PREVIEW: Soar on Wings
SWISH . . .
I wriggled back to consciousness.
Swish.
Glistening leaves rustled under the cold-disk’s pale light.
Soft footsteps.
I peeked through my tree-bark crack of a bedroom window.
Humans tiptoed through grass in the dark, cloaked by the
shadow of our tree-home.
I guess they don’t want to wake the whole zone.
A small girl, whose hair waved in the air, scurried quick steps
I wriggled back to consciousness.
Swish.
Glistening leaves rustled under the cold-disk’s pale light.
Soft footsteps.
I peeked through my tree-bark crack of a bedroom window.
Humans tiptoed through grass in the dark, cloaked by the
shadow of our tree-home.
I guess they don’t want to wake the whole zone.
A small girl, whose hair waved in the air, scurried quick steps
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The LOST GENRE GUILD
Biblical Speculative Fiction
| Carizz Cruzem's short story "Soar on Wings" can be found in Light at the Edge of Darkness along with 26 other stories of Biblical speculative fiction.
|
near the end of the human line.
The man at the end stooped down, scooped up, and carried the girl.
I scratched my head.
A woman in front bent, opened a square of grass and descended into their secret
hole.
One by one, they went down the hole.
The last man peered out before lowering himself and replacing the sod cover.
I walked across our fly-tree-house to our ant-chewed front door, leapt out and flew
to the sand-sea.
The hot-disk would appear soon.
Anthers!
I’d flew about the sand-sea for two hot-disk and one cold-disk appearances in search
of a flower.
I rushed to the shriveled bloom.
Careful now. One foot in the stamen’s pollen-bearing shells, a quick pull and a back
flip. One anther broke free from its stalk. Now, five feet to go.
I backstroked.
The fast rising hot-disk reddened the endless sand-sea and curled up the petals. It bit
my heart.
I reeled away and flew towards the human zone.
Father awaited my arrival.
“Father, Father. Look!” I took off the new-found treasures and laid them on the floor
for my father to see.
My father smile and winged my head. “Now, Sor, I know you’re too excited to give
those to Fli right now. But it’s buzz-time. You’ll only live for a hundred hot-disk
appearances, so you’ll need to buzz memories as my father buzzed them to me.
Father drew his head closer to mine, and I saw . . .
Ka-boom! The mortar explosion ten feet above, blasted the war-man back into
consciousness.
He caught sight of his shuttered legs. “Maggots! Maggots!” His swollen knees stank of
rotting meat.
A voice. “There’s one over there!”
A Jeep jerked to a stop that had been war-men’s home for . . .
Two men with a stretcher . . .
“We’re taking fire! Hurry!” hollered the driver over deafening blasts.
They loaded the wounded man, the simple motion evoking more screams.
The Jeep sped toward camp.
The doctor shook his head when they rolled the gurney into the army hospital.
“It’s good he passed out again—we’re still short on Morphine. By the length of these
maggots, I’d say our man’s been out there for three or four days before you guys got
to him.
“Will he make it, Doc?”
“It’s too soon to say. I can’t do much for him now. Maggots only eat dead flesh so the
best thing to do is let them feed. I’ll let him be for a couple of days and see how he
progresses.”
Father moved his head back. “The lifespan of our kind is very short compared to
humans.”
I leapt into the air.
“Pay attention!” Father stamped one foot in disapproval. “The one I buzzed is called
The Loud Explosion.”
My wings wiggled.
He looked at me. “Our ancestors.” Father flipped a wing with pride. “Those brave
warriors who trekked miles of land mines, dodged bullets and ate their way to that
man’s wounded knees.”
I grated my hind legs.
“We are blessed,” Father continued. “The wise and observant medicine-man didn’t
annihilate our ancestors, but even had them eat other men’s dead flesh. They got to
eat to their hearts’ content, and in return, the wounds healed faster.” He wing-
lashed the air. “Mutualism is a proud buzz.”
I clawed the floor.
Father turned his body to look out the window. “But, after The Loud Explosion, our
whole specie thought things would continue to go well with us.”
Both my antenna itched.
