“What are you?”
The question was not going to receive an immediate answer. Lea brushed the dirt from the object, uncovering more details. What she thought was a stick turned out to be much more ornate. A coiled white swirl climbed up what she thought to now be a handle. It was wrapped around an earthy-colored finish. One touch and she knew it was some fashion of wood.
Her fingers brushed away the dirt and dug around the item. It was nothing like she had ever seen before. Farming tools were made of metal and wood. Each one had a sharp edge that was used for cutting or digging, whereas this one came to a point. She took hold of the thicker end and slid it out of its grave.
“Odd.” It was out of place even as she gripped it. She turned it over to look for any clues of what it was or used for. It was the same length as a knife used to chop up meat for dinner. The serpent’s body offered a spot for her hand to fit as she continued to turn it over.
A slight flick of her wrist to examine the butt end of it sent a shock through her system. It sent her onto her back. Electricity made her body spasm uncontrollably for a moment before finally dying down.
Lea tried to move, but her muscles ached from the shock. She took in a few labored breaths. Her body responded as she pushed herself to a seated position. She had almost forgotten about the pain as she saw a spot 10 feet away from her.
The ground was charred. Smoke rose from tiny fires on individual pieces of grass. Part of her new garden was ruined by whatever just happened. She loosened her grip on the item and held it with two fingers. Lea didn’t know how, but she knew this thing was at fault.
She decided to test from a seated position as the aches came back to her. She held it in one hand and aimed it away from herself as she pushed it forward into the open air.
The force hit her again, but she was prepared. A tiny arc of lightning hit her hand. It had paled in comparison to what shot out of the other end. The bolt touched down close to where it originally hit and then extended out. She pulled back and the electricity died out.
Her breathing was heavy as she felt the surge run through her body again. She threw it away from herself and it landed on the ground. She ran the through her mind what had just happened. The whole scenario was farfetched and she knew her parents and friends would not believe her.
Lea stood up and walked past the item. “I’ll be back for you.”
Her path led her to through the back door and into the kitchen where she grabbed a cloth and wrapped it around her hand. She smiled, knowing she had found a way to outsmart the glorified stick. A quick “hello?” through the house confirmed that her parents were still out at the market for the day. She skipped back to continue her experimentation.
She picked it back and twirled it into her hand so that the snake grip fit with the form of her hand through the cloth.
“Should I say some magic words?” The same response came back to her as she aimed away from the house. There was 50 yards of real estate from her and the nearest obstacle. The chars on the ground hadn’t gone farther than 10 feet.
Lea swished her wrist more forcefully this time. Her feet braced and she felt the pressure trying to push her back. A bolt appeared out of the front of the stick. A fork struck out and singed the ground. The main part continued forward. More branches formed and either hit the grass or dissipated in the air. It continued on. Fear washed across Leah’s face as the barn sparked and caught fire. The bolt bore a hole through the structure and continued on. The stick fell from her grip and the spark stopped.
“Oh shit…”
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