ghost he has carried in his back pocket for years. Pessoa waits patiently for the young man's next word, which is 'tip.' 'Tip?' Pessoa asks in a quiet voice. Bolano sits back in his chair, sweat starting to run down his forehead. 'Yes, tip.' Pessoa removes his black hat, 'What is the meaning of tip?' Bolano rises to his feet, his long hair falling over his face. 'You are asking for the meaning of tip?' 'Yes,' Pessoa says. Bolano shuffles the remaining letters in the cardboard box and sits back down. 'I don't have a definition for the word tip,' he admits. 'Tip of the world? Leave a tip for the poor waiter? The tip of your penis?' Bolano stops as Pessoa's white hand sets 'tiger' on the board. 'Tiger?' Bolano asks. Pessoa nods, then looks over his shoulder as they hear a knock at the door. 'It must be Borges,' Pessoa says. 'What?' Bolano opens the door. There is no one there. He comes back to his chair. 'Why did you think it was Borges?' Bolano asks. Pessoa shakes his head without a word. Roberto Bolano and Fernando Pessoa play Scrabble for the first time in literary history, two writers with their blocks of letters and their competitive banter. Bolano's best words are 'mission,' 'friend,' 'heart,' and 'llama.' Pessoa wins the game by 168 points, words like 'enter,' 'situation,' 'believe' and 'since' sending him to victory. Pessoa's shakes hands with Bolano, who can't sleep that night and stares at the dark walls of his room as he lies in bed. 'The tip of the tiger,' he whispers to himself.