You Do It!

Johnny and Kathy, penniless, as usual, walked down the street, headed for the game room. As they passed the alley between the bakery and the flower shop, Johnny spotted what he thought was a pile of old clothes.

But, when they went over to investigate, they found a man laying on his stomach, seemingly not breathing. Johnny could see the man’s wallet in his back pocket. He whispered to Kathy, “I think there’s money in the wallet. Go check it, while I keep watch!

Kathy shrunk back and said, “You do it! You’re the male! I will be the lookout.” Johnny was too scared to touch a dead man, but he pretended not to be. He explained, “If someone sees a female close to him, they will think that she is helping him. If they see me, they will assume that I am robbing him, so it has to be you who grabs the wallet.”

Kathy looked at him, laughed and said with distaste, “You big scaredy cat! Wait until I tell everyone that Johnny is scared of dead people!” Johnny gasped and after a few moment said, “Okay, we will do it together. There;s no one around, anyway.”

Taking little baby steps, they approached the man, intent on getting enough money for games and pizza. As they both went to grab the wallet, realizing that whoever had the wallet had some power over how to spend the money, the supposedly dead man moved.

Kathy and Johnny screamed, “It’s alive!” They rocketed out of that alley, still screaming, so intent on getting away from the abomination that they did not see the cop until they were on top of him.

Officer Jackson, familiar with these two hooligans, asked them what was the problem. They sobered fast and said, “Nothing!” Warning them to stay put, he walked over and saw the man just as he was struggling to stand. Immediately he knew that Johnny and Kathy had been up to no good, but he had no proof.

He arrested the man for public drunkenness, and took him to jail, signally for Johnny and Kathy to get out of there before they went to jail, too. Walking to the game room, Johnny and Kathy looked at each other and pinky sweared never to speak of what had nearly happened again!

Written for the Story Starter Challenge #27 from The Haunted Wordsmith: It’s alive!”