Chamil City [OPEN]

The sound of children playing by the sandbox and swinging on the monkey bars encloses a city brimming with the humdrum of traffic and frisky footsteps in a not so sleepy town. Beep Beep! Kids hold onto their parents hands as they eagerly cross the street to enter the park and join the rest in jovial play while a man stands by a bus stop and glances at his watch. A couple hold hands as they inspect a fruit stand and listen attentively to the shopkeeper boast about her freshly picked produce. The woman squints an eye as she gazes up at the blue skies with her braided sunhat tipped to shield her from the bright rays of their star; shredded chiseled clouds carelessly drift eastward on the planet’s jet stream.

“Yes mommy!” “Yes! Yes! Yes!” “Yes, please!”

“Hahaha, alright, just wait here with mommy and I’ll get everyone a soft serve.”

Keliel, Panti, and Medyas sit by a bench with Lace as they cheerfully watch Insoul walk towards an ice cream truck. The kids smile at each other, laugh, and make silly faces while they wait for their creamy delights! The family was spending the evening together in the east; no celebrations, no special occasion, just a nice day in one of the greatest cities on Earth. Lace took turns running her fingers through their hair, stroking softly with the tip of her long nails. First was Panti, whom was sitting on her lap. The four-year old closed her eyes and raised her head. She smiled with a lull as chills ran down her spine. Then she stroked Medyas’s chocolate curls. The sun-kissed boy passively swung his feet, the tip of his shoes skidding against the pavement, and smiled. Leaking sunlight from the canopy above speckles the young boy with packets of light scattered from ear to ear and animated by the shifting leaves greeting the passing breeze. “Thank you,” their father’s voice is heard in the distance as he bows his head with respect to the kind ice cream parlor after giving him a generous tip.

Finally, it was Keliel’s turn. Although he was absent of any hair whatsoever, Lace had found a sweet spot right under his carapace-like headpiece. She would cup her hands under his chin and traced the outline of his cheeks with her nails as she moved her hands down. The tingling sensation made Keliel twitch every time and triggered a knee-jerk reaction of his tail folding up against his back. She giggled and gently guided the young lizard’s face so that Keliel’s eyes met hers once opened. His big, wide, and innocent red eyes gazed into hers and found only warmth and acceptance; a reflection of nature’s beauty that Lace admired from deep within his bulbous turquois crystal. “I love you,” she said. Their father leaned down to pass each a soft serve and spread the word, “We love you.”

The kids rubbed their noses together before digging into their soft serve. Keliel loved how the cold and creamy texture melted on his tongue. He, however, took a bite too many and suffered a mild brain freeze. With eyes closed shut and jaws clenched, his tail jerked up against his back again. “Haha!” Panti laughed. Keliel pouted before his attention was snatched by a sudden droplet of water which had breached the trees and showered his nose. Achoo! He sneezed. Keliel rubbed the fluid from his mouth and looked up. “Huh,” their father hummed, “I thought it wasn’t going to rain today.” “We should find some shelter, I didn’t bring an umbrella.” Insoul nodded at his wife and turned to their children, “are you kids hungry?” “Yeah!” The kids raised an assertive fist in the air.

Walking along the sidewalk in search for a nice venue, Keliel’s mind wandered as he licked his ice cream. He saw a crow resting atop a black fence that barred the park from whence they came. He felt as though the crow had been looking directly at him before it let out a cry and flew west. The wind was picking up. “Wow,” Lace grabbed onto her hat, “how about pizza?” She said as she pointed a finger to a brick covered entrance across the street. Promptly after, a man in chef attire walked out and took down their sign. His white hat was mercilessly blown away with the wind. “Nevermind.”


A street sign startled the family with its sheet metal abruptly bending back and forth in response to the turbulent winds. “Is this a storm?” Insoul inquired. The once cheerful skies were darkening with the conglomeration of clouds gathering towards the city’s center. Kle-Reesshhhk! A stray cat tossed a vase from a windowsill. It too, felt to stare at Keliel before it hissed and scurried into the back alley. “Sheesh! Alright, we have to get out of the streets.” Insoul confirmed. There was most definitely a storm in their midst and he didn’t want the kids in the middle of it all. The family continued walking down the sidewalk, albeit more brisk, Keliel’s hand was firmly held by his mother but she was practically dragging him at their pace. “Mmm... M-mommy, you’re hurting me,” Keliel whined, tumbling as they sped, but it didn’t seem like she heard him. He couldn’t even lick his ice cream!

“How does that look?” their father suggested. “Just pick whatever,” Lace responded in a mildly rushed tone. Insoul looked at her somewhat perplexed, “Well, you don’t have to snap at me.” The two argued with each other as they dragged the kids down the corner. “Hey! Get back here!” A thief scurries off into the distance while a distressed business owner chases him with a broom stick. “Mommy!” Keliel cries again after almost tripping on an uprooted tile, but again she didn’t hear him. Medyas and Panti were also showing signs of distress. “Mommy!” She didn’t hear him. “I just don’t understand why you’re lashing out on me right now.” “You always do this, how about this? How about that? How about you show some cojones for once and lead!” “Oh! You’re mad at me for being considerate!?” “I’m mad at you because you never make a choice!” Before long, the young arcosian couldn’t take it anymore and slipped his hands free from her grip. Lace then turned to the child and yelled, “Kelvin!” Startled, the boy’s body jerked erect. She never called him that. She never yelled at him.

“Keliel, come, we have to go,” she said calmly. With a softer tone, he nodded and gave her his hand again. The sky was now saturated with clouds. Thunder roared with a full-blown wind sweeping through the city. Children were being scolded by their agitated parents next to rolling newspapers abandoned by pedestrians seeking shelter. The stress was starting to build on the child and reached its peak when a sudden jerk caused the boy to stumble and drop on the ground. Ooof! Keliel fell flat on his stomach. “Kelvin!” Lace snapped again. “Come on, we have to go.” “B-but, my ice cream!” Tears began to well over Keliel’s eyes. His soft serve was now fodder for the rats, his knee was scraped, and all his mother did was yell at him with that terrifying glare. He looked to his father for support, but although he was quiet, he had the same angered expression.

“Keliel, stop being a baby!” Medyas said, joining the onslaught. Suddenly, they had all become aggressive towards him and the tears that swelled overflowed and traveled down his cheeks. “Kelvin, if you don’t stand up right now -Kami help me- I will…” Keliel blocked their words out and shook his head. “No, I don’t like this.” The boy was on his knees covering his ear sockets with both hands. “Make it stop!” He cried to himself, barely hanging on as they appeared to get madder and madder. Their anger only escalated with every second and he was inexplicably their target. “You didn’t even assemble the outer hoop right! I did all the work!” “No.” “Son, get off the floor.” “No.” “Oh, is that all you’re gonna do? You’re gonna stand there and tell him to stand? Look! He’s not standing!” “Noooo.” Keliel curled up into a ball on the sidewalk. The rain was now on full gear. “Kewiel, youwew a bad boy!”