AUGUSTA - Twenty-three-year-old Nick Penney and his older sister Laura have an unconventional bond. Both have an appetite for sword swallowing.

"I swallow swords every day. I have gone a few months without doing it. But it's like riding a bike, it's easy to do no matter how long you've been away from it," he explained.

Nick has been practicing magic, fire breathing and other fascinating tricks for years before he took a stab at sword swallowing in 2008.

"I'd been swallowing drum sticks, wire coat hangers and long objects before buying my first sword," he said. Now, he has a collection of 12 swords, all of which have had their blades filed down for safety reasons.

"I know it is dangerous, but it really didn't bother me because in learning to do sword swallowing I did research on human anatomy and all the organs being passed by the sword and how it was physically possible," Penney explained.