Not A Small-Town Girl

----

“Say it, or shut up. What do you mean ‘should you

say it’?" Patrick snapped, growing increasingly

irritated with their indecision.

“Well, how about we chop down the bamboos? Let’s

see how they trap us then."

Patrick nearly choked on his own breath.

The mercenary, undeterred, continued, "It’s a simple

plan. There’s not that many bamboos here. With our

speed, we can knock them all down in no time."

Patrick was almost speechless. "I’m going to need to

train you guys on thinking, not just muscle."

“Well, | have another plan, Patrick," the mercenary

said, grinning. "Why don’t we just use a cannon to

blow up the mountain? That way, we can clear

everything out fast!"

----

Patrick staredsat him for a moment

before breaking into laughter. "You

want to use-a cannon? Are you oO

insane?,B0 you think we’re here to

blow gp everything in sight? Were

looking for a person, nota pite ‘of

rubble!”

The mercenary hesitated, "Yeah, but... the cannon

would be faster...”

----

Patrick gave him a dark look. "If we

blow up the Mountain, we might as

well blow up ourselves too. You N

can’t solye every problem by foreeif

we weredealing with an island with

no hattbm, would you chop down all

thett?ees too? Or, wait—if were by

the : sea, would you drain altthe

water?"

The mercenary grumbled under his breath, "Well, |

thought it was a good idea after thinking it through..."

Patrick shook his head. "Just focus, will you? We

need to find the real trap. There’s a tall bamboo here

—it’s definitely hiding something. We’re going after it."

The team prepared, no longer running around blindly.

They had a goal now.

----

Patrick quickly made his way toward the towering

bamboo stalk, weaving through the others until he

reached it. He examined it carefully, feeling around for

any mechanisms that might be hidden.

After a thorough search, nothing came up. "It’s not

here... maybe we have to push it?" Patrick muttered.

----

He gave the bamboo a gentle shove, and to his

surprise, it moved. Suddenly, everything around him

shifted. The fog parted, revealing a narrow path

surrounded by overgrown grass.

"Well, I’ll be damned," Patrick muttered. "This is it.”

"You did it, Patrick!" a mercenary exclaimed.

Patrick smirked. "Don’t forget who you’re talking to."

As they ventured down the path, the atmosphere

grew strangely serene. The air was clear, and a small

creek could be heard babbling nearby. It was a stark

contrast to the chaotic bamboo grove.

“Look, Patrick! There’s something written here!"

someone called out.

The group gathered around the carved message:

“Don’t pull it down, there’s a trap."

“Patrick, should we pull it down? | think it’s just trying

to scare us," the mercenary said, analyzing it.

----

Patrick groaned. "Here we go again with the analysis.

You guys just can’t help yourselves, can you?"

One mercenary, eager to prove his bravery, yanked

the message off the wall.

Immediately, ground beneath

them gave , and the entire group

plunged into’a deep pit. Dust swirlest

aroundtkhem as they fell, landi

with acthud in a massive hole. They

were covered in dirt and utterly

defeated

It wasn’t just a trap—it was a lesson. A harsh one.