[The Magmafields] To New Heights

The boy walked along the street. It was a sunny day, uneventful and carefree. His mother was walking beside him, holding his hand. She was like a porcelain doll, sculpted to be brighter than the sun itself. She smiled at him as they walked, basking in the warm glow overhead. He smiled back, beaming, eyes closed, mouth wide, with pearly whites that would make any mother proud. He was her beautiful baby, and she the luckiest mother in all the world. They had stopped walking, simply appreciating the moment for what it was. There would be many more like this, of course, but there was nothing these two loved more than to appreciate every moment.

The boy was ready to start walking again. They didn’t want to be late. He tugged on his arm. There was no response. He tugged again, meeting the same response. He blinked, opening his eyes, and immediately wished he hadn’t. The porcelain sun was gone. His mother’s teeth were jagged fangs. Her blonde hair had grown wild, running down her back like a feral mane. Her eyes were narrow slits. The way she looked at him now was far from love. Her skin had turned a dark shade of brown, flesh giving way to stony crags. A glowing light emanated from behind her teeth. She opened her mouth, and unleashed-





Miyuki blinked, again. It was Snaffles. The brown, spotted bearded lizard lay on the boy’s collarbone, staring up at him with an intent eclipsing the gods themselves. Then, he licked Miyuki. On the nose. Again. He wrinkled his nose, more annoyed that Snaffles had woken him up than at the invasion of his privacy.

“G’won.” Miyuki made a jerking motion with his head, towards the door that had been creaked ajar. He must have forgotten to close it last night. Snaffles made no response, continuing to stare at Miyuki like one transcendent. “G’won!” Miyuki tried a few more head gestures, before relenting, grumbling. With one of his claws, Miyuki softly tickled Snaffles’ bloated chin. At once, the gremlin’s placid face curled into a wide smile. His bulbous throat jiggled, and his tail swished from side to side. Even Miyuki, disgruntled as he was, grinned. “You win. Little devil.”

Once Miyuki crawled out of bed, Snaffles pounced, moving like a thing possessed. He skittered across the floor and was back out the way he came in with a speed that something so lazy had no right having. Miyuki went through the motions of getting changed, which was really just getting out of his boxers and putting on cargo shorts. He made a big yawn, sounding more like a drawn-out growl as he reached as high as his little arms could reach.

He smacked his lips a few times, then groggily opened the door and headed down to the main area. He wondered who all was in today. He had forgotten to check the clock by his bed. It probably wasn’t too late, right?