RobinHood3000
01-18-2008, 03:22 AM
My entry from WAAAAAY back in the October '07 Elimination. I got two votes (yaaay!!) which was infinitely more than the previous Elimination (booo!!). Thoughts? I hope Pendragon got the theme to the character names...
Claw
The open talons descended at a thumb's command. Half a dozen hopeful eyes watched as they whirred towards the booty below. A pair of teenage fists pounded the glass when they emerged fruitless from the sea of bounty. "GAAAHH!!"
"Dude, relax." Richard gave his aggravated friend a consoling pat on the shoulder, then returned his hand to his side a little quickly, wiping the sweat off on his jeans. "Kinda stressed?"
"Why can't I get that stupid stuffed…thingie?? I'm supposed to be good at this!!" Jason's frustrated eyes looked skywards, as if expecting a divine explanation for his past sixteen failures. The theater arcade's moldy ceiling tiles seemed to shrug in apology. "The ones at Origami-Land aren't even this hard! And their claws are made out of folded paper!!"
"Do you really want it that bad?" asked Tim. "I mean…what is it?" The three boys peered through the glass at the object of Jason's obsession, which looked like nothing so much as a furry representation of what banana Jell-O would look like after being riddled with bullets and dropped from a third-story window. "Don't they fill these machines with factory rejects, anyway?"
Richard cocked his head and pressed his nose against the glass. "I don't think even the factory rejects would wanna hang out with that thing."
"Then why won't they let me have it??" Jason growled through the pane at his newly-designated mortal enemy.
"Still want it?"
"It's war now. There's no turning back." Jason went to the coin-dispenser machine to exchange another dollar.
"Well, all right, man," said Richard. "It's almost showtime, so we're gonna go grab seats."
"Best of luck," said Tim as they left. Jason stared at the claw from the front of the machine, then from the side, tweaking by millimeters.
Two hours later, Richard and Tim walked back into the arcade, Tim with a girl on his arm. Making their way to the claw machine, they found it seemingly unattended.
"Where's your friend?" asked the girl.
"I dunno, he was here when we went in…" replied Tim.
"Up here," slurred a voice from above. Their gazes tracking upwards, the trio of moviegoers raised their eyebrows at Jason, sitting atop the zombie shooter game. Jason took a deep swig from a brown bottle in his hand.
"I didn't know they had Happy Hour at the multiplex," said Tim.
Richard was indignant. "How'd you get that? You're underage!"
Jason ignored the question. "I swear, those claws are physically incapable of lifting anything heavier than dryer lint," he said, waving the screwdriver in his other hand at the demonic machine in question. "Hey…who's the dame?"
"Oh, this is Stephanie," said Tim, gesturing unnecessarily to the brunette at his side. "Stephanie, this is my friend, Jason."
"Hi…?" Stephanie waved tentatively at the seemingly-inebriated Jason.
"Jason, you wanna come down from there?"
"Nggghh…sure." A lethargic roll and a thud later, Jason was staggering to his feet and dusting himself off. Richard picked up the dropped beverage
"Dude, you really shouldn't drink, it's not…what the – ?" Richard examined the bottle more closely, then bludgeoned Jason in the arm with it. "Cream soda?? Holy teetotaler, Jason, you had us worried!"
"They don't have Happy Hour here?" asked Tim, sounding perhaps more disappointed than he should have.
"They have cream soda here?" asked Stephanie, examining the concessions menu more closely.
Richard over-vigorously beat the dirt off of Jason's clothes as the sober teenager straightened. "How much did you spend in there, man?"
"I dunno. How much did I have in my pockets?"
"Are you kidding me? You spent all of your money? At the movie theater arcade?? On PAYDAY??? And you don't even have that stupid plushie to show for it!!"
"Fine, rub it in." Jason pouted a bit. "…can I borrow a quarter?"
Tim and Stephanie bodily dragged Jason, teeth gnashing, through the double doors into the dense night air, Richard trying to pry the screwdriver from Jason's hand before he put someone's eye out.
That night, Jason's mother sat in the den with her son, watching the evening news. "How was your trip to the movies?" she asked. Jason only grumbled a bit, squeezing his factory reject Pikachu (manufactured with an unflatteringly located third eye) closer to his chest as the façade of the multiplex came on the screen, paramedics rushing through the doorway.
"This was the scene earlier tonight at the movie theater, as a freak accident left one person hospitalized and several bystanders suffering from severe psychological trauma. The claw machine in the arcade apparently malfunctioned, breaking through the plexiglas barrier and attempting to drag the young boy operating it, age twelve, into the machine."
"Uh-oh."
"Jason? What were you up to?"
"…is in stable condition. Security footage suggests foul play, and authorities are investigating the possibility that the machine was tampered with. The police commissioner has declined to comment, but said that a party has been identified and will be sought for questioning immediately. More details as they come in. Now, back to Bruce in the studio."
