Contest Entries

Out of the Bag

"Is he in the bag?"

"What do you think?"

"I'm sorry I asked. Are we really getting paid for this?"

"Why do you keep asking questions?"

"Why do you keep not answering?"

"Shh. Listen. Is it just me or has the bag stopped moving?"

"Uhhh... Lucas, I think we may have let the cat out of the bag."

~•~•~

My day had started like any other one. I woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast and then met up with my friends before heading to school together. It was a simple yet boring routine. Everything I did felt unimportant and trivial, like there was no purpose in me even doing it. I wanted some sort of excitement, I craved it, so when the opportunity arose I accepted it without thinking twice.

After school I would hang out in the park with my friends, but all of them had something to do today.  In spite of this I decided to go there anyway. I preferred the company of the trees over the emptiness at home. The only living thing there was the single houseplant I constantly bumped into but he didn't count.

Just as I was about to fall asleep in the shade of my favorite oak tree, I spotted one of my friends running up to me, a grin plastered on his face.

"Want to help me kidnap someone?"

In a trance I automatically replied with yes before what he said actually sunk in.

"What the hell Lucas?!" I yelled. The shock of it all caused me to become wide awake.

He just smiled. "Shh. I met with this guy just now and he promised me $5000 to kidnap someone. He showed me the money and I promise you it was genuine. I know fake money when I see it. And that amount was just so irresistible. It's more than my yearly allowance. How could anyone not agree? So, you in or not? I'll split the money fifty fifty."

His voice was filled with excitement as. he talked on and on and somehow it made me excited too. The adventure I had always wanted was finally here. Warning flags were raised at the back of my mind but I chose to ignore them and nod instead.

"So who are we kidnapping?" I asked.

"Not sure yet. I was told to meet the guy again at eight if I decided to go through with it. He said he'd tell me then."

"Meet you here at ten past eight. And do I need to bring anything?" I asked.

He shrugged. "How would I know. Bring whatever you feel like."

And with that we went our separate ways.

~•~•~

It was quarter past eight and I was waiting not so patiently for Lucas. I anxiously fiddled with the button on my sleeve. Fearing the worst, I was about to call him when he jumped out from behind the tree next to me.

"Boo!"

It felt like my soul left my body for a moment and I might have let out a small scream. Emphasis on might.

"What's wrong with you!" I yelled. "And why are you so late?"

"Chill dude. It's only been five minutes. And what's up with the knife?"

"It's a precaution. And why should I be calm? You're the one who tried to jump scare me."

"Tried or succeeded?"

"Shut up. Do you even realise how dangerous our situation is? And who are we kidnapping anyway."

"You know Mr. Rogers? The one who lives in that prestigious neighborhood where everyone walks around like they're celebrities. He's our target."

"Really?" This whole ordeal had just become somewhat easier. Mr. Rogers was old and quick to trust. Last time I checked he seemed to like me. The main problem was that he belonged to one of the richest families in that neighborhood. That's probably the reason someone wants him captured.

"I'll lure him outside and you bag him. Deal?" I asked after thinking for a bit.

"Deal." Lucas replied, holding up the bag to show me just how ready he was.

~•~•~

At this point I knew it was a bad idea but since Lucas was waiting for me, going through with it felt like an obligation. It wasn't the first morally incorrect thing I've done but it was the only one that directly involved others. If the worst case scenario happened at least I still had my knife with me to use for protection.

I sat on the edge of the pavement outside of Mr. Rogers' house and patiently waited for him. My palms were sweaty and if anyone walked passed and saw my face they would either report me or call an ambulance because it looked like I was halving a mental breakdown. I felt like kicking myself for ever agreeing to this.

I sat facing the road to try look less suspicious but the corner of my eye kept watch over the lawn behind me. I knew from years of walking past here to visit one of my friends that Mr. Rogers liked to come out and sit on his front lawn around this time. Not once had he not been there. Just as I predicted he came outside and sat down, either not noticing me or simply not caring. I cautiously approached him and crouched down next to him.

"So how have you been?" I asked and continued talking to him until I was able to convince him to follow me. A few minutes later I managed to lure him to Lucas who quickly bagged him and that brings us to our current situation.

~•~•~

"Where is he?! We're going to get caught if we don't find him quickly." I whisper-yelled.

"How did he even get out that quickly? I swear he was here a moment ago."

The darkness made it hard to see as both of us frantically searched for him.

"Let's just give up. At this rate someone's going to report us," I said, sighing. "We can always try again tomorrow."

"We have all week. Maybe we should try during school hours next time."

Unknown to us, Mr. Rogers watched silently from below the bushes until we left, his pitch black fur camouflaging him in the darkness. With a small purr he left from his hiding spot and walked with his head held high as if he knew he had just easily outsmarted two humans. With a great leap he hopped onto a wall and started his nightly prowl around the neighbourhood.

THE END

~•~•~

EXTRA

"Who even names a cat Mr. Rogers? Wouldn't that confuse people. If someone told me a Mr. Rogers lived next door I'd definitely think it was a person."

"Would you prefer something like Mr. Fluffles? And lots of pets have human names. They just generally don't have Mr. in their name."

"Point taken. But still..."

~•~•~

Word Count: Story - 1089
            Extra - 55
               Total - 1144

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