Short Story Chapter: A Kid and a Stick

While walking, a kid finds a stick lying in the road.

“Oh. . . A stick.”

Intrigued, he picks it up.

Hmmm. . .

Holding it, he looks around the area, and finds a small plant on the sidewalk.

*swings*

He then swings the stick hard, destroying the plant in one strike.

Nice, looking good.

Feeling satisfied he then decided to do something.

Stick’s ATK: 1

Plant’s HP: 1

He gave stats to both the stick and the plant as if it was something from a game.

This makes like I am playing inside an RPG.

He swings the stick once again, as if it was a sword from a game.

He walks away with a smile on his face, as he holds the stick across his shoulder, feeling like he is holding a real sword.

“Let’s find some targets!”

As he said that, he sounds joyful, hopping while walking eager to find a new target.

. . .

A few minutes after walking he comes across a trash can full of soft drink cans.

He picked up one of the cans, and place it in the ground.

He takes a step back, holding his stick with both hands, and aims it at the soft drinks can on the ground. He then raises both of his hands and then. . .

*swings*

*clang*

The can made a loud sound, and slightly move from its position.

“Wow!”

Fascinated at the fact that he couldn’t destroy the can with one swing, he only made a small dent in the can.

“One more time.”

*swings*

*clang*

He swings the stick one more time, but it was not enough to fully dent the can.

Without thinking much, he swings the stick multiple times until he managed to fully dent the soft drink can.

“Finally. . .”

The soft drinks can is completely dented and lying on the floor.

The kid learned now that it would take several hits before he can fully destroy a can of soft drinks, and so he concluded that:

Soft Drinks Can’s HP: 5

As he is required to swing five times before he can fully dent a can of soft drinks.

A lot harder than I thought, but I like it.

Excitement filled the kid as he felt like he was embarking on an adventure, seeking out targets to fight and defeat.

“Onto the next one!”

Having fun with his adventure he proceeds on finding another target he can hit.

__________

Stick’s ATK: 1

-

Plant’s HP: 1

Soft Drinks Can’s HP: 5

Cardboard Box’s HP: 12

Plastic Bottle’s HP: 2

Metal Lid’s HP: 2

Plastic Container’s HP: 3

Glass Bottle’s HP: 1

Tin Can’s HP: 3

Cobweb’s HP: 1

Banana’s HP: 1

-

Stone’s HP: 9999999

Tree Branch’s HP: 9999999

Coconut’s HP: 9999999

Using a paper, he wrote the stats he gathered from hitting the things that are listed. There are some things he can hit and cause dent, and even destroy, but there are also things he can’t destroy.

He then writes another thing:

Insects HP:

“Hahaha, how many hits do I need to do to kill an insect.”

With a smile on his face, he now plans on finding and killing an insect he could find.

He then closes the notebook planning to go outside and find an insect he could hit.

*buzz*

“What?”

Shocked by the sudden sound, he looks around him trying to find where the sound came from.

After a few glances, he found something black attached to a wall, he looks closely, and he found something he could hit.

“This is perfect.”

He rushes outside to get his stick. It was hidden outside the house as he didn’t bring it inside the house to avoid being scolded.

He knew that no one is at home, and this is a perfect situation. Now he can bring the stick inside in this situation.

After getting the stick he rushes inside the living room.

“Here you are.”

He slowly walks towards the cockroach. Slowly raising both of his hands while holding the stick, he takes a stance and. . .

*swings*

*thud*

The cockroach fell to the floor after getting hit by the stick, leaving what seems a liquid behind where the cockroach was hit.

“Is this the blood?”

The kid wonders, but he immediately looks at the floor where the cockroach fell.

To his surprise, the cockroach is still moving.

*swings*

*thud*

“What?”

Surprised by the fact that the cockroach is still moving he swings again.

*swings*

*thud*

With the cockroach slowly dying, the wings and its limbs are falling apart from each hit of the stick.

After hitting it four times, the cockroach finally stops moving.

“Finally.”

The kid picked up the dead body of the cockroach with his bare hands, he then throws it outside the house.

“Bye.”

Cockroach’s HP: 4

He concluded that it takes four hits to kill a cockroach.

After throwing the cockroach he goes back to the room.

There are liquids from the wall and the floor, and there is also a bad scent coming from it.

“Ahhh, smells bad.”

