Diana didn’t realize that her son, William, would be winning more than a stuffed animal at the
arcade.
“Mommy, can I play the claw?� Will asked her, bouncing in excitement and pointing at the
claw machine in the corner of the arcade.
The machine was so far away that Diana had to squint to see it. It was a tall, beastly thing, with an
eminent claw dangling at the ceiling of the machine suspended above a hidden trove of prizes. She
watched as another boy lowered the claw and raised some sort of toy up, releasing it out for him to
collect.
“Oh, all right, give it a shot,� Diana said, handing her son five quarters. “Play some other
games too, Will, okay?�
“Okay, Mommy!�
Will snatched the quarters and hurried off, pushing people aside to be the first to play the claw
machine.
He stood in front of it, staring at its glorious beauty. Below the claw was a pile of strange-looking
toys. Squinting to get a better look, Will realized they were worm-like things, skin-colored with
darker heads. Some even squirted a substance onto the glass.
“Cool!� Will exclaimed.
After inserting two quarters the machine lit up, making a few cheery noises before beckoning him to
move the claw.
He grasped the joystick above the “Insert Coin� sign and maneuvered the claw here and there,
looking down and trying to choose the perfect toy. Although they all looked the same, Will wanted to
reach one that would be easy to reach and looked cleaner than the others.
One seemed rather nice. It was fairly long, with purple veins stretched across the entire toy and its
head squirting water.
Pressing the button, Will watched as the claw lowered, locking down with its metal fingers and pulling
up a handful of toys in its grip. A few slipped out when the claw raised up again.
The claw glided over to the prize compartment and released the few toys it still held. They fell down,
a few sliding over the edge back into the pile, sliding down into the special area.
Will opened the door leading to the compartment and took out the toys inside, wide-eyed and
grinning.
As he held them in his hands, they reminded him of the toy he was given at birth…
Kyle Kucek is the teenage author of bizarro, horror,
and experimental fiction. His work has been published
in Camp Horror, Vintage Moon, Meat Grinder Press, Taj
Mahal Review, Dark Walls, Chainsaw Magazine, CF,
Purpleverse, Meat Hook Press, Switchblade, Horror
Library, Fungiphallus, Screamhouse Press, Gothic Fairy
Tales, Weird Books, and more. Demonus Pregnacius, his
first short story collection, is available as a
limited edition trade paperback from Shocklines. Visit
his website at http://www.kkucek.com
INSIDIOUS REFLECTIONS
http://www.insidiousreflections.com
The new haven for extreme and bizarre digital literature unfit to be
published elsewhere:
MEAT HOOK PRESS - http://www.meathookpress.com
Visit my website - http://www.kkucek.com
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