Prologue
Wind whistled across the hot igneous rocks of the city, not doing much to cool off the rough backs of the civilians walking around the marketplace. Fireproof lizards zipped across the ground, underneath the still standing feet of a crowd whispering and hushing. In a strange event, an enormous green flower bud had grown in the center of the city. Such color had not been seen in the city since⦠well, since never. However, even with the improper nutrients and necessities, the bud had become significantly larger. It seemed just about to burst.
One of the bigger petals of the bud began to peel, causing more bodies to join the ever-growing crowd.
"What do you think is inside?"
"I'm hoping for some food ingredients, I'm running short."
The green grass surrounding the bud reached out across the rocks, just enough for some flower stems to emerge. A tremor passed through everyone, a mix of shock and disbelief. The edges of the now flower started to fray, in sync with the other flowers around. The crowd had gone silent, the only sounds the scuttling of the salamanders and the roar of the volcano overhead. The flower had finally bloomed, revealing a child in the center of the fresh grass. Hibiscus flowers decorated the monochromatic scene with a splash of orange and green, making the spectators jump back from the unseen sight.
The baby looked around, confused and wide-eyed.
Arguing broke out between the crowd, friends turning on their friends.
"What is it?"
"How am I supposed to know?!"
"Do we plant it?"
No one seemed to know why or how the child got there. No one wanted to claim it either. A broken mother and a mourning father stepped out of the mess, holding onto each other. Silence once again enveloped the environment. The baby had begun to tear up from the noise and violence, hugging itself with its chubby baby arms. The mother reached out her hand towards the child, unsure if her plan would work. After a moment, tiny fingers had wrapped around one of the fingers of the mother.
Everyone had frozen as the hot and barren land they lived in was washed with a chilly silence.