“When explosions ceased, humans forgot our partnership.”
My stomach got itchy too and I scratched it.
Father smiled at me. “Now, since you can’t squat still . . .”
I grinned. “I’ll be back after the cold-disk appears.” The itching stopped.
“Do be careful.” Father thumped my body. “We might have learned to adapt but
humans’ gadgets’ evolution quadruple by the second.”
Guilt-smile crossed my mouth. “I will Father, I will.” I hastened to the door.
“Your anthers!”
The man at the end stooped down, scooped up, and carried the girl.
I scratched my head.
A woman in front bent, opened a square of grass and descended into their secret
hole.
One by one, they went down the hole.
The last man peered out before lowering himself and replacing the sod cover.
I walked across our fly-tree-house to our ant-chewed front door, leapt out and flew
to the sand-sea.
The hot-disk would appear soon.
Anthers!
I’d flew about the sand-sea for two hot-disk and one cold-disk appearances in search
of a flower.
I rushed to the shriveled bloom.
Careful now. One foot in the stamen’s pollen-bearing shells, a quick pull and a back
flip. One anther broke free from its stalk. Now, five feet to go.
I backstroked.
The fast rising hot-disk reddened the endless sand-sea and curled up the petals. It bit
my heart.
I reeled away and flew towards the human zone.
Father awaited my arrival.
“Father, Father. Look!” I took off the new-found treasures and laid them on the floor
for my father to see.
My father smile and winged my head. “Now, Sor, I know you’re too excited to give
those to Fli right now. But it’s buzz-time. You’ll only live for a hundred hot-disk
appearances, so you’ll need to buzz memories as my father buzzed them to me.
Father drew his head closer to mine, and I saw . . .
Ka-boom! The mortar explosion ten feet above, blasted the war-man back into
consciousness.
He caught sight of his shuttered legs. “Maggots! Maggots!” His swollen knees stank of
rotting meat.
A voice. “There’s one over there!”
A Jeep jerked to a stop that had been war-men’s home for . . .
Two men with a stretcher . . .
“We’re taking fire! Hurry!” hollered the driver over deafening blasts.
They loaded the wounded man, the simple motion evoking more screams.
The Jeep sped toward camp.
The doctor shook his head when they rolled the gurney into the army hospital.
“It’s good he passed out again—we’re still short on Morphine. By the length of these
maggots, I’d say our man’s been out there for three or four days before you guys got
to him.
“Will he make it, Doc?”
“It’s too soon to say. I can’t do much for him now. Maggots only eat dead flesh so the
best thing to do is let them feed. I’ll let him be for a couple of days and see how he
progresses.”
Father moved his head back. “The lifespan of our kind is very short compared to
humans.”
I leapt into the air.
“Pay attention!” Father stamped one foot in disapproval. “The one I buzzed is called
The Loud Explosion.”
My wings wiggled.
He looked at me. “Our ancestors.” Father flipped a wing with pride. “Those brave
warriors who trekked miles of land mines, dodged bullets and ate their way to that
man’s wounded knees.”
I grated my hind legs.
“We are blessed,” Father continued. “The wise and observant medicine-man didn’t
annihilate our ancestors, but even had them eat other men’s dead flesh. They got to
eat to their hearts’ content, and in return, the wounds healed faster.” He wing-
lashed the air. “Mutualism is a proud buzz.”
I clawed the floor.
Father turned his body to look out the window. “But, after The Loud Explosion, our
whole specie thought things would continue to go well with us.”
Both my antenna itched.
“When explosions ceased, humans forgot our partnership.”
My stomach got itchy too and I scratched it.
Father smiled at me. “Now, since you can’t squat still . . .”
I grinned. “I’ll be back after the cold-disk appears.” The itching stopped.
“Do be careful.” Father thumped my body. “We might have learned to adapt but
humans’ gadgets’ evolution quadruple by the second.”
Guilt-smile crossed my mouth. “I will Father, I will.” I hastened to the door.
“Your anthers!”
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through its authors, fans; to endorse new releases that fit this criteria; and of course, to glorify Him.
