Challenge #02468-F278: Tougher Than ToughsteemCreated with Sketch.

in fiction •  5 years ago 

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"What's wrong I heard screaming!?"
"Oh, hey can you help me get my hand out of here?"
"I was practicing with Australian Bull-oak and made a hole."
"What were yo- by the stars you're bleeding!"
"I know that so help me!"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allocasuarina_luehmannii -- Anon Guest

[AN: Changed the spelling of Buloke so people could read the prompt a smidge easier]

Humans with a fascination for martial arts -especially fictional martial arts- are more insane than what passes for normal amongst Humans. Some part of them wants to believe that the things they see on the screen can be real, and that they can do what it took several actors, a team of scriptwriters, stunt-men, and special-effects people to make look real enough to be believable.

Things like stabbing one's hands into containers of sand, beads, or lentils makes a certain amount of sense. Doing so causes microfractures that, thanks to Deathworlder healing abilities, make the hand bones stronger through natural re-enforcement. Theoretically, tapping wood with the fingertips or other parts of the hands is the same principal, but with less danger to low-gravity environments. This was, as evidence decreed, the logic behind Human Pel's little board.

The little board that had a series of instructions written on it... and one unfortunate knothole that was not resistant to persistent, percussive pressure. Now, raw, dry buloke wood was splintered in Human Pel's flesh with no immediately foreseeable way of withdrawing flesh from wood without further damage. After the initial scream, Human Pel was remarkably calm about the entire predicament.

Fortunately, there were procedures for this kind of nonsense, including a general pathogen alert because there is little that is non toxic about any fluid that comes from a Deathworlder's body. After the alert is sounded, livesuits or other protections should be donned by those on the scene, then the offending fluid should be contained by a disposable and absorbent material that is non-toxic to the Deathworlder in question. Apply pressure in a non-lethal manner and await expert attendance.

Of course, Human Pel was vexed that the Medik team had to cut apart her tap-board, and promised that they would be looking for a varnished one without knot-holes for the next time.

It should not have been surprising that Human Pel planned for a next time, but Havenworlders expect people to learn from painful mistakes.

[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / sasimotophotos]

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Human Pel did learn. To look out for knots in tap boards XD

That's not the lesson that Havenworlders expect us to learn :D

"Havenworlders expert people to LEARN from painful mistakes" Unless, of course, it's a human who tries again expecting a different result! LOL