Page 13 of Corvus and the Broken God

See you tomorrow, Corvus.

I watched him fly away. This time, instead of playing in the air, he flew in a straight line away from me. His giant figure grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared entirely.

Sleep was out of the question. Did he mean it? Was he going to change me back to my old self and leave me at the airport? Did he know what an airport was?

I was less surprised by the Wolf’s betrayal. Looking back, it seemed inevitable. Still, my brain had plenty to ponder. I hadn’t been gone that long from real life but if what I overheard from Matthew was true, then a shitstorm waited for me back at work. If I still had a job. Did my Monster actually expect me to prefer life as a crow? The flying had been fabulous, and I felt a strong urge to use my wings while I still could, but I needed to save my energy to make it to the airport. Just in case he meant it.

The sun sent a few exploratory beams over the horizon, lightening the sky. My worries ground to a halt. Be in the moment. I had heard it a lot but never paid attention. I had always tried so hard, pushing my way forward to advance a step or two. But this moment seemed like a good one in which to simply exist.

My thoughts still spun, but more quietly now. I angled my body to take in the sight as the sun began to rise into the sky.

The placement of this old monastery made sense now. To watch the miracle that happened every morning. Had he built it? Or had ancient acolytes built it in deference to him? Had ancient people worshipped him? I considered what that would’ve been like and could picture it. Where was he now? I tore my gaze away from the wash of pinks and purples, breaking into orange, and looked around. I didn’t see him.

For the next hour, I soaked in the beauty before me. Whatever worries I had would be waiting for me. For now, I could be content to just exist.

Once the sun was securely in the sky, he landed next to me. Wings folded elegantly behind him, he sat down a few feet to my right. The playful jubilation he had shown me last night was gone. Now he seemed subdued.

I understand, I told him, even if it was only slightly true.

Good. Then let’s go.

I need my stuff.

He nodded and stretched his wings. I spread my own feathered beauties, admiring how they shone in the fresh sunlight. When he jumped up into the air, I followed.

He landed easily in the courtyard and bent over to pick up my scattered belongings. His giant claws dealt delicately with my clothing, and he placed each piece into my messenger bag with care.

I watched from the outer wall, ready to join him when he again pushed up into the air. This time we headed in the opposite direction of the cliff and where I had flown before, but I had trusted him so far. He didn’t have to take me anywhere if he wanted to kill me. Killing a crow was no crime.

And how was he going to get us close to the airport? Because in the land of camera phones and social media, a giant flying demon/bat/man would be noticed. Did he know that? It was still early. On the highways far below us, there were few cars. My wing muscles weren’t used to this much work, and I tired quickly. He didn’t notice or didn’t care, likely the latter. And who was I to argue? It was my dream we were chasing.

I blame fatigue for why I missed spotting the airport; after so many miles, fatigue had me hoping he would drop me off in the woods somewhere. But eventually we landed in a heavily wooded area.

He didn’t give me any warning before changing me into a human. Suddenly, I was down on my knees, bits of gravel biting into my skin. I looked up, and he was gone. There was only my laptop case, filled to the brim with the clothing I had worn three days ago. Instead of wings and black chicken feet, I had arms and legs, covered in human skin. The layers of summer green hues, once sumptuous to my human sensibilities, looked drab and gray after the richness of color in my bird sight. Not overthinking anything yet, I quickly put on my clothes, brushed the dirt from my feet, and slid them into my Chucks.

Nothing seemed to fit right. My pants were too short yet loose around my waist. My shoes were wide, but my toes jammed into the front. I grabbed my laptop case and looked through it. Everything was still there: computer, work phone, personal phone, wallet, keys. And I was human again. What a relief.

Both of my phones were dead. He had stranded me in the middle of the woods, but I wasn’t a crow anymore. I kept holding out my hands and checking, just to be sure.

I quieted my brain and listened. Through the muffled barrier of the trees, I could just make out the sound of cars rushing by. There was a road nearby. I started walking. I exited the woods and came upon a wide road. A road with a huge green sign leading to the airport. I let out a sigh and looked up at the sky. There was no large Monster anywhere, and I was sad.

CHAPTER SIX

Return from Outer Space

Before going to the ticket counter, I headed for the bathroom, afraid of what I would find in the mirror. A quick glance told me I didn’t have any branches in my hair or anything too weird for airport security. I sniffed my body carefully but didn’t smell anything offensive. Taking a deep breath, I took a closer look at myself.

My eyes snagged on my cheeks, where twenty-nine years of hating the constellation of speckles came to a screeching halt when I noticed my completely smooth skin tone. As a young girl, I hated them with a passion, especially through the teasing, but then I got used to them. Through my twenties, they faded some to a dusting of spots over the tops of my cheeks and nose. I had never been a great beauty, but they made my face interesting. Not many girls with brown hair had them, and they were mine.

No more freckles, but no feathers either. No need to panic. Deep breath. I looked back in the mirror.

While he had gotten the gist of me right—a medium-height woman with brown hair and greyish-green eyes—there were subtle differences. The longer I looked, the more changes I spotted. I was taller than my original five foot six. My skin was darker, the shade wrong, more olive than my original pasty white, the only other thing besides the freckles I had gotten from my dad. My eyes were slightly more almond-shaped, the irises more vivid. My hips and stomach were thinner, muscles I had never used before were now defined. My arms were longer, my hair also longer and darker. My mouth was closest to what it used to be, but even my nose was longer and thinner. My breasts were about the same. Trust a man to get that right.

The bastard had remade me completely, in minor ways, but still. I pulled out my driver’s license and studied the picture. Would they let me buy a ticket or get through security? It wasn’t a great picture, and my options were limited.

The jaded ticket counter agent didn’t seem to notice. My credit card worked, and I made it through security after a few heart-pounding minutes. I had two hours to kill before my flight, so I sat down near an outlet, plugged in my laptop and my personal phone, and worried while they powered up.

Still plugged into the wall, I dialed Mindy.