Fat boy

On a cold rainy night in the slums of Babilim.

In a small brown house made from stone.

In a small bedroom lit by candles, a woman was giving birth with her husband by her side, She rested on a bed, and he sat on a wooden chair next to her.

He held her hand to comfort his aching wife as he knew no other way to comfort her from the pain.

An old woman and her younger sister helped her deliver; the old woman tended to the baby's birth, and her younger sister changed the used towels.

After an hour, the baby was finally delivered.

The old woman held the baby, smiled, looked at the couple and said, "Congratulations, Yasmine and Radhi, it's a girl."

Radhi smiled, kissed his wife's forehead and said, "We finally have a child of our own."

Yasmine smiled as the tears of joy dropped from her eyes.

The old lady cleaned the baby with warm water, wiped her clean, wrapped her in cloth, and handed the girl to her mother. She and her younger sister left the house after they congratulated the couple.

Yasmine held her newborn gently and looked at her with a gentle, loving smile.

Radhi looked at his newborn girl, smirked and said, "She looks like you, Yasmine."

Yasmine chuckled softly and said, "She has your eyes."

Radhi gently held his wife's shoulder and asked, "What should we name her?".

Yasmine looked at Radhi, "How about Tanaz?"

Radhi gently touches his newborn's head, "That's a beautiful name."

"Yes," Yasmine said softly.

Radhi whispered in his daughter's ear, "Make sure to grow strong and beautiful like your mother, Tanaz."

Years have passed, and Tanaz is nine years old now.

Taz woke up in the morning after She had slept on a bedroll made from brown cotton in the house's main hall.

She yawned, stretched, stood up, and shuffled to the water bowl on the small table in the corner to wash her face and freshen up.

She looked around the house, but her parents were nowhere to be seen.

She checked her parent's bedroom. It was a small room. The walls are stone painted white to go along with the beige stone floor, with a large bed in the center of the room layered with two thick sheets, as her parents are too poor to afford a proper mattress.

She looked around, but the room was empty.

She went to the table on the left side of the bed. It had a round mirror hanging over it, and she used it to check on her appearance.

Taz had silky brown hair reaching her shoulders and olive-green eyes. Her skin color was bisque-beige, and she had round eyebrows.

She brushed her hair and combed it to straighten it out. Then, she went to the drawer next to the door and wore her long-sleeved green linen dress; it stretched past her knees and hung above her feet.

It had golden stripes knitted along the sleeves and shoulders and a second stripe wrapped around her waist.

Taz wrapped a green light-linen scarf on her head and let her hair slip beneath it.

She walked out of the room and went to the house's exit; As she opened it, she took a deep breath and closed the door behind her. She strolled out of the alleyway and went to the public playground.

After a while, she reached her destination.

The playground was a sizeable dirt land with sparsely grown short grass surrounded by pine trees. On the east side was the city wall, with a large Temple on its far northern end.

As Taz entered, She saw her friends in the distance; they were playing a button buzz game.

She ran to her friends, glad to see familiar faces, as she was filled with excitement and joy.

Her group of friends comprised three kids.

Two boys called Fadi and Rashed. Their ages were twelve and ten, and a girl called Raghad, age eleven.

Fadi and Rashed stood beside each other and watched Raghad spin the ball.

She waved as she approached them. "Hey!" she shouted. "who's winning?" she asked as she reached them.

"Fadi is winning; I lost from the start," Raghad said.

"Just in time, Taz. Watch me as I beat Rashed," Fadi said.

"Not a chance Fadi," Rashed said

The game was simple. The goal was to spin a clay ball with a pinhole attached to a meter-long weed rope as fast as possible.

The player who turns the ball and makes the loudest buzz sound wins.

Rashed started first. He grabbed the weed rope by its end, bent his knees a little and, arched his back, extended his arm out a bit; this was a position commonly used to play the game.

He spun the ball. It had gone faster with each swing until the buzzing came out, but…... it was faint.

"Weak as usual, Rashed," Fadi said.

"Shut up," Rashed replied.

Fadi took the clay ball, grabbed the weed rope by its end, and took the standard position.

He spun the ball. It went faster until the ball began buzzing faintly; Fadi turned it even quicker until it buzzed with a rhythmic sound.

Raghad and Rashed looked at each other in silence; they recognized their loss against their older friend Fadi.

Fadi looked at Taz and asked, "Want to play?"

"Yes," Taz replied.

Taz took the ball, grabbed the weed rope by its end, and took the standard position.

She spun the ball, and it started humming. She turned it faster to make a louder buzzing sound than Fadi.

But her grip gave up while spinning the ball, and it flung forward at high speed, hitting a boy's head.

She panicked and gasped, scared that she might've hurt him badly.

She ran to the boy to check on him.

Taz approached him slowly and shook, "are you okay?" she asked.

He groaned and winced as he cursed.

The boy was twelve years old, and He was obese. He had sandy-brown skin and chubby cheeks. He wore fancy blue robes and a white turban.

