It was a wet and sour mid-autumn day in Uxibo, and little Dia was scared. She had just gone into a bakery, hoping to find some warm smearpuffs, the kind that smelled sweet and buttery. But when she came out, her mum was gone, and the bakery didn’t even have any smearpuffs! The rain dripped from her hood, and the wet smell of mud and bread filled the air. She waited outside for a few minutes, but her mum didn’t appear. After the last time she got lost, they had promised to always meet by the Market Street.
Dia saw a crowd near the wet, cobblestoned market square. People were cheering and shouting so loud that her ears rang. The smell of rain and sweat mixed with roasted chestnuts from a nearby stall. It was busier and noisier than usual. She hoped her mum could still find her, but her curiosity pulled her closer. She squeezed through the crowd, small enough to slip under elbows and skirts, until she reached the front.
It read on a small sign; "Hot Head Larry's Freakshow, brought to you by The Sensate Theorists". That was the tower up the road that always held a feast. A wineseller next to the sign shouted: "Wine for the enlightened! 2 silver pieces a bottle!".
This "show" was a performance. One without ideas, nor so-called enlightenment. What was on display could only be explained as grotesque. Dia felt lonely, even though she was surrounded by the crowd. She turned her attention to the center.
There were two strange creatures fighting. One had a sharp talon, and the other held weapons that glinted in the dull sunlight. The smaller one was about the size of a halfling, but he looked nothing like one. His body was twisted and the skin was sagging in some places. This halfling's jaw stuck out a little, making a scary smile. Patches of his neck and arms were see-through with shiny veins covering everything else.
The creature's fingers looked stuck together like it could never let go of his weapon. His back was broken, almost like he was folded, but he moved fast. Too fast.
Dia felt a shiver run down her spine. The halfling was her height. What if he could change skins and pretend to be her? She tried not to stare...
The other creature was hurt. Its talons scraped uselessly against the smaller one. Its skin was tight and burnt, and the muscles under it appeared ashen.
Dia noticed the tail on the grimacing creature's left side, and then in a moment, it got chopped in half. A terrible scream ripped through the crowd, making Dia cover her ears. People around her shouted, “Folded Boy!” as the grotesque halfling was etching closer on a victory...
Dia leaned back in terror and ran. She looked frantically for her mum as the rain dripped into her eyes, mixing with tears. Then - a booming sound of victory, like a drum echoing across the square... The "Folded Boy" had won. The other creature laid still. A man’s voice rose above the cheering, announcing the winner, and some people rushed to help the fallen performer. For a single moment, Dia and the Folded Boy’s eyes met again. Hollow eyes. A blank face. It felt like he didn’t even know what he had done. Dia felt a cold shiver, like the rain had gone under her skin.
Trembling, she continued to wriggle through the crowd. Just then, she heard her panicked mum calling for her name over the cheering. Dia ran and threw herself into her mum’s arms, sobbing. The smell of her mum’s coat and hair made her feel safe again. On the way home, Dia promised she would never leave her mum’s side again and that she would never, ever become like the Folded Boy.
Maybe, just maybe, there was something she could do for him.