The Lost Sweet Tooth

Chapter 9

Jacob eyed the bottles. With his first ball gripped tightly in his hand, he reared back. He lashed forward like a snake striking its prey and let go.

The stack toppled to the ground with a clatter. Nate let out a soft wow of appreciation. "I didn't know you could throw like that."

"I used to play baseball," Jacob said before holding out his hands in the man's direction. "I believe you owe me one big Casey plush."

The man pulled out a bucket full of candy bars. "Actually, one win is only enough to get you one of these. You have to win five rounds to take Casey home with you."

"You said I only had to knock down a couple bottles!"

"Yes. Five stacks' worth, to be exact."

Jacob glared at the conman. He considered taking the rest of his money elsewhere, but one look at Nate's pleading face was enough to convince him to keep playing.

He hurled ball after ball, hitting his target each time as the crowd of children in the game section grew increasingly loud. The park's speaker system crackled to life and announced something about Casey that Jacob couldn't hear well thanks to the commotion.

As Jacob began his fifth and final round, he felt someone tug his sleeve. His first ball thumped against the booth's wall. "Dang it, Nate! You made me miss."

The tugging stopped. Nate said something, but Jacob was too busy trying to get back in the zone to hear him.

Jacob's second ball smacked against the bottles. Two fell, but the last one stood stubbornly after wobbling for a moment. Jacob squinted and poked his tongue out in concentration. He hurled his last ball.

The final bottle hit the ground with a thud.

The booth's owner sighed and pulled down the Casey plush. "Well, you won fair and square. He's all yours."

Jacob couldn't remember the last time he was this happy to see Casey. He turned around to give Nate the prize.

He was gone.