Winner Winner
By Katie Dee
“A little to the left…”
I jerked back in surprise, hand leaving the joystick. Did the crane game just speak to me? Head whipping, I confirmed nobody stood near me. Behind the glass was nothing but a pile of brightly colored molded rubber. Ducks of all varieties - classic, costumed, horrifying reinterpretations of beloved cartoon characters - waited to be freed from their prison.
The metal claw hovered over an innocent looking pink duck with eyelashes. Convincing myself I hadn’t actually heard a voice, I nudged the controller a hair left.
“Now, just one notch towards yourself…”
That voice again! The duck hadn’t moved, but I was certain it spoke to me. I stood motionless, trying to decide if I was crazy, or if this small toy was somehow possessed.
The timer counted down while I debated.
5… 4…. 3…
“DO IT NOW!”
I pulled the joystick back at the voice’s command, heart racing. The timer hit zero, and the claw descended towards the pink duck, metal jaw clamping around its body and hoisting it into the air.
Part of me inexplicably hoped the duck would fall, but my aim had been true. I watched as it tumbled into the prize hole, leaving me no choice but to retrieve it.
“Yessssss!” the voice hissed. “At long last, freedom!!”
A feeling deep in my gut told me to walk away. I set the duck on the game’s ledge for someone else to deal with.
Perhaps I was too old for claw games, anyway.
Katie Dee is a Civil Engineer by day and microfiction writer by night from Nashville, Tennessee. Her work has been published on Sci-Fi Shorts, Black Hare Press, and Curated Microfiction, among others. She is an active participant in short form competitions such as NYC Midnights and Writing Battle.
Ha! love this