Taz approached him slowly and extended her arm to him, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do it," she said.

The boy peered at Taz, charged at her, punched her jaw and screamed, "Do you know who I am? You slum rat!"

Taz fell to the ground, and her jaw ached from the punch. She felt something in her mouth and spat it on the ground; she saw blood and her molar tooth.

Taz got up, stared at the boy, gritted her bloodied teeth and growled.

After realizing his situation, the boy took a step back and raised his hands in a defensive posture.

"You can't touch me," The boy said.

Fadi ran to Taz, grabbed her shoulder and said, "Don't do this. That is Hajras; he is a nobleman's son."

Hajras smirked, pointed to Fadi and said, "You should listen to your friend."

Taz growled louder and said, "Screw him." She shrugged off Fadi's hand and rushed towards Hajras.

Hajras panicked and fled.

Taz ran after him and yelled, "Come back here!"

She chased him through the alleyways.

"You can't run forever, fat boy!" Taz yelled.

"Stay away from me, you slum rat!" Hajras replied.

Hajras turned left of the path, and Taz went after him. She chased him until they reached the main road.

Hajras tripped on a hole in the way, fell on the ground, rolled, and landed on his back.

Taz pressed her knee on his stomach, pinned his right arm down with her left hand, punched his face rapidly with her right hand in a blind rage, and screamed with each punch she landed.

Hajras tried to free his right arm while guarding his face with his left one, trying so desperately to hold on and fight back while he cried for help as he got punched and scratched.

He tried to hit Taz, but his left hand couldn't reach her as he was firmly pinned on the ground.

A guard ran towards them and pulled Taz away from Hajras as he grabbed her right arm firmly. She moved and shook aggressively, trying to break free of the guard's hold.

"Let me go!" she yelled.

"Shut up! You can't attack people on the streets," the guard yelled.

"He hit me first!" Taz said.

"I don't care. You are both coming with me, NOW!" the guard said.

Hajras stood up with a bloody nose and scratched face. He was shaking, panted and shouted, "you can't arrest me; I'm a noble!"

The guard pointed at Hajras and yelled, "If you don't follow me, fat boy, I will drag you to the station!"

"My father will hear of this!" Hajras replied.

"Move, now!" the guard shouted.

The guard grabbed Taz by her arm and Hajras by his nape and escorted them to the guard's station.

The people condescendingly stared at them as they headed toward the station. Some looked at them in confusion, some looked at them in caution, but they mostly looked down on them.

"Why were you both fighting?" the guard asked.

"She threw a clay ball at my head," Hajras replied.

"I apologized, and still, you punched me," Taz said.

"You shouldn't hit girls, boy. That's not how a man acts," The guard said.

"Just because she's a girl doesn't mean she shouldn't take responsibility for her actions," Hajras replied.

"Big talk from the boy who cried for help because he got beaten by a girl!" Taz said.

"Enough! Girls shouldn't be walking around and beating boys in public," The guard said.

"He got what he deserved," Taz replied.

The guard sighed and said, "Anyhow, we are here. You will be confined until your parents come and collect you."

The station is a two-floor building made from stone and painted gray, with small windows barred with steel rods.

It had two entrances on each of the northern and southern sides. The large doors were thick brown wood with the Mesopotamian lion symbol sculpted beside them.

The guard walked towards the northern door and was greeted by the two guards that watched over the entrance.

"Good afternoon, Sergeant. Did those kids give you any trouble?" the first guard said.

"Just kids being kids, send a man to notify their parents," the sergeant said.

"Who are their parents?" the first guard asked.

The sergeant looked at them and said, "You heard him. Tell him who your parents are."

"Radhi, he works as a builder in the northern city district," Taz replied.

"Ahmad, He's a nobleman," Hajras replied.

"Ahmad? That nobleman Ahmad?" the guard asked.

"Yes," Hajras replied.

The guard and the sergeant looked at each other momentarily and chuckled.

"This will be interesting." the sergeant said, "Come on, you little troublemakers, we'll wait for your fathers in my office," and took them inside.

They went through the door and walked inside the hallway.

It had smooth white stone floors. The hallway's walls were painted pale beige, with decorations of blunt weapons and carvings of Mesopotamian lions.

They turned to the small corridor and found a wooden door facing them. The sergeant walked to it, opened the door, turned to them and said, "Go in."

Hajras entered first, followed by Taz and the sergeant.

"Take a seat," The sergeant said.

Hajras sat on a chair under the window facing the door, Taz sat on the bench next to the door on the right, and the sergeant sat on his chair at the far end of the room.

The sergeant opened his desk drawer, pulled out documents and an ink bottle and started doing his paperwork.

They sat in silence, only the wind and passing carriages heard from the window.

The office room had gray walls, a white floor, and wooden drawers on each side of the room with a clay urn. It also had a large wooden wardrobe behind the desk.

Taz looked at Hajras, saw his fancy clothing and thought, "Must be nice being rich."

She turned her sight to the sergeant while he was working.

