“Wow, that’s fucked up,” I said, staring at the worn silver and gold necklace Ducan wore around his neck.

Duncan glared at me; he didn’t like it much when I cursed. We were sitting in what amounted to a fancy tree house built high into the coral forest. This was the home of the resistance, and it wasn’t just one treehouse but a tiny tree village. After meeting him and his pets, Duncan led me back to his camp, explaining how he had ended up in the Caddyverse as we walked.

“So, Guiding Star, huh? What does that even mean?” I asked as one of the resistance members helped me bandage my wounded leg.

“When I first arrived here, I was told that the star would guide me out of this place. I’m still unsure what that means, but the name seemed fitting when I decided it was time to fight back.”

“Why did you decide to go live in the woods and start this whole rebellion thing?”

“That, my friend, is a story far too long for the time we have; for now, let's get you cleaned up and somewhere you can rest.”

As Ducan spoke, I realized just how tired I was. It had only been a single day, but that day had been filled with more violence and bloodshed than I had seen in twenty-one years. It turns out that traveling through a dimensional portal, fighting for your life, and tracking down a rebel group is rather tiring. My leg was feeling much better now that I had received some proper first aid, and as I stood to stretch, Duncan stood as well.

“Come along. I’ll show you where you can sleep.” He said as he started walking towards the door.

I followed Ducan outside. The entire tree village was a tiny collection of what appeared to be houses made from various pieces of coral, all connected by a network of what I could best describe as coral planks. The coral used to create the village was taken from many different formations, creating a collage of shades of blues, pinks, and greens. All in all, it was rather pretty.

As we approached a tiny hut-like house on the opposite side of the village, I realized that whatever illuminated this world was gone. The air was an inky black lit only by the torches burning at the ends of every plank. I assumed this was to make sure no one misstepped and plummeted out of the village; it was a rather long way down. I looked up as I entered the tiny hut and saw a single star in the night sky above me.

The hut contained only a small fire pit with charred remains of coral wood and a bed in the corner that was almost certainly made from some type of dried algae. There was a hole in the roof to allow the smoke from the fire to escape. Completely practical and utilitarian.

“I know the accommodations aren’t the best, but it’s what we’ve got; now, get some rest. We have a lot to do tomorrow, starting with figuring out how you can use the club’s power.” It almost sounded like an order, as Ducan said it.

I yawned and stretched as I struggled to get out of bed the following day. Algae didn’t make for the best mattress material, but to be fair, it wasn’t much worse than the bed in my door at college. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as Tee floated in with a cup of what I hoped was coffee.

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“Wakey, wakey eggs and bacey.” Tee quipped as he entered the hut.

Tee had wandered off the night before when we reached the village. He told me he had things to attend to, and I had forgotten about him in my sleep-deprived state. I had no intention of telling him that, though. I felt like it might hurt his feelings. Besides, he brought me coffee.

“That’s coffee, I hope.” I stumbled through the words as I continued to yawn.

“Not just any coffee but the best coffee in the entire realm, made personally by Duncan,” Tee exclaimed as he handed me the piping-hot beverage.

I took the cup and began to sip the liquid slowly. Tee was right; the complex flavors washed over my taste buds as I drank. This was unlike any coffee I had ever had. Silky smooth, rich yet delicate and creamy with just the slightest hint of cinnamon. Within seconds, the caffeine took effect on my body, and it felt as if I had been up all night doing cocaine. I was more alert and awake than I had been in years.

“Ok, let’s go, we should find Duncan. He wants to discuss what I can do with this club and how I use it.” I felt like my words were leaving my mouth at a million miles an hour.

I followed Tee out of the hut and down towards the center of the village. I could see Ducan in the distance talking to a few members of the Guiding Star. He waved them off as we approached and turned towards me.

“So?” He asked as we got near

“So, what?” I furrowed my brow, confused by the question.

“The coffee, what do you think?”

“It tasted amazing, and I don’t know what you put in there, but I feel more awake than I think I've ever been.”

“That would be the Zoombean extract I used. It’s a fungus that grows on the floor of the coral forest. It contains more caffeine than any coffee bean or energy drink I have ever encountered in our world. I figured you could use the pick me up after yesterday’s events.”

“Well, yeah, you got that right.”

“So, your club, how did you come into possession of it, and how exactly do you know how to use it?” Ducan changed the subject immediately.

“I brought it with me, and I was getting ready to hand it to that fat ass.” Duncan glared. I continued, “When everything happened and, I was sent here. Just like the necklace you’re wearing.”

Duncan's face dropped as the final words left my mouth: “Let’s not talk about that.”

“Sorry.” I felt like a dumbass for saying anything. Even though it had been years since he was first brought here, his sister was still a sore point.

“It’s fine. Just tell me what you can do with that thing.”

“Well, I can swing it around and hit things with it. Oh, and I can make golf balls appear out of thin air when I think about them.” I held my hand out, and a ball appeared.

“Interesting, but you should be able to do much more than just that. That’s a nine iron, so it should allow you to use the power of fire.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, honestly a little excited at the idea of fire powers.

“Every type of club is linked to a different element and allows the user to harness that element, almost like magic.”

“How exactly do you know this?”

“Because I used to work for Miss Marine when I first arrived here. Before I was exiled from the clubhouse, I was the head of her kitchen staff. I used to listen to her and the other Golfers talk at their dinner parties. I learned a thing or two.”

“Well, shit.” Duncan smacked me on the hand. “Ow, what the fuck was that for?!” He struck me again. “Right, right, no cursing. I got it.”

“If you're going to use the full power of that thing, you're going to have to train with it. Master the club and unlock the secrets that it contains.”

“How exactly do you expect me to do that?”

“I don’t know, go to the end of the village and smack some balls around. That might help.”

I shrugged and wandered off to the edge of the village. I spent most of the day summoning golf balls and wacking them off into the woods with the club while Tee floated lazily beside me drinking sparkling water. A few hours and hundreds of balls later, something happened. I summoned the ball as I had been, but when I hit it with the club, it sailed through the air like all the others, except this time, a small flame trail came from behind the ball.