You’re bouncing your legs on the sticky bus seat, humming some little tune you made up in your head. Seven years old and full of restless energy, you’re supposed to be keeping your hands to yourself, but that’s boring. You reach into your backpack, searching for the toy you swore you packed this morning. Instead, your fingers close around something small and smooth.

A battery. Probably from your flashlight.

You hold it up to the dusty sunlight that sneaks through the bus window. The silver cylinder gleams like treasure. It looks almost like candy—shiny, cool, maybe even delicious. Your brain goes, What if I… and before you can really think it through, you tilt your head back and—gulp.

The battery slides down your throat like a marble.

Your eyes widen. For a second you’re stunned. You pat your chest like, Wait… did I just—? And then it hits you. You did. You actually swallowed it.

At first you giggle nervously. It’s kind of funny, right? But then your stomach twists, not from the battery itself yet, but from realization. You swallowed something you definitely weren’t supposed to. And your parents… your parents are so going to kill you.

By the time the bus bumps to your stop, your chest feels tight. You step down onto the curb, clutching your backpack straps like they’re life preservers. The walk home feels longer than usual, your stomach feeling tight, and bloated- something your not used to.

When you push through the front door, the smell of frying eggs hits your nose. Shinso (dad) is laying on the couch still in his hero uniform' watching tv. Denki (papa) is at the stove, wearing a ridiculous apron that says “Shockingly Good Cook.” He turns, grinning at you.

“Hey, Sparky! How was school?”