The claw swung as it returned to the starting position, empty yet again.

"Awww..." Benji whined. He dug into his pockets, finding only lint. "That was the my last quarter..."

Raeph held out a cupped hand, revealing a stack of coins. "Why don't you use mine?"

Benji's eyes widened and he looked up at Raeph. "Thanks. Where'd you get all those quarters?"

"From someone who doesn't need them," Raeph replied, eyeing the other games around the room. He casually rested a hand on the plexiglass wall of the claw game; the swinging claw stilled. "Why don't you try again?"

Benji dropped a couple quarters into the machine, grabbing the joystick as the music began. After maneuvering the claw around, he finally dropped it at the blue dog, whispering, "Come on, come on, come on..." The plushie practically leapt into the metal claw, then dropped easily down the chute into Benji's waiting hands. "Yes!"

From behind the prize counter, a red-eyed man smirked at the backs of the boy and the man in the white sweatshirt as they walked away. "Careful, careful, there, Raeph," he whispered, chuckling. "Assisting a win could be considered cheating... And you know how the Old Man feels about cheating—it's a form of lying..." He walked around the counter to the claw game and bent to pick up a white feather.

Benji looked up at Raeph. "Well, might as well go buy that hot dog. You hungry?"

Raeph shook his head, and pointed across the way. "No, but I see the hot dog vendor is there."

Benji and Raeph each bought a hot dog. Then, as Raeph chatted with the vendor, Benji leaned casually on the edge of the cart and slid a bag of chips from its clip. Raeph finished chatting about the weather and he and Benji walked away.

The vendor smirked as he pulled his hat off, running his hands through his hair to untangle it from his horns. "Accomplice to thieving now, Raeph. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I think your halo is slipping..." He retrieved a feather that had settled onto the top of his cart. It was mostly white, with just a faint tinge of grey at its tip. "Just what is the Old Man to do with you?"

Benji frowned at the piece of paper he'd used to scrawl the words from the tube slide.

GOD DAMN THIS WORLD

MAY CHAOS REIGN

Raeph looked down at the paper, also frowning. "That is not a nice message."

"No," Benji agreed quietly, slipping the paper into his backpack.

"Your mother doesn't let you talk like that, does she?" Raeph looked around the playground, eyes roving the graffiti spray-painted all over. Curse words made up most of the messages.

Benji shook his head and walked away from the playground. "I see the church over there." He pointed. "Corner of 8th and Olive. Let's go get a hymnal and start singing on 8th."

Raeph frowned as he followed, a feather lightly swirling to the ground at his feet as he walked. "I don't like the idea of stealing, Benji. Especially not from a church."

"It's for my mom,"Benji reminded him. "I gotta help her! Whatever it takes."

The church was unlocked and empty. Raeph froze in the aisle, staring at the altar and the candle in its red holder by the golden tabernacle. Benji grabbed a book from the back pew and turned back to the door.

"C'mon, Raeph!" Benji called from the arched doorway.

Raeph blinked, then slowly turned and followed Benji back outside. Another feather fell and landed just outside the door, the brilliant white slowly fading to grey.

Benji walked down 8th St, opening the hymnal to random pages. He stumbled through one verse and the refrain of several songs, the words of "Faith of Our Fathers" and "Lord of the Dance" echoing off the steel and concrete buildings lining the road.

People intermittently walked up to the duo, eyeing the singing child, then offered a few coins and a bottle of water.

Benji paused and looked up at the silent Raeph. "Aren't you gonna sing with me?" He shoved the things he'd been given so far into his backpack.

"No, Benji."

"Why not? I bet you have a great voice!"

"Ah..." Raeph looked around, then added quietly, "I am simply accompanying you on your journey; the tasks are yours to complete."

Benji shrugged. "Okay. But, I bet it'd sound way better if you joined in!" He flipped open to another page and began another song.

By the time they reached the junction of 8th and Main, Benji was hoarsely singing a short "Kyrie" from the front of the hymnal.

"Well, the road has ended," Raeph noted. "I think you can stop singing now."

Benji nodded and pulled his backpack to his front, stuffing in the hymnal and the granola bar and coins people had handed him while he walked. "Oh, no." Benji stared at the pink horizon behind the buildings. "The sun's setting; today's almost over, and we're not done!"

"Come, Benji. Tito's is just down the block," Raeph replied.

The lights of Tito's Bar were bright and colorful, sudsy mugs of beer, martini glasses with olives, and silhouettes of women flashed on the windows, interspersed with the names of beer brands. A large crowd of men stood, waiting to get in.

Raeph frowned at the bouncer by the door checking ID's.

Benji looked up at him and asked, "How am I supposed to sneak in?"

Raeph reached into the front pocket of his sweatshirt and pulled out a long brown trench coat. After pulling it on, he said, "Stay close and keep quiet. Hopefully, no one will notice you as we walk inside."

They followed the crowd to the door. When the bouncer locked eyes with Raeph, he nodded and waved them in. They wove through the bustling men and found a couple empty stools at the bar.

The bartender approached with a frown. "Kids aren't allowed in here this late. How'd you get in?"

"Maybe he's just short," Raeph replied, leaning one arm on the bar. "You got a problem with short people?"

"No, but if he's underage, I could lose my license."

"I'll vouch for him," Raeph replied. "What's on tap tonight?"

"Ladies are on tap tonight!" the bartender replied, pointing to the stage across the room. "It's titties night at Tito's!"

Benji's eyes went wide when he followed the man's finger to the stage, where three scantily-clad women danced with poles.

Raeph also looked over to the stage. His eyes lingered on the women.

"So, what'll it be, short stuff?" the bartender asked. "Maybe a virgin poledancer or a Shirley Temple?"

"You have virgin dancers?" Raeph asked. He turned and looked at the bartender. "And which one is Shirley?"

"They're drinks, not women," the bartender replied with a scowl. "You can vouch for him all you want, but I'm not buying that he's 21, pal. Non-alcoholic stuff only for the kid." The bartender stepped away to pour a drink for another patron, then returned. "So. What'll it be?"

"A Shirley Temple, please," Benji replied, folding his hands on the bar.

"Sure, sure. And for you?" he looked at Raeph.

Raeph just shook his head.

"Okay. Comin' right up." The bartender returned after a moment, plunking down the drink in front of Benji. "That'll be $7."

"Here." Raeph slid a $10 bill across the bar.

"Now drink up and get lost before someone calls the cops." The bartender left to attend to other patrons.

Benji and Raeph exchanged looks, then left the bar, Benji holding the drink close and dumping it out on the sidewalk before stashing the glass into the backpack.

The lights around the city glowed garishly in the growing dark as they hurried to the bus stop to catch a ride to the hospital. A feather fluttered to the ground as the bus pulled away from the curb.

The steady beep and hiss of the machines in the room made Benji wince. His mother lay prone on the bed, eyes closed, tubes and wires all over. Raeph stayed back, standing in the doorway, as Benji tiptoed over to his mother. Despite the bandages and scabs, she looked serene.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then whispered, "I love you, Mama. Everything's okay. You're gonna get better." He patted her bandaged hand, then turned, wiping tears from his eyes as he and Raeph hurried out of the hospital.