He was a tall man in his thirties. He had light-brown skin and short black hair. He had a horizontal scar on his forehead and a light beard. He wore steel gauntlets and boots and a chain mail covering his torso.

"How did you get that scar?" Taz asked.

"It is a long story, little girl," The sergeant replied.

"Is your name sergeant?" Taz asked.

The sergeant laughed and said, "No."

Taz swung her legs gently, grabbed the edge of the bench and asked, "Then what is your name?"

"My name is Nawar," He replied.

Taz smiled and said, "my name is Tanaz."

"That is a nice name," Nawar replied.

"You never told me about your scar, Nawar," Taz said.

"Because I don't want to," Nawar said.

"But I want to know," Taz said.

"No," Nawar replied.

Taz pouted and crossed her arms.

Nawar chuckled and said, "Okay, little girl, you win; I will tell you."

Taz smiled and relaxed her arms.

"I got this scar after fighting a beast hunter," Nawar said.

"Did you win?" Taz asked.

"Not a chance," Hajras argued.

Nawar looked at Hajras, pointed at him and said, "I will overlook your rude comment this time, fat boy." Nawar crossed his arms, leaned back and said, "but yes, the fat boy is correct; I lost the fight."

"Why is that?" Taz asked.

"I was injured after attacking a were-hyena lair," Nawar replied.

"That is interesting! did you kill a were-hyena?" Taz said.

"Barely, but don't mind it. It happened before you two were born," Nawar replied.

"Tell us more!" Taz said.

Nawar chuckled playfully and chirped, "that is secret military information."

Taz pouted and said, "Ohh."

Nawar stood up and said, "I almost forgot."

He went to his wardrobe and grabbed an empty bowl and a towel. He went to the drawer next to the door and took the clay urn.

He approached Hajras, sat on his right knee, and poured water from the clay urn into the empty bowl.

He looked at Hajras and said, "let's clean your wounds."

"Do we need to do that?" Hajras said.

"Yes, unless you want those wounds to get infected," Nawar replied.

Nawar wetted the towel and scrubbed Hajras's face. After he finished, he threw the bowl and the towel away in a barrel.

"I will be right back, don't start any trouble while I'm gone," Nawar said.

He walked out of the office and left Taz and Hajras alone.

They sat in silence even after their chat with Nawar. They still felt the tension and discomfort between them.

Hajras crossed his arms, looked at the floor and sighed.

Taz crossed her arms and avoided eye contact with Hajras, as she still felt terrible about what she did.

Ten minutes have passed.

Nawar entered the room with another guard.

"That is the boy I've talked to you about," Nawar said.

The guard approached Hajras and said, "Ah, I see; what's your name, boy?"

"Hajras," he replied.

"Hajras, I need you to stay still while I heal you," The guard said.

Hajras nodded and sat upright.

The guard got closer to him and extended his palm to his face, and a faint yellow light shone on Hajras. Moments passed, and the scars on Hajras's face started to heal slowly until they disappeared.

The guard relaxed his arm, turned to Nawar and said, "It's done. Anything else, sergeant?"

"That's all, dismissed," Nawar replied.

"Understood, Sergeant," the guard said as he left the room.

"Do you feel better, Hajras?" Nawar asked.

"Yes," Hajras replied.

They heard someone knocking on the door; Nawar went to check; he came back with another man wearing peasant clothing covered with dirt.

Taz stood up and said, "Father!" and went to hug him.

Nawar went to stand in front of his desk, crossing his arms.

Radhi was in his early thirties. He was bald and had a short thick beard. He wore a beige shirt covered with dirt and brown pants.

Radhi looked at Taz and said, "I heard what happened."

Taz looked at the floor.

"I raised you to be better than this, Tanaz," Radhi said.

Taz looked at her father and said, "But father…."

"Silence!" Radhi shouted.

Taz looked at the floor.

"We will continue this conversation at home," Radhi said.

They heard the door knocking.

"Come in," Nawar said.

A man came in; he was in his late thirties. He wore fancy purple robes and a green turban. He had light brown skin and brown eyes. He had a shaved face and weary eyes.

Radhi turned around and said, "greet…."

Radhi stared at the man in silence and disbelief.

"Ahmad?" Radhi said.

"Radhi," Ahmad replied.

Ahmad looked at Taz standing beside her father.

"You never told me you had a daughter, little brother," Ahmad said.

Radhi pointed at Ahmad and said, "I told you we are not brothers anymore, Ahmad!"

Ahmad looked at Radhi and replied calmly, "We are bound by blood, Radhi."

Radhi grabbed Ahmad's collar and retorted, "What you did was unforgivable, Ahmad. Whatever bond we had, it is gone forever."

"I did what I had to do, little brother, and I regret nothing," Ahmad replied.

Radhi let go of Ahmad's collar.

He held his daughter's hand and said, "I had enough of you, Ahmad!"

Radhi walked out of the room with his daughter.

As they walked into the hallway, they heard Ahmad's voice as he said, "It was nice seeing you again, little brother."

The End