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“Your Weight And Fortune”

That’s what the sign on the machine said.

“Odd.” Thought he, “I haven’t seen one of these in years.”

Stepping up on the platform, he saw the price, twenty-five cents. “Hmm. The price has gone up some.” Idly he reached into his pocket for a coin. He heard the coin drop through the scanner with satisfaction, and saw the display light up.

“189 pounds.”

He grunted in satisfaction. “Just like me to pay for something I already knew.” Patiently, he waited for the second part. What was to be his fortune?

“188 pounds.”

“Hunh?” He stared. “Did I bounce, or something?”

“187 pounds.”

Now this was getting interesting. He continued to stand on the platform as the numbers ticked downward. He could actually feel that gravity was losing its grip on him as the pressure against his feet diminished. “Cool! Maybe now my feet won’t hurt so much!” He reached into his pocket for another quarter, in case the machine needed to be fed again. It wasn’t necessary.

“76 pounds.”

There were no coins left in his pocket, where before there had been several. Mystified, he checked his wallet.. Unbelievably, it was empty. Astonished, he stared into the emptiness of it. This could not be!

“14 pounds.”

He looked around to see if there were any addresses, or other information about this curious machine which had somehow robbed him. Unfortunately, he failed to step off the platform. As he peered into the coin slot, the machine made a final click of some sort, and released him. The display went off. Irritated, he straightened up.

And he continued moving upward, ascending through no apparent effort as though he were riding in an elevator. By the time he realized the danger he faced, he could no longer reach anything to grab onto. The buildings shrank beneath him.

“Your weight and fortune.” Belatedly, he realized now the literal truth behind that innocuous phrase.

The city shrank beneath him. The air grew thin and cold.

Far below, a strange machine occupied a lonely vigil. “Your Weight And Fortune” read the sign.