I Have A Stick

"I Have A Stick"
by Penny Tank


The night had been grimly cold and as dawn began to filter across the landscape, I felt the need to stretch my tired limbs with a walk against the warmth of morning lag. The lag had been merciful in the last few weeks, and the journey down street was an easy stroll. Passing the hotdog cart I felt sudden cravings for hot chocolate, but bought a sticky bun in its absense.

It tasted pretty good, or so my tastebuds told me.

Over caramelised pastry and icing sugar my eyes adjusted to the weariness of morning light. I squinted once... twice... and blinked on the third count. Is that a dead body? I asked myself, but couldn't I give me an answer. There was truely no way of knowing.

Pulling my sweater tighter around my shoulders I meandered across the street to the crumpled body laying on the sidewalk. It was that of a young man, with an empty bottle in one hand and a burnt out trail of cigarette in the other.

What does one do in this situation?
My instinct told me to poke him with a stick.

Now sticks are surprisingly rare in Second Life, especially considering the number of trees that dot our lands. Ask someone for a stick and they'll look at you strangely before saying, "What do you mean?" or "A stick. Why would I have one of those?" Funnily enough, if you offer to give a stick to someone they'll say the same things.

Well I needed a stick.

The closest thing I had was the flaming marshmallow on a stick attachment made by Ryan Linden - one of the gods of content creation, innovation, and design. We all know the flaming marshmallow stick. And we know it very well. Most avatars have them in their inventories, if not one then 3 or 72 or however many you need to satisfy your marshmallow cravings whenever near a fire.

But no dignified woman pokes a suspected corpse with a flaming marshmallow stick. It just doesn't make sense to have flaming marshmallows on a stick in the middle of the city where there is no campfire or hot chocolate.

So taking my Marshmallow on a Stick from my inventory, I shook the stick violently until the flames subsided and then the marshmallows flew off in every direction. One hit a car windscreen and got caught up in the wipers. Who knows where the other went. But what remained was possibly THE most versatile (or downright silliest) attachment in my entire Second Life.

A Stick.

But just before I got to use my stick the drunk awoke and wanted to know what I was doing with a stick near his booze. I poked him anyway.

Satisified that the guy wasn't dead, I set forth down the city street with my new stick in hand. The sun was brighter now, and a brilliant day was ahead of me and my stick. I felt that nothing could be impossible now that I had a stick in my hand. And should anyone ever ask me "Do you have a stick?" I will never have to reply with a strange look and ask what this person is on about. Should anyone ever require a stick, I will be able to say...

I have a stick.


The End.

Hey, I don't have the flaming marshmellow on a stick. That would be cool to use on my land, since my friends and I are building a campground. Can you send me a copy?