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writing-prompt-s :
Upon spending 10,000 hours doing any task, running, fishing, cleaning, etc you gain a super power akin to the task you have mastered. You’re the only person to have spent 10,000 hours throwing a pencil into the ceiling.
It took a moment. I could feel the universe thinking. Everything stopped just for a couple seconds, then I felt the promised sensation of a new power running through me.
I have no idea what my power is.
I mean, sometimes it does something.
If I throw a pencil (generally upwards) occasionally it will just stop and stay there, or sometimes it will shoot so fast that I hear a sonic boom. This has happened multiple times.
This general confusion of power is not unknown to the world, there are people whose occupation is literally just to help people figure out what their power is and how to use it.
Called "Oracles". Cool name I guess but kinda predictable.
I guess I'll have to go see one. It's not that expensive to just find the power's definition.
Maybe it's something like "You can control pencils when thrown" or maybe just "Super fast pencils."
I hope it's something cool. I can't really use it if I don't know what it is I'm doing.
Oracles aren't really as magical as they seem. They're more like doctors, although, not like a government certified doctor. It's a job that anyone can get into, it's fairly easy, the only hard part is that it also usually comes with government certified positions as researchers on the powers. Of course there are people with powers that aid in these specific fields, but that's not really relevant.
I call for an appointment. Someone picks up immediately.
"42oracle, how can we help?" (Stupid name) They said it with a rhythm. Like it was a jingle. This made me immediately upset, but I tried to ignore it.
"I think I've got a new power. I just want to figure out what it is." I explain. The cheapest option. I can't fiddle around with a whole training thing, that would cost way too much.
"We've got an opening right now if you can make it in time...!" I really don't like the tone of this person's voice. Way too much energy. Too happy or something. Like in a really annoying way.
"Uh, sure, yeah. Name is..." I give them a name. I start to grab my stuff. Not forgetting my wallet. I didn't forget it this time.
"See you soon!" They hung up. I knew where the building was.
Oh my god. They better not be my actual doctor. I mean, the voice is friendly, I think I'm the weird one for hating it.
Ok. Leaving now.
Brain not even processing the drive there.
As soon as I get there, I see the person that must be handling the phone calls, whose face did not match their voice. It was a big, slightly buff dude with the most magnificent mustache I'd ever seen. I heard him on the phone with the next person though, and the voice was definitely his. Honestly just higher pitch than I would have expected from him.
Another receptionist rolls over on one of those wheeled office chairs, which nearly actually falls over.
"Name?" They ask.
I give them the name.
"Ah! Well, Dr. Log will be with you in- Oh! That's him now!" They pointed to the door. I pulled out a 50 dollar bill and put it on the counter. The fact that you can still pay in cash for these things is a clear indication that this might not be the most official place. You know what I mean.
"Hi." A simple greeting from a simple looking guy. Underneath the white lab coat was the most basic outfit ever. Jeans and a white shirt. Basic. We walked into one of the rooms with the oracle equipment, which is just some weird device I stick my arm into.
"So are you like, a real doctor? Like for this job or whatever?" I ask.
"Technically no. I think." He responds as he tweaks with some dials on the device. "I had to take a class for it, but it was like a 2 year thing, and somehow a cheap class. That was about 6 years ago, though."
"Huh. Ok next question. Dr. 'Log' is an interesting name. Question mark." Yes, I said 'Question mark' out loud.
"Funny story actually, my parents were really young when they had me, and also quite stupid to be totally honest, and literally changed their last names to 'Logarithm'. I don't really care now, because I'm used to it and all that, but, I mean, I kinda wish they hadn't. Not that it's a big deal." It certainly was a funny story.
"Why not change it back to something... uh, normal?" I ask.
"Simple answer 'Eh.' I don't really care enough." He answers. "So just stick your arm in here and we'll have it."
I stick my arm in the machine, which is exactly at arm level from where I am sitting. A bunch of pads hold my arm in place, and I feel a bunch of pressure from seemingly random places on my arm.
"Huh. That's weird." He says.
"What?"
"What were you doing when this happened?"
"I was being bored. I was just laying on my bed throwing a pencil at the ceiling over and over again. I actually did manage to get one to stick in the ceiling somehow and now I can't get it back down." There was, like, nothing to do.
"I guess that makes a little more sense. Still not really any sense though."
"What does it say?"
"It just says..." He squinted his eyes and looked back onto the... whatever the eye piece would be called on a microscope. "Throw pencil."
"What?"
"Yeah come look." I pull my arm out and look at the screen where an image of a bunch of symbols appear. Underneath it, it reads 'Auto-Translation' followed by 'Throw Pencil' in a text box.
"What?" I say again.
"I have another one that just says 'ceiling'."
"Huh. Well. Uh. Ok."
That's my power. I have no idea what to do.
[
Throw Pencil
]