Raven's View

It's in the Bag

One of them has a revolver in his hand, pointed straight down at the sidewalk. 

She'd been hurrying home from a seance, and had taken a short cut behind a garage. Bad idea. She'd been halfway down the alley when the kids had stepped in front of her. 

"What do you want?" she says.

There's four of them, standing in a row, all trying to look tough, but the oldest can't be more than fourteen. One of them looks familiar, like one of the kids her son plays basketball with. Danny, she thinks. 

The tallest kid, the one with the revolver, waves it at her. 

"I want a lot of things in life," he says, "but right now it's about what I'm going to take. Lets start with that purse."

She clutches the large bag tightly, feeling it squirm under her arm. She glances behind her - too far to run for cover. She looks back at the kids and sighs. She has a bad feeling about this.

"I've got nothing valuable," she says. "Just let me go ahead and I promise I won't tell the police. Or your momma's."

Danny flushes and tries to look away, but she catches his eye. "You can do better than this," she says.

The leader raised the gun and scowls. "Shut up, bitch. I know you, you're the one always talking about spirits and ghosts and that voodoo stuff. Scaring my momma and taking her money."

"Your momma had a bad thing in her," she says, "And I chased it away. Tell me, isn't she happier now?"

"Wasn't you," he said. "She's just happier because I made enough money to get her a new coffee maker."

"I'm betting you didn't make any money like in a job," she said. "You probably stole it from some other poor neighbour. Someone like me."

He points the revolver at her. "That's it, I said shut up."

“Put that away,” she says, “before you hurt somebody.”

“I'll hurt you,” he says, and pulls the trigger.

She watches as the bullet spirals toward her, and waves it aside with a flick of her hand.

"Missed," she says. 

He fires again, and misses again.

"Please, just let me go," she says. 

He grabs Danny by the collar and shoves the gun up to the poor kid's head. "Not going to miss this target, voodoo lady," he says. “The purse, now.”

She has no choice. She just hopes it will be quick this time. She's in no danger herself, but she feels sorry for Danny. He deserves a second chance. She slowly slides the bag from her shoulder, loosens the top slightly, and sets it down in front of her. She can see the eyes glowing in the depths of the bag.

She backs up. “There, take it.”

He lets go of Danny and steps forward eagerly. When he bends over to open the bag she yells, “Run Danny! Run!”

She covers her ears against the screams.