The Hand That lifted the hammer
"Whoever holds this hammer, should they be worthy, shall hold the power of Thor."
I rolled my eyes and sunk down into my seat further, sipping my bitter coffee with an equally bitter mood. The rednecks next to me would not. Shut. Up.
"Even Jameson couldn't pick it up!" Internally I scoffed, knowing that Jameson Brown was the finest our little hick community could produce. "He was so mad he kicked his car so hard it dented!"
This piqued my attention, if only minutely. Dented his beloved car? His baby? No way, it couldn't be true.
"He cussed enough to make my Grandaddy blush." I signaled the waitress, bored by the topic.
"Annie! Annie, c'mere!" Ah, lovely. I had been spotted.
Randy, aforementioned redneck, motioned me over to the table. I took a deep, slow breath. I could deal with this today, I could. Maybe even without a homicide charge.
"Yes?"
"Aww, don't be like that. You can't still be mad at me," he said, giving me dramatic puppy eyes. Oh yes. Yes I could. I took another deep breath.
"What do you want, Randall?"
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"Wellllll, me and Jason were wondering if you wanted to come with us to go see that hammer everyone's been talking about."
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I contemplated it. I really did. For just a second, I entertained the thought of going with my ex-boyfriend and his idiotic best friend to the middle of nowhere to see if we could pick up a hammer.
What has the world come to?
"No," I stated. Randy frowned a little, his understanding of the word limited.
"Please, Annie?" he pleaded, his face twisted into an unattractive pout.
"No."
"Por favor?"
"No."
"Por favor?"
"No."
"Por fa—"
"Dammit all to hell Randall Nile, shut the hell up!"
Randy scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine. Be that way. I bet you couldn't have pulled it out of the ground anyway."
I froze, meeting Randy's eyes for the first time. He flinched, like he always did, and I smirked. "Was that a bet I heard?"
Randy sighed, rolling his eyes slightly and said, "Yes, it was a bet. Trust you to find a way to make this a bet."
So, that's how it happened. All because I can't resist a bet, I was currently riding in a truck with two moronic rednecks to go pull a hammer out of the ground. I knew I could do it. Okay, I probably could do it, even if only just because I thought I could, if that makes any sense. It was times like this I wished I had my daddy's unwavering confidence that one couldn't help but admire.
We pulled over as soon as we saw it. I had to admit I was pretty impressed. It was a large hammer, and it was sunk into the ground. It had seemingly created a crater around itself. I watched in awe as a truck was literally ripped in half as it tried to lift the hammer out of the ground.
Randy slapped me on the back. "You sure about this bet?"
I slapped him back hard enough for him to stumble. "Never been so sure about anything," I said, which was a complete and utter lie. I was not sure. Not at all.
Stop it. You can do it.
I shook myself, threw my shoulders back, and strode up to it. Hoots and hollers could be heard, and I responded with the one fingered salute. This was enough to shut them up for at least a while. I took a deep breath.
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I caressed the handle lovingly, almost jumping when it warmed beneath my fingers.
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"C'mon, sugar. I got you,"
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The air was still, and the crowd was silent. I wrapped my hands around the hammer, one finger at a time. I braced myself and dug my toes into the desert sand.
4…3…2…1…
"Ahhh!"
I lifted with all of my strength, heaving the hammer over my shoulder. I gasped and stumbled, my own strength surprising me. It wasn't even heavy! Maybe fifteen pounds, tops!
What the hell?
The reaction was mixed. Some cheered, and most gasped. Others thought it was a fluke. Randall stood, open mouthed, not believing what had just happened. I gasped and stumbled as something, some powerful entity rushed through my veins, flooding my senses with warmth. I couldn't see it, but it was blue and white. I couldn't hear it, but it whispered my name. I couldn't feel it, but it felt like power. And it was mine, all mine.
"Annika."