The gnarled old trunks that surrounded Shari on all sides as she waded through the mangroves swamp were contorted into faces that seemed to mock her. The young wizard looked down at her map, confirming for the umpteenth time she was indeed going the right way.
She hardened her brow, pressing forward despite the anxiety that tugged at her. At every turn she was met with a new sinister face or knowing smirk. The thick, muddy water came up to her knees, seeping through her wizard boots and giving her feet the sensation of having been drowned in a hurricane.
This was her first time traveling outside Frogsnorts on her own. Her first solo quest as a soon-to-be full fledged wizard. There could be no calling on the help of others, no messing up while her head was in the clouds, no… well, her usual disaster magnet self.
On her hands and knees, Shari pushed herself out of the swamp water and onto dry ground. She attempted to crawl away from the bank but found a clump of seaweed clinging to her leg. After several failed attempts to tear herself away she reached under her cloak for her wand, only for the slender stick to slip from her hands and plop into the dark waters.
"Toad biscuits!" Shari screamed, panic nearly causing her to drive headfirst into the unseen abyss. She reached down until she was neck deep in water, her hand waving around aimlessly as she was brought nearly to tears.
Finally her fingers closed around a long, wooden object buried in the mud. Shari nearly leapt back onto the bank, but her brief moment of triumph was robbed when she saw what she'd really grabbed hold of.
A stick.
Just a stupid stick. A useless tool for a useless wizard.