The Contract

Chapter Three: Tasks

The claw swung as it returned to the starting position, empty yet again.

"Awww..." Benji whined. He dug into his pockets, finding only lint. "That was the my last quarter..."

Raeph held out a cupped hand, revealing a stack of coins. "Why don't you use mine?"

Benji's eyes widened and he looked up at Raeph. "Thanks. Where'd you get all those quarters?"

"From someone who doesn't need them," Raeph replied, eyeing the other games around the room. He casually rested a hand on the plexiglass wall of the claw game; the swinging claw stilled. "Why don't you try again?"

Benji dropped a couple quarters into the machine, grabbing the joystick as the music began. After maneuvering the claw around, he finally dropped it at the blue dog, whispering, "Come on, come on, come on..." The plushie practically leapt into the metal claw, then dropped easily down the chute into Benji's waiting hands. "Yes!"

From behind the prize counter, a red-eyed man smirked at the backs of the boy and the man in the white sweatshirt as they walked away. "Careful, careful, there, Raeph," he whispered, chuckling. "Assisting a win could be considered cheating... And you know how the Old Man feels about cheating—it's a form of lying..." He walked around the counter to the claw game and bent to pick up a white feather.

Benji looked up at Raeph. "Well, might as well go buy that hot dog. You hungry?"

Raeph shook his head, and pointed across the way. "No, but I see the hot dog vendor is there."

Benji and Raeph each bought a hot dog. Then, as Raeph chatted with the vendor, Benji leaned casually on the edge of the cart and slid a bag of chips from its clip. Raeph finished chatting about the weather and he and Benji walked away.

The vendor smirked as he pulled his hat off, running his hands through his hair to untangle it from his horns. "Accomplice to thieving now, Raeph. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I think your halo is slipping..." He retrieved a feather that had settled onto the top of his cart. It was mostly white, with just a faint tinge of grey at its tip. "Just what is the Old Man to do with you?"

Benji frowned at the piece of paper he'd used to scrawl the words from the tube slide.

GOD DAMN THIS WORLD

MAY CHAOS REIGN

Raeph looked down at the paper, also frowning. "That is not a nice message."

"No," Benji agreed quietly, slipping the paper into his backpack.

"Your mother doesn't let you talk like that, does she?" Raeph looked around the playground, eyes roving the graffiti spray-painted all over. Curse words made up most of the messages.

Benji shook his head and walked away from the playground. "I see the church over there." He pointed. "Corner of 8th and Olive. Let's go get a hymnal and start singing on 8th."

Raeph frowned as he followed, a feather lightly swirling to the ground at his feet as he walked. "I don't like the idea of stealing, Benji. Especially not from a church."

"It's for my mom,"Benji reminded him. "I gotta help her! Whatever it takes."

The church was unlocked and empty. Raeph froze in the aisle, staring at the altar and the candle in its red holder by the golden tabernacle. Benji grabbed a book from the back pew and turned back to the door.