Thinking he might get scolded by his parents, he grabs a towel in the kitchen and wipes the liquid on the wall and the floor.

After wiping the liquid, he submerges the towel in the water in the kitchen sink.

__________

“Oh, that was it?”

After hitting the grasshopper once, it immediately dies.

Grasshopper’s HP: 1

Looking at the dead grasshopper one final time, he stands up and walks away.

While walking, his mind is full of anticipation in finding another thing he can hit with his stick.

As he walks, he came across the lake in the area.

He stopped walking and looks at it.

“Hmmm. . .”

After looking at it for a few seconds he decided to approach the lake.

He then takes a stance, and. . .

*swings*

*splash*

“Woah that was harder than I thought.”

Surprised that the water is hard, he then swings again.

*swings*

*splash*

After swinging the stick multiple times, he became drenched in water. However, he didn't stop, he continued hitting the water.

While swinging the stick, suddenly. . .

“Ah---”

*splash*

Someone pushed him to the lake.

Now engulf in the lake’s water, he immediately stands up and turns around.

“It’s the weird kid with a stick!”. Said by the one who pushes him to the lake.

Huh. . .

He didn’t respond to the one who called out to him, but instead, he grabs his stick that’s been submerged in the water and walks away.

Water’s HP: 9999999

It’s impossible to defeat water.

He concluded that there’s no possible way to defeat the water.

“Hey! Where are you going!”

He really doesn’t know when to stop!

Feeling that he is about to get pushed again, he turns around and swings his stick with both of his hands.

*swings*

The kid who pushes him got hit in the arms and was thrown away by the hit of the stick, leaving him lying sideways on the ground.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

He then looks at the kid he swings at.

The kid was shouting and crying while holding his right shoulder.

He approaches the kid, and once again swings his stick at him.

*swings*

And again.

*swings*

And again.

*swings*

“AHHH!!! STOP!!!”

And again.

*swings*

And again.

*swings*

And again.

*swings*

And again.

“S-stop. . . Stop. . .”

After hearing it he stops midway his stance, and holds his stick across his shoulder.

“Weak.”

He’s weaker than I thought.

He looks at the kid on the ground one final time. . . The kid was crying while lying on the ground, covering his eyes and face with both of his arms.

Without saying anything he walks away, leaving the kid behind.

Kid’s HP: 7

He concluded that seven hits are enough to make a kid cry.

__________

“Saro don’t stay out too late.”

“Okay, Ma.”

Saro grabs his stick and once again walks outside to find something he can hit.

“What should I hit today?”

Walking under the blazing hot sun, he wanders through the area.

As he was walking, he saw a figure of two persons, a kid and a mother walking side by side.

Since they were walking slowly, he tried walking past them.

“Why is that kid holding a stick like that?”

The mother wondered why Saro was holding a stick like he is about to fight someone.

“THAT’S HIM MA!!!”, The kid shouts.

“Him?”

“The one who hits me!”

“What?!”

After hearing that the mother rushes to Saro. She then holds Saro's right arm and steals the stick away.

WHAT!

“Hey, what are you going to do with this stick?”

“Give it back!”

Saro tries to steal the stick away, but because of the height difference he was not able to.

“I said give it back!!!”

Saro once again tries to steal it but was not able to.

“Is it true that you hit my son with this stick?”

Saro didn’t respond to her, but instead he didn’t stop trying to get his stick back.

“Look at my son!”

The mother not receiving any kind of response from Saro became agitated and pointed at her son.

Upon hearing it, Saro stops stealing the stick and instead looks at the kid.

The kid is full of bruises in his arms.

So that’s what happens when you get hit multiple times.

Now entirely sorry for what he did, Saro just looks at the kid without showing any kind of concern.

“Say sorry to him.”

Why should I apologize?

“. . .”

“I said say sorry to him!”

Arghhh this mother is so noisy!

But Saro didn’t say anything, nor that he feels sorry for what he did to the kid.

“Let’s bring you home. Do you know this kid’s house?”

“He is near our place.”. The kid answered.

“Tell me where it is.”

The mother while holding the stick with his right hand, her left hand was holding Saro’s right hand stopping him from running away.

But Saro didn’t do anything, instead, he just lets the mother of the kid takes him back to his home.

