The Writing Prompt: “Double Edge” Is a legendary unique sword that is available for a handful of copper. It is the sharpest and strongest weapon in existence. It also talks, and roasts the living hell out of its owner constantly, pulling no punches. Write a story of one of its many, many owners.
There exists a sword that conforms to its owner’s will, transforming into a weapon that will certainly deliver a most wicked cut through even earth and rock. Double Edge. Renown in history as the bringer of revolution and often given the nickname “the Hero’s Blade,” as it has been sighted throughout history in only the hands of heroes and heroines.
Its origin has been long forgotten, though its earliest confirmed sightings date back millennia ago in the wax tablets and thin papyrus left behind by Ancient Rome. One of the first heroes, rather heroine in this case, was a young Roman who went by Camilla — her last name wiped away by the sands of time. Accounts show Camilla committing patricide, killing her father in an act to save her empire. Her father, a legatus whose name was erased from the annals of Rome at the time, was plotting a coup to overthrow the newly-appointed consuls. After his conspiracy was discovered, she was celebrated in Rome for her bravery and moral fiber. There is a brief description of Double Edge, described as a short kitchen knife that was “oozing of malice.” Camilla complained of the insults it whispered to her, and the knife was “destroyed.”
Yet, historians are unsure of whether or not it was truly destroyed, as it would spring up in major conquest and battles in the centuries afterwards. Because of its continued existence after reported destruction, it’s also unsure if Camilla’s usage of the sword was truly the first, or if it also was used in Ancient Greece or Egypt. Still, its path traced into what is now known as England through Caesar’s conquests, although it appeared to remain dormant for many years before a curious account in 1274 AD where a horseman nicknamed “Sir Gawper” killed a pack of wolves and saved a hamlet from being ravaged. According to accounts at the time, he was seen chasing the wolves shouting at his long sword.
It would make appearances in England until the late 1600s, where reports of its being in North America start. Colonists using it to fight against vicious predators and to slay criminals in their settlements are many stories, with many of those “heroes” complaining of hearing a voice insult them. Double Edge would sprout up in these tales all across North America, sometimes even coming up in accounts from South America.
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Woody Sparks laid back in the coffee shop chair, a cheap store-brand chair, sipping from a plastic cup that barely gave off any steam. The “Easy Bean” brand wasn’t one known for quality, but it was one known for its cheapness. Woody wasn’t going to complain. Really, he spent his days working as a reporter for his local paper, got paid in what felt like peanuts and lint, and spent his nights thrifting for anything affordable.
He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, playing with the liquid that tasted like burnt plastic in his mouth, swishing it from left to right to left and so on. He thought about his latest thrift find, some pens and notebooks, a rapier that looked sleek as hell, and a couple romance novels (it was getting close to Christmas, and he knew his aunt liked them). All for less than 8 dollars. A steal if he ever saw one.
Leaving the coffee house and stopping by his apartment, he picked up a notebook and pen he bought yesterday and put them in his traveling bag. Taking a quick look at the rapier he laid leaning on the wall, he couldn’t help but admire it. He had no idea where he was gonna put it, but it was always something that he wanted to have. He couldn’t help but smile. At least something was going right in his life.
“‘Something going right?’” a whisper floated along the air, “filling that void in your heart by spending money on worthless junk that you’ll never use.” Woody yelled, whirling around and looking for the person who gave that scathing remark. Nobody.
“Whoever you are, fuck you,” Woody said. No response. He looked around his apartment, opening closets and looking in nooks, finding nobody. It had to have been his overactive imagination, It’s why he took up writing after all. Shaking his head one last time, he looked at the rapier one more time before leaving his apartment.
Pulling up into a driveway in the suburb he spent god knows how long looking for (he didn’t even know there was a street there), he pulled out his notebook and pen and walked up to the door of the house. This was the interview he had been trying to get for weeks. Not for any story going to print soon, this was all off the record. This person held the key to the lead he had been working on for nearly a month now. Looking through his notebook to make sure he had plenty of room, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard another whisper.
“Stop looking through the notebook, you bought it last night.” Right, it was going to be empty. He looked around, seeing nobody. The whisper continued, “Your nervousness is what will destroy any chances of breaking this case open, and it will destroy your life.” A pause. “It’s a wonder you still have this job, you’re just a child who has no chance at surviving in the real world.” A grimace.
“I don’t know who the hell you are, but shut up, I know.” Woody felt embarrassed. Whoever was saying this, he… he had no idea what he was going to do to them. But, a little part in him knew that they were right. He was way too nervous. He needed to calm down. This hearing voices thing was starting to really stir his anxiety, but he couldn’t focus on that right now. He needed to act like an adult for the first time in his life and get through this. This interview meant everything.
Letting out a deep breath, ignoring the chuckling he could barely hear on the air, he twirled a sleek pen in his off-hand while he knocked on the door. The pen glinting in the sun a fine silver color, an elegant engraving of “Double Edge” barely legible under his thumb. The door opened and Woody was invited in, his future about to change forever.
The Liberal Lens: Finding Life in the Moment 
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