Lock-in
by Kim Chinquee
They bring their Bibles and hymnals. It is semi-monthly, held in the gymnasium, where just two nights ago, Eileen broke a tie with her free throw and her teammates lifted her. Then she ate a candy bar and changed into her skirt and matching sweater, fetched her silver pom-poms, getting ready for the boys' team. Her twin Jilly didn't shoot baskets, but when the boys played, Jilly cheered beside Eileen, doing the splits while Eileen got on the top of the mound. When they weren't on offense, they spelled the word out, getting the crowd to spell it with them.
Tonight the bleachers are stacked and the only proof of sport includes boundaries; blue and red lines on the floor. Posters on the walls say, Jesus is Our Savior and Pray for the Needy, Jesus Hears You.The twins' mother drives them ten miles in. The moon is bright and rain taps on the window, and the mother talks about their German ancestors who used to run a paper factory and died in a fire, and now the factory is infested with mice. The mother tells the story daily, like a tic.
In the gymnasium, Eileen and Jilly gather with their classmates. It is almost time for supper, but tonight there is no supper. They will fast. They will stay up until morning. They will be singing hymns, reciting prayers, and playing games that prove their faith in Jesus.
Jilly and Eileen sit together, cross-legged on the floor. There are fifty other students. While everyone prays, Jill removes something from her pocket. She offers her twin a piece of candy. Eileen says, no way, tells Jill to hide it. She'll be in trouble. Eileen, she is so hungry. She closes her eyes and asks for God's forgiveness. She starts to nod off and Jilly nudges her, wakes her. They both look ahead at the pastor, reciting a passage about a lamb and some salvation. They've heard the verse. They have it memorized.
Kim Chinquee's collection of flash fiction, Oh Baby, will be published in March 2008 by Ravenna Press. Her recent stories have appeared in Noon, Denver Quarterly, Conjunctions, New Orleans Review, Mississippi Review, Willow Springs, Notre Dame Review, Fiction, elimae, and other journals. She received a 2007 Pushcart Prize.