The Devil Waits by Edgar Cabrera (phonics readers TXT) 📖

“Tick tock tick tock,” I count to myself. “When is he going to come back over here? I've spent a week waiting for him since he told me to wait, I'm running out of cigarettes. One more smoke and I'll leave.” I place the cigarette in my mouth and take out my last match. I cup the end of the cigarette and strike the match. Nothing. No ignition. Once again I strike the match. “Success!” I start to place the flame to the tip of the cigarette when the hourly train zooms by. I feel the wind that it brings along laughing at my face as if it knew exactly what it did.“Great...”
“Hey stranger catch!” said a strange girl with long dark blue hair. She remained in the exact location, across the train rails, allowing the last of the wind to blow her hair.
I caught it without looking in hopes to impress her. “Nice toss.” I say hoping to strike a conversation. I look at the object and its a golden lighter. Gleaming in the dim light of the subway I'm mesmerized by it, entering an almost hypnotic trance. “A lighter! You tossed me a lighter! I haven't seen one of these in ages. How did you get you hands on one of these?” I yell in great glee.
She gracefully turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. Gosh I scared her away. She turns around once again and smiles revealing what I would describe as perfect white teeth, not the usual rotten teeth everyone else has. I don't know why but I feel like she is about to do something, something I can't place words to. She starts to run in my direction and gains moment step by step she takes. I see a flaw in what she is doing, she will soon run out of cement to run on. Just as I finish that thought she jumps and I see the image of an eagle carry her across towards me. Dumbfounded I drop the lighter. I try catching it in mid-air but it slips my grasp. The instant before it touches the ground the lady grabs it. “Hey. Why did you drop it?” she said as if nothing had happened.
“I-I-I'm sorry its just that I coulda sworn that I just saw an eagle carry you across,” I say still not over the fact that she made it across “what's your name by the way?” I ask sheepishly.
She smiles and giggles as if mocking me. “My name is Stephanie. What about yours?” she asked extending her arm offering her hand.
“I'm Alfonso.” I blurt out as I extend my hand. The instant our hands touch I feel the blood rush straight towards my head. She smiles and has a gleam in her eye that says she knows what I'm feeling.
“Ah, ready for battle. So which battle are you going to fight? Is it an internal one or are you going to save this world of poverty?” her touch instantly turned cold as she starts to let go. She raises her lighter with the fire already lit. “Hey let me light your cigarette.” I place the cigarette in my mouth and she lights it.
I take a hit and let it fill my lungs. How I missed the warmth it brings inside. “You want some?” I ask offering her the cigarette.
“Oh God no. I don't smoke, its bad for the lungs.”

Publication Date: 09-05-2011

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