When they arrived, they were welcomed by Saro’s mom. Saro’s mom was surprised as to why Saro is together with other people.

“What happened?”, Saro’s mom asked.

“Your son assaulted my son. Look at his bruises, it’s unbelievable.”

“WHAT?!!!”

Surprised by what she heard, Saro’s mother looked at him with a confused look.

“Is that true Saro?”, She asks Saro while holding his shoulder.

Saro nodded.

“Unbelievable. . .”

What do you want me to do? Just let him push me?

Saro’s mom couldn’t believe that he would do such a thing. She then bows in the front of the kid’s mother.

“I’m sorry for what my kid did.”

She apologizes multiple times, until the kid’s mother was satisfied.

“Be sure to discipline your kid, we don’t know what he will do next.”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”, Saro’s mom apologizes again.

The kid’s mother handed the stick that she’s been holding to Saro’s mom.

“That’s the stick that he’s been using. You know what to do.”

The mother indicates that she should discipline Saro with the stick.

After she said that, both mother and the kid walk away with a sour face.

*sighs*

“Go inside the home Saro.”

As he goes inside, he was told to sit on the sofa.

“Do you know what you just did?”

. . .

. . .

. . .

“Do you understand?”

Saro nodded, despite not listening to the whole lecture of his mom.

“You are grounded for the whole week.”

A punishment has been given to Saro.

Without anything to do, he decided to go back to his room.

Bad day for me, I hate this.

__________

“Saro! Bring yourself down over here!”

. . .

“Why Ma?”

“Look outside.”

“Outside?”

Confused as to why he was told to look outside, Saro walks outside the house. There, he sees a small fire crackling, fueled by the tree branch sticks.

Fascinated by the small fire, he approaches it and sits near it.

Saro then looks deeply at the fire moving, Saro's gaze fixates on the dancing flames of the fire, mesmerized by the yellow and red colors swaying, growing, and getting smaller. That’s why he can’t help but stare at it.

I like this.

While staring at it closely, he finds the tree branch sticks that fuel the fire, and there’s something he noticed.

“That looks familiar.”

As he said that he reaches for the stick and pull it out of the mountain of sticks.

“Oh.”

Why it is here?

The stick with ATK: 1, which had been his faithful companion throughout his adventure, is now back in his hand, but the tip of the stick has been burned by the fire.

“What happened to you?”

He stands up and once again takes a stance.

*swings*

*cracks*

The tip of the stick cracks, leaving behind the ash and the burned part of the stick.

*sigh*

Surprised that the stick now is weakened, he sits again near the fire.

“This is not the same stick.”

*throws*

Realizing that the stick is useless, he throws it back into the fire.

He stares at the fire as it eats his stick alive, burning it and making it useless.

. . .

The fire died.

Saro decided to go back to his room.

He lies on his bed and stares at the ceiling, unsure of what to feel about the events that unfolded. Especially now that the stick that’s been with him, is now an ash.

He fell asleep while thinking deeply about what happened.

__________

“Finally.”

Saro was able to get out again after a week of being grounded.

While walking he feels like something is missing, it’s his companion, that’s now gone to ashes.

He walks aimlessly outside, looking around, and feeling the air that’s surrounding him.

But he would have never thought, that it would happen again.

A stick is lying on the ground as he was walking.

Saro looks at it, and remembered the first time he picks up a stick from the ground.

Without thinking that much, he reaches for the stick and grabs it.

“A different one.”

He noticed that this stick is different from the old one.

He holds it up with his right hand, and. . .

*stabs*

*splash*

Stabbing the frog that’s beside him.

“Woah. . .”

He was surprised at how powerful the stick was, with just one stab he managed to create a hole in the frog, killing it with one shot.

This looks more powerful than the old one.

He pulls the stick back and looks at the tip.

The stick was short, but it was sharper than the old one.

Saro looked at the new stick with interest, he finds it fascinating that a stick was able to do that.

He then walks away from the scene, realizing that he is about to test another stick again and embark on a new adventure with it.

Stick’s ATK: 5

Frog’s HP: 5

With a new stick in his hand, Saro feels a mixture of excitement and anticipation.

Holding another stick reminds him of his past adventure, and the thrill of testing the new stick's power calls out to him.

As Saro clutches the new stick in his hand, a dark flash in his eyes hints at the unsettling possibilities that lie ahead.