Page 12 of Corvus and the Broken God

Up here, I was one with the sky. Each feather tuned in to the air and wind, wings and tail feathers making minute adjustments as needed. The air felt different, but I was learning how to respond to its whimsy. Less empty than when I had been human, I could feel its currents, almost like swimming. When it blew gusts at me, I took advantage of them, letting it throw me higher, until I found myself so high that the Gothic fortress looked like a child’s toy down below.

Follow me, he cried in the back of my head, and I watched as he turned his magnificent body and dove down the cliff.

Done hesitating, I dove after him, folding my wings and taking the fall. I plunged faster than I’d dared before, down, down into the abyss. The moon illuminated the valley so far down below us, the cliff behind us. He caught a thermal a few seconds before I felt it, flapping a few times and lifting effortlessly up into the sky. My light body didn’t have to work at all, and I rode the roller coaster back up, finally able to enjoy this body without fear.

We played like that for a while, diving, rushing, floating, laughing, until my muscles grew tired. I flew to the back edge of the fortress, the part perched above the sheer cliff. I found a good spot and watched him play in the sky. He was stunning, a creature so ancient, many religions could’ve been based on him. And yet he had this childlike ability to play. Thank you, I told him as I watched.

After a little while longer, he came and landed close to where I sat. I cocked my head at him.

Why did you kill the Wolf?

I have been meaning to for a while now.

What? My mind stuttered

He killed my friend.

Oh. The Stag?

Yes.

Why did you turn him into a stag?

He asked me to.

I was still confused. But I had a more important question.

Are you planning to kill me?

Do you want me to?

No. I want to live. I want to go back to my old life.

Why?

What do you mean?

Why would you give up the ability to fly? There is nothing better. Ultimate freedom.

Because I had dreams of becoming an architect, of building beautiful buildings, and I was so close to seeing them come true.

He thought about it before responding. While the silence wasn’t uncomfortable exactly, perhaps I needed to do a better job explaining. I tried to give voice to something I had long believed but hadn’t shared with anyone.

Nature always builds things in curves, elegant and perfect. Humans can do the math required for curves and circles, but it makes everything more complicated, much more expensive, so we build in straight lines. I’ve often looked out the window from an airplane and hated how rudimentary our buildings look, especially next to nature’s casual elegance. I’ve always been drawn toward building things that blend in with their surroundings. Instead of cutting down forests, we should be building amongst the trees. Instead of flattening hills, we should work with the natural flow of the land. This has been something very challenging in the past, but now we have 3D printers that don’t need to print walls in straight lines. They can be just as structurally sound. Only this way, they would work with the earth instead of battling against it.

He hadn’t moved, made no reaction to my babbling, except for the smallest hint of a sad smile.

Tomorrow we will collect your things, and I will carry them to the airport. Then I will turn you back.

I was afraid to believe him. Was he serious?

Yes, I am completely serious.

But why? Why go through the trouble of turning me into a crow in the first place, if only to turn me back now?

Because you want to fulfill your dreams. That makes sense to me. You’ve seen the joy of living here, and you still wish to go back.

Thank you. That would be amazing.