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(Page 3 of 4)

Oblividon by Gregory Harvey


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After checking once to make sure it was right he lightly pressed the button to the left of the joystick, and watched anxiously as the claw plummeted into the stack of toys. For a moment, Reece thought he had snagged nothing. But slowly, and noisily, the claw retracted upwards, now holding the plush turtle by one of its legs. The creature dangled precariously from the claw as Reece's heart stood still. One bump and the claw would drop its catch, rendering him officially the world's worst husband (but one hell of a good cheater). Mysteriously, the machine had suddenly fell dark and silent, leaving only the squeak of the claw as it dragged slowly towards its aim.
The claw moved back over to the hole in the bottom left hand corner of the device, before releasing its captive. The turtle dropped, tittered on the edge of the hole for a moment, threatening and taunting Reece with the idea that he might have lost afterall, before falling into the hole... and getting stuck halfway.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
"Fuck!"
How the hell had he managed that? No, it wasn't his fault. It was the damn machine's fault. It was the Oblividon Skill Tester's fault. Angrily, Reece banged the machine with his fist, which only managed to bounce off of the plexi-glass. He noticed that the turtle moved a little in its place.
Reece banged again, purposefully this time. The turtle budged again, but still did not become unstuck. This time, Reece veritably smashed his fist against the Oblividon Skill Tester, and the turtle finally dislodged itself. He listened as it went through the machine's underbelly, and fell into the small hole from which he was meant to retrieve it.
Eagerly, childishly, Reece reached in and grabbed the turtle, only for his finger to meet with a short, sharp, burst of pain.
"Shit!" He screamed into the night, withdrawing his hand.
There was a small prick on the tip of his index finger, which was emitting a miniscule amount of blood. Reece put the finger into his mouth to suck the blood off, an act his grandmother had been quite ready to lable ‘detestable'. His finger was still stinging, leaving Reece to wonder if he had been bitten. No. He'd just jammed it against something sharp inside. A lawsuit in the making...
Reece smirked, reached in with his other hand and took the turtle out. Only now, with the toy between his fingers, could he tell how budget it was. The damn thing probably wasn't worth the dollar he had paid for the chance to win it. But still it was better than nothing.
Reece was about to walk away, when the machine suddenly came to life again. The lights began flashing rapidly in a pattern that was probably close to having the ability to cause a siezure. The music had increased in tempo, and still was increasing. Soon, the lights were flashing chaotically as the music speeded into a high-pitched, ghostly hum. What the fuck was going on?
Suddenly the claw rattled. Reece flinched. As it rattled in its place, seemingly by itself again, Reece finally started to get the hint that something was wrong.



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