Short story "Feather"
This is a short story I wrote to get back into writing again. I initially wrote it more than half a year ago - and in German no less. Now I finally found the time to translate it. The actual story and feelings related to it come from a dream.
Time seemed to pass slowly and steadily, yet without haste it flowed with soft leisureliness as I left the large, spacious house. The many people inside had gathered in small groups, chatting about shared interests. There was something which I had to take care of in the city, even though I didn't yet quite know what it was. However, I had a general idea in which direction to go. I thought, that it would come to me eventually, why I was strolling around in the evening hours, as I was walking along the pavement towards the many lights of the city. It was an unusually warm evening, the warmth didn't quite match the cold street lights and or the sparkling of the many bright and colourful lights of the city.
A cold breeze gave note of upcoming bad weather, yet no single cloud was to be seen on the star filled sky. I saw a few people I knew, who were standing in the light of a street lamp, and I stopped briefly in order to talk to them. They seemed agitated, whispering and muttering wildly. Something seemed to have happened, which caused this commotion - in spite of how tense they seemed, they stayed as quiet as possible, whispering vigorously "how did that happen?", "I don't know, more important however is, how we continue", "we do nothing", "do you want to wait for something like this to happen again?".
They abruptly shut up as I got close enough for them to spot me, yet they still seemed to be so wrought up, that they didn't stay quiet for long and soon they continued whispering sharply. "Do they know, who did it?", "does HE know...?". I listened for a bit and slowly started feeling qualmish. The wind had picked up and cold air was blowing past my ears. The lights, which seemed so playful a moment ago now suddenly seemed to be so far away and have stopped their spectacle. Now they were silent and laid motionlessly lurking, as if they were waiting for something.
Quick steps drew closer and I turned around towards the house. Three persons hastily ran towards me, their faces bearing shock and fear. Only one of them looked directly at me and his expression changed to sorrow. The freezing wind blew towards me. The previously so calm house was now brightly lit, people were running around like diligent ants - