Local Hero

were as fanciful as the machines that spewed out color and light around them.
    Day to day, Hester thought with a little sigh. That was all she could afford to believe in now. In a few hours she would tuck Radley in bed and go to her room alone. That was the only way to make sure they were both safe. She heard Mitch laugh and shout encouragement to Radley, and looked away. It was the only way, she told herself again. No matter how much she wanted or was tempted to believe again, she couldn’t risk it.
    “How about the pinball machines?” Mitch suggested.
    “They’re okay.” Though they rang with wild colors and lights, Radley didn’t find them terribly exciting. “Mom likes them though.”
    “Are you any good?”
    Hester pushed aside her uneasy thoughts. “Not bad.”
    “Care to go one-on-one?” He jingled the quarters in his pockets.
    Though she’d never considered herself highly competitive, she was swayed by his smug look. “All right.”
    She’d always had a touch for pinball, a light enough, quick enough touch to have beaten her brother nine times out of ten. Though these machines were electronic and more sophisticated than the ones she’d played in her youth, she didn’t doubt she could make a good showing.
    “I could give you a handicap,” Mitch suggested as he pushed coins into the slot.
    “Funny, I was just going to say the same thing to you.” With a smile, Hester took the controls.
    It had something to do with black magic and white knights. Hester tuned out the sounds and concentrated on keeping the ball in play. Her timing was sharp. Mitch stood behind her with his hands tucked in his back pockets and nodded as she sent the ball spinning.
    He liked the way she leaned into the machine, her lips slightly parted, her eyes narrowed and alert. Now and then she would catch her tongue between her teeth and push her body forward as if to follow the ball on its quick, erratic course.
    The little silver ball rammed into rubber, sending bells ringing and lights flashing. By the time her first ball dropped, she’d already racked up an impressive score.
    “Not bad for an amateur,” Mitch commented with a wink at Radley.
    “I’m just warming up.” With a smile, she stepped back.
    Radley watched the progress of the ball as Mitch took control. But he had to stand on his toes to get the full effect. It was pretty neat when the ball got hung up in the top of the machine where the bumpers sent it vibrating back and forth in a blur. He glanced behind him at the rows of other machines and wished he’ d thought to ask for another quarter before they’d started to play. But if he couldn’t play, he could watch. He edged away to get a closer look at a nearby game.
    “Looks like I’m ahead by a hundred,” Mitch said as he stepped aside for Hester.
    “I didn’t want to blow you away with the first ball. It seemed rude.” She pulled back the plunger and let the ball rip.
    This time she had the feel and the rhythm down pat. She didn’t let the ball rest as she set it right, then left, then up the middle where it streaked through a tunnel and crashed into a lighted dragon. It took her back to her childhood, when her wants had been simple and her dreams still gilt edged. As the machine rocked with noise, she laughed and threw herself into the competition.
    Her score flashed higher and higher with enough fanfare to draw a small crowd. Before her second ball dropped, people were choosing up sides.
    Mitch took position. Unlike Hester, he didn’t block out the sounds and lights, but used them to pump the adrenaline. He nearly lost the ball, causing indrawn breaths behind him, but caught it on the tip of his flipper to shoot it hard into a corner. This time he finished fifty points behind her.
    The third and final turn brought more people. Hester thought she heard someone placing bets before she tuned them out and put all her concentration on the ball and her timing. She was nearly exhausted before she backed away again.
    “You’re going to need a miracle, Mitch.”
    “Don’t get cocky.” He flicked his wrists like a concert pianist and earned a few hoots and cheers from the crowd.
    Hester had to admit as she watched his technique that he played brilliantly. He took chances that could have cost him his last ball, but turned them into triumph. He stood spread-legged and relaxed, but she saw in his eyes that kind of deep concentration that she’d come to expect from him but had yet to become used