The Favor

“Whoa, whoa. Hold on, Killer,” he raises his chubby arms in surrender.

“Don’t call me that! We stole from your rather disgusting store and you’re giving me a nickname?” she snaps. Jasmine is practically yelling in the guy’s face.

“Fine, if you want me to call the cops…”

“No!” I cry.

“Willow! We almost had him.” Jasmine scolds me under her breath.

“I don’t care! I don’t want this stupid pawn shop on my permanent record!” I shot back in a whisper.

“Simmer down ladies.” Paul’s breath smells like onions. Why is onion stench so typical of greasy, fat people?

“Well, what is this favor? I’m not doing it if I can’t know what it is.” Jasmine scoffs. She can be so cocky.

“I just need you to deliver something to my grandmother’s house. It’s her birthday today and I’m not going to make it to her house,” he pouts. He goes behind the cash register and extracts an envelope from a drawer.

When he brings it over, Jas looks confused. “That doesn’t look like a birthday card…”

He shows me the envelope, and I must say, I agree. It’s not flat like it would be if it contained a card. There was a bulge in the paper envelope as if there was a small container inside.

“That’s because…erm…it’s not a birthday card, it’s a present.” Jas still looks skeptical.

“Okay…,” she says, a look of disbelief. “And where does she live?”

“101 Parker Boulevard.”

“So…can we leave now?” I ask.

“As long as you deliver it. I’m counting on you girls.”

“How will you know if we don’t?” Jasmine asks. I elbow her in the ribs.

“Believe me, I’ll know.” A grin spreads across his face. Paul is starting to creep me out.

“Well, then bye, I guess,” I say. The little bell rings again as Jasmine pushes open the glass door.

“Wow, that was bad,” she says. “He held us up for, like, twenty minutes. We should’ve waited ‘till the weekend to nick these.” Since we came after school, it’s already getting dark.

“People should really learn how to shovel off sidewalks. This is utterly ridiculous,” I say, as we make an attempt to trudge through the knee-high snow.

“I agree,” Jasmine says distractedly; she’s looking at the envelope. “We should open it. I mean, seriously, I doubt this is a present.” A grin spreads across her face.

“I don’t know…his grandma will know if the envelope has been opened, especially if the seal’s broken.” I repeat, she’s a bad influence.

“Oh no! We wouldn’t want a little old lady’s wrath!” she snickers.

“Okay, okay, shut up. We’ll open it.”

“Yay!” she squeals. I watch as her fingers break the seal. Paul’s tongue has been on that. Gross.

“Paul’s licked that,” I speak my thoughts. Jas’s finger recoils and she wrinkles her nose.

“Ew…”

“I know.”

“There we go!” She successfully breaks the seal. “Do you want to take it out?”

“No,” I say, “I don’t want anything to do with this, to be honest. I just want to deliver it and go home.”

“Well then, fine, I’ll do the honors.” She reaches into the envelope and pulls out a glass orb. It’s filled with shimmery gold…stuff. There’s no better word for it. It’s not solid for sure, but it’s not really a liquid or a gas. It’s swirling like a liquid, but it doesn’t settle. It just kind of…floats there.

“Whoa,” Jasmine’s eyes widen, “What is that?”

“I have no clue.”

“It’s definitely not a birthday present.” She’s right. I can’t see any use this substance could serve for an elderly woman.

“That’s for sure. Let’s just bring it to her and be done with it.”

“But…maybe we should keep it? It’s so cool.” She looked mesmerized the golden fluid. Or maybe-fluid.

“No. I don’t want to be turned in to the cops for those earrings. He said he’d know if she got it or not. The poor old lady’s probably expecting her gift.”

She frowns. “You’re no fun,” Jas heaves a sigh, “but I guess you’re right. As usual.”

“Okay, I’m pretty sure Parker Boulevard is this way.” I say, pointing east. We live in a small suburb of Boston, so it’s not too difficult to find your way around the miniscule amount of streets.

“I think so.”  We start towards the street. I’m starting to get cold, wishing I wore a bigger jacket. It’s not usually this cold in November. We walk in silence the whole way. I’m pretty sure Jasmine is doing the same as me, trying to figure out what’s in that orb.

“We’re here.” Jasmine stops in front of a huge Victorian house; the type that are always haunted in movies.

“Wow,” I said, taken aback, “that’s one big house for someone’s grandmother.”

“What can she possibly do in there all alone?” Jas asks, bewildered. I shake my head.

“Hmm. There’s no time like the present.” I scamper up the creaky wooden steps and rap the brass knocker. I hear footsteps from inside the house. Heavy footsteps. As in, way too heavy for an old lady.