“Ew!”, Emma vocalizes her audible disgust just in case anyone around her was blind and couldn’t see how powerfully her body physically recoiled away from the mass. Her nose scrunched up raising the corners of her lips along with it. Her arms out in front of her torso to protect herself from the horror. Knees bent, ready to take flight on a dime.

“Come on Kathy,” Ethan assures, “Emma’s over exaggerating, “ he pauses, “again.” He directs his comment directly at Emma who sneers at him and maintains her distance from the mass.

“How did you even find this? Whatever it is…” Kathy asked Ethan, finding her courage. She lightly griped Emma’s sleeve.

“I was practicing off-roading and I totally almost hit a tree when I spotted it.” He laughed as he recounted the escapade. Looking around, he locked eyes with his target: a sturdy branch. He picked up the stick to gingerly poke the mass. It violently shrunk down into a tight ball as small as a bouncy ball. The kind you could find in a gatcha vending machine at the dentist or grocery store. Everyone jolted along with it.

“What was that?”

“Ah hell nah!”