A Stroke Of Originality

“My mom said we should never go into that side of the forest because that’s where the forbidden staff rests.” Jim expressed.

“Oh, the ‘spooo-ooo-ky’ forbidden staff.” Turner bent his fingers in the air doing air quotes. ” Don’t tell me you’re scared of some old folk tale.” 

“It’s not a folk tale, it’s real. Mother would never lie to me about something like that. She told me she even fought in the great war to capture the staff and keep it from falling into the wrong hands.” Jim objected.

“Sounds like you’re both scared to me.” Katie turned her back towards the boys and made her way towards the forest.

Jim and Turner watched as Katie disappeared into the forest before gazing at each other and quickly following.

“Don’t seem so scary to me,” Katie folded her arms as she stared at the floating staff.

“Just don’t touch it!” Jim yelled.

Turner side-eyed Jim and charged at the staff with a grin on his face. He leaped towards it and grabbed it out of the air. “You mean, don’t touch, this staff?” he asked.

Jim closed his eyes, preparing for the worst until he heard laughter coming from both Katie and Turner.

“I told you it was just an old folk tale.” Turner swung the staff around in the air shouting out made-up words.

Did mom lie to me? Jim asked himself. He didn’t know what to think after nothing happened when Turner grabbed the staff. Jim watched as his friends took turns playing with the staff and eventually joined them. They played for hours, pretending to be magicians until nightfall came. Then it was time for them to make their way back home.

“Hey, let’s take the staff with us so we can play with it tomorrow,” Katie suggested.

“Who’s going to keep it, though?” Jim asked.

“We can put it in our treehouse, duh” Katie squinted her eyes at Jim.

“Sounds good to me! Let’s hurry home before Jim’s parent’s send out the search party for their little prince.” Turner mocked.

Jim ignored him and walked out of the forest and back towards their village. Jim went into deep thought, wondering why his mom had lied to him about the staff. He noticed his friends were eerily quiet and turned around to see what they were doing. To his surprise, the forest was engulfed in darkness, and a horde of dark spawn surrounded his friends.

Jim shook with fear at the sight of it and immediately turned to run home, but some invisible force stopped him. Glancing back over his shoulder, he noticed someone reaching for the staff.

“I have waited years for someone to take my staff from that protected forest. To thank you, I will let you be the first to witness the darkness it will bring.” Said a man shrouded in darkness.

The man chanted a few words, and dark clouds engulfed everything in sight, leaving nothing but death and destruction.

“I leave you three with your life. Use it while you can,” The man laughed as he disappeared into the darkness.