The doorbell rang. Jason whimpered. Pikachu squeaked as Jason hugged it closer.
Claw
The open talons descended at a thumb's command. Half a dozen hopeful eyes watched as they whirred towards the booty below. A pair of teenage fists pounded the glass when they emerged fruitless from the sea of bounty. "GAAAHH!!"
"Dude, relax." Richard gave his aggravated friend a consoling pat on the shoulder, then returned his hand to his side a little quickly, wiping the sweat off on his jeans. "Kinda stressed?"
"Why can't I get that stupid stuffed…thingie?? I'm supposed to be good at this!!" Jason's frustrated eyes looked skywards, as if expecting a divine explanation for his past sixteen failures. The theater arcade's moldy ceiling tiles seemed to shrug in apology. "The ones at Origami-Land aren't even this hard! And their claws are made out of folded paper!!"
"Do you really want it that bad?" asked Tim. "I mean…what is it?" The three boys peered through the glass at the object of Jason's obsession, which looked like nothing so much as a furry representation of what banana Jell-O would look like after being riddled with bullets and dropped from a third-story window. "Don't they fill these machines with factory rejects, anyway?"
Richard cocked his head and pressed his nose against the glass. "I don't think even the factory rejects would wanna hang out with that thing."
"Then why won't they let me have it??" Jason growled through the pane at his newly-designated mortal enemy.
"Still want it?"
"It's war now. There's no turning back." Jason went to the coin-dispenser machine to exchange another dollar.
"Well, all right, man," said Richard. "It's almost showtime, so we're gonna go grab seats."
"Best of luck," said Tim as they left. Jason stared at the claw from the front of the machine, then from the side, tweaking by millimeters.
Two hours later, Richard and Tim walked back into the arcade, Tim with a girl on his arm. Making their way to the claw machine, they found it seemingly unattended.
"Where's your friend?" asked the girl.
"I dunno, he was here when we went in…" replied Tim.
"Up here," slurred a voice from above. Their gazes tracking upwards, the trio of moviegoers raised their eyebrows at Jason, sitting atop the zombie shooter game. Jason took a deep swig from a brown bottle in his hand.
"I didn't know they had Happy Hour at the multiplex," said Tim.
Richard was indignant. "How'd you get that? You're underage!"
Jason ignored the question. "I swear, those claws are physically incapable of lifting anything heavier than dryer lint," he said, waving the screwdriver in his other hand at the demonic machine in question. "Hey…who's the dame?"
"Oh, this is Stephanie," said Tim, gesturing unnecessarily to the brunette at his side. "Stephanie, this is my friend, Jason."
"Hi…?" Stephanie waved tentatively at the seemingly-inebriated Jason.
"Jason, you wanna come down from there?"
"Nggghh…sure." A lethargic roll and a thud later, Jason was staggering to his feet and dusting himself off. Richard picked up the dropped beverage
"Dude, you really shouldn't drink, it's not…what the – ?" Richard examined the bottle more closely, then bludgeoned Jason in the arm with it. "Cream soda?? Holy teetotaler, Jason, you had us worried!"
"They don't have Happy Hour here?" asked Tim, sounding perhaps more disappointed than he should have.
"They have cream soda here?" asked Stephanie, examining the concessions menu more closely.
Richard over-vigorously beat the dirt off of Jason's clothes as the sober teenager straightened. "How much did you spend in there, man?"
"I dunno. How much did I have in my pockets?"
"Are you kidding me? You spent all of your money? At the movie theater arcade?? On PAYDAY??? And you don't even have that stupid plushie to show for it!!"
"Fine, rub it in." Jason pouted a bit. "…can I borrow a quarter?"
Tim and Stephanie bodily dragged Jason, teeth gnashing, through the double doors into the dense night air, Richard trying to pry the screwdriver from Jason's hand before he put someone's eye out.
That night, Jason's mother sat in the den with her son, watching the evening news. "How was your trip to the movies?" she asked. Jason only grumbled a bit, squeezing his factory reject Pikachu (manufactured with an unflatteringly located third eye) closer to his chest as the façade of the multiplex came on the screen, paramedics rushing through the doorway.
"This was the scene earlier tonight at the movie theater, as a freak accident left one person hospitalized and several bystanders suffering from severe psychological trauma. The claw machine in the arcade apparently malfunctioned, breaking through the plexiglas barrier and attempting to drag the young boy operating it, age twelve, into the machine."
"Uh-oh."
"Jason? What were you up to?"
"…is in stable condition. Security footage suggests foul play, and authorities are investigating the possibility that the machine was tampered with. The police commissioner has declined to comment, but said that a party has been identified and will be sought for questioning immediately. More details as they come in. Now, back to Bruce in the studio."
The doorbell rang. Jason whimpered. Pikachu squeaked as Jason hugged it closer.