"Hey Kris," called a black-haired man in his thirties. "I'm heading to the chess park. Want to tag along?"
Kris didn't look up right away. His thumbs kept pressing on his Nokia, the pixelated snake growing longer with every turn.
"Sure," he said.
He then slipped the phone into his pocket as he stood up, his brown eyes drifting towards his dad while they moved out of the house.
As they walked to the park, Kris stopped for half a second, glancing up at a huge billboard towering over the street.
"Best Restaurant of Wut-Wut," he read above an image of a grinning chef with a potato head holding two knives.
The afternoon sun shone through some trees' leaves, its light spreading softly across the blades of grass.
A butterfly fluttered nearby—colorful and delicate—before getting caught in a spider's web. Its wings trembled for a second before going completely still.
After a few minutes of a comfortable and silent walk, Kris heard the soft clacking of wooden pieces and faint cheers. He then started a slow jog, not wanting to miss the final move of a match.
When he arrived, Kris found two middle-aged men locked in the final moments of a match, both bent over the board, on edge. A single move could decide the winner.
Around the table, a handful of older men watched attentively, murmuring and cheering each clever play.
Kris studied the board for only a moment before noticing—the white king was forked by a knight and the lone black rook, trapped with no way out.
As expected, the white king was taken. The player with the black pieces laughed, mocking his opponent as the spectators joined in.
"Ha! Beaten again, you old rat!" he exclaimed. "That makes six wins in a row!"
His opponent slammed his hand on the table.
"You scoundrel! I know you're cheating!"
"Yeah, bullshit. Take the loss and be quiet." the man shot back.
Then he noticed Kris watching the game.
"Well, well, kid. Took an interest in chess?" he said with a grin. "Come on, lose a match to this old man here."
Kris's father stepped forward.
"Are you sure, Mr. White? That boy's quite sharp."
The old man scoffed.
"Ha! A kid could never beat the experience of an old fox like me."
"Sure," the boy replied. "What do I get if I win?"
"Oh, so we're betting now?" the old man asked, a grin spreading across his face. "How about ten bucks, kid?"
Kris's eyes lifted with interest.
"Deal."
They shook hands, and Kris took a seat on the bench, already thinking about how he would spend this easy money.
Twelve minutes later.
It had only been a few minutes, but to old White, it felt like an eternity. Every strategy he tried was read and shut down before it could take shape, leading to a devastating defeat.
The man who had lost to White earlier laughed.
"Damn it, White! Losing to a kid now? You're really slipping, huh?"
A vein throbbed on White's forehead.
"Shut it! I'm just warming up!"
He then turned to Kris's father, muttering.
"What the hell, Jesse?! Is that boy some kind of junior champion or what?!"
"Haha," Jesse laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "Kris has always been good at games like this."
"That's too much!" White exclaimed, startled. "What have you been feeding this boy?!"
He was about to say more when he noticed Kris's hand stretched out in front of him, fingers curling slightly, asking for what he was owed.
"Tch… damn brat," he muttered, pulling the money from his pocket. "Here. Go buy yourself some candy."
"It was a pleasure doing business with you," Kris replied, offering a thin smile.
Suddenly, a brown-haired girl burst out from a nearby patch of bushes, leaves and twigs tangled in her hair.
"Hey! Can I play too?" she exclaimed.
"Huh?! How long were you hiding in that bush, you silly brat?" Old White asked, startled by her sudden appearance.
"Hmm… I got here when you started playing against this kid," the girl replied, brushing the debris out of her hair—though one stubborn leaf remained. "It was really fun watching you almost blow up in anger, hahaha."
"Oh, you little—!"
"Hey, hey! Wanna play?" she asked Kris, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, cutting the old man off mid-sentence.
"Ha! As if some wild gremlin could beat our brand-new champion of the park," White scoffed, mocking the girl's appearance.
Wow, he changed his mind fast, the onlookers seemed to think.
"Hey! I'm really good, you old possum!" the girl shot back, clearly offended.
"Why, you ill-mannered brat! Come here, I'll knock some sense into you!" White shouted, stomping toward the girl before Jesse quickly grabbed his arm.
The girl simply stuck out her tongue and pulled down her right eyelid in mockery.
"I'll play with you," Kris said calmly. "But first—what do I get if I win?"
"Hmm…" the girl hummed thoughtfully, then noticed the leaf still tangled in her hair. "Oh! How about this leaf?"
"A leaf?" the boy asked, baffled. He quickly covered a smile with his hand.
She's such an airhead, he thought, amused.
But looking at the girl, he knew she had nothing of value to bet. So he simply replied, "Alright. That works."
The girl lit up like a child who had just been given candy and quickly sat down on the bench, ready to play.
Nearly half an hour later.
The match was… surprisingly close. Despite her airheaded demeanor, the girl clearly knew what she was doing.
The game turned into an intense exchange of calculated moves, both players sweating lightly from the mental strain.
The spectators watched in complete silence, even old White among them. Despite their years of experience, it was the first time they had ever seen children play at such a level.
On the board, Kris's king was under threat from a rook and a queen. He moved his own queen to defend the king, making sure it was protected by a bishop.
Next she'll feint. I have to—
"AND SHE SACRIFICES THE ROOOOOOOOOOK!"
The girl's shout cut through his thoughts. Kris's eyes widened as she captured his queen with her rook.
What...?
Then he saw it — the rook was protected by a bishop he had completely overlooked, positioned on the far side of the board.
"Checkmate!" the girl exclaimed, thrilled by her victory.
Kris simply stared at her, a quiet curiosity in his eyes.
Who is this girl?