A Family's Bond

Living in Gray

Andrew Yong lived in darkness.
Hanging his head between his knees, Andrew Yong stared blankly into his dark, unorganized room, imagining a world without his father. Before the drunken crash stole his father away, Andrew had lived in light. He lived in bike lessons, fishing trips, and chess games with his father in quiet afternoons. He lived in a world that did not exist, one without any problems and challenges.
Andrew could not remember his mother, but it did not matter because his father filled his world with light like the family of stars scattered throughout the sky. Andrew inherited all of his father's items, his silver watch, the keys to his motorcycle, and his most prized possession, a regular, antique chessboard that he clutched against his rising chest, vowing to protect the chessboard as his father had.
Damon Blake lived in black and white.
Damon lived alone across town from Yong’s residence in an old home, juxtaposing the modern-high technology buildings in Chicago, surrounding snow that melted into slush. He had always lived alone since he could walk and, apparently, to his parents old enough to throw Damon out onto the street.
Over time, Damon learned that a gray world does not exist; things and people lived as conquerors or the conquered. The news of Andrew’s father cast a gloomy shadow over the town, but Damon knew that his

opportunity to take Andrew’s father's chessboard from his son approached, as now no one understood the magnitude of its power. He could withstand living alone as long as he became powerful and respected, acquiring control like currency to hopefully rule the world.

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Abruptly, Andrew shook his head. His father would want him to bathe in the rare, shining sun of the city today, so on his daily walk to the local coffee shop, Andrew took extra time to soak up the sunlight. While walking, Andrew appeared smaller than usual than the trees and slower than the children peddling on their bikes.
Damon waited in the corner of the local coffee shop for Andrew to walk through the doors after school. He intently watched as Andrew pulled out the chessboard once he sat down, placing it in front of him. He moved pieces from one formation to the next in the order his father taught him, running his hands along the wooden carvings of the chessboard.
Damon rose out of his seat and marched towards Andrew, gently asking him to play a round of chess. When Andrew shook his head vigorously, Damon leaned in, rephrasing his previous question as an order while moving his hands closer to the item. Andrew’s eyes

widened at the aggressive stranger before him, and without thinking, he grabbed his hot coffee, pouring it all over Damon’s leather clothes. The hot liquid soaked through his clothes, burning the sensitive skin underneath until he ran out the exit, searching for new attire.

Living in Gray

Dark & Desperate

Andrew became so attached to the chessboard that he carried it across town in his backpack on the way to school, unknowingly walking near Damon’s house, where he stood on the porch.
As soon as Andrew turned the corner, Damon charged at Andrew, quickly snatching the glasses from his face. Damon held them between his hands for a moment and snapped the thick, black frames in half, buying time to take the chessboard.
Andrew desperately cried out, not having another pair for class, so he squinted to grab the remains. He looked through the broken pieces at his surroundings until he saw a figure struggling to open the jammed zipper on the backpack behind him.
With one arm still through the strap, Andrew sprinted with all force towards school, the bag and chessboard flying after him.

Grave Consequences

The following day, Damon arrived at Andrew’s father’s gravestone, talking into his phone while brushing his fingers along the oddly perfect lettering. He continued speaking louder than he should in a cemetery for several minutes about the magical chessboard.
Once Andrew saw Damon, Andrew crouched down behind a bush, listening to Damon babble on about the chessboard’s ability to grant one wish lay within reach. When Andrew heard this, he strutted towards Damon, clutching his hands into fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Before Damon connected the pieces, Andrew waved his arms back and forth above his head, screaming for Damon to leave him and the chessboard alone, also threatening to call the police. Andrew stumbled backward from Damon, fumbling with the phone in his hand to make the call, although he could not see the numbers past the tears streaming down his face.
Still processing Damon's words, Andrew fell to the ground against his father's gravestone, pondering the possibility of his wish coming true while watching as Damon became swallowed by darkness.

Wishful Moves

Andrew ran around town until he spotted Damon’s ashy brown hair on a bench, approaching him with determination. He began demanding Damon tell him what he meant the previous night, Damon only repeating the few phrases he had already said, careful not to share too much information.
While Andrew lay awake at night, he thought about his wish, so grasping the chessboard tighter, he decided to try.
Andrew started, “I wish…”. Damon jumped out of his seat, lunging for the chessboard while watching his imagined future fade. Nevertheless, Andrew continued, noticing the desperation in Damon’s grip.
“I wish my dad to be alive again," Andrew announced.

Blinded by Magic

Suddenly, a magical light from the chessboard blinded Damon and Andrew, forcing them to stumble back from the object. The whole park around the two stilled with anticipation, watching as a tall, tan man with

the same boxy glasses frames as Andrew stood. He first looked at his hands, making a fist and stretching his fingers, finally looking up with a gummy smile to see his son.
Andrew charged towards his father, hugging him with all of his strength as Damon dived to the ground, swinging his arms around in search of the chessboard that had vanished into thin air.
Damon’s lungs deflated against the floor, and tears started to trickle down his face, rocking back and forth until he calmed down. Andrew excitedly pulled on his father’s arm, smiling for the first time in months, leading him home.

Square One

Damon sat for a few moments longer to gather himself and trudged through the town to his house. While Damon walked, he noticed the dull grass, not as vibrant as it used to be, almost missing the annoying sound of children throwing a frisbee through the fog.
Damon’s efforts and planning, not even counting his time and patience, resulted in him ending where he had started, all alone. Damon lost hope for a robust future, so he spent the rest of his days alone, not even trying to change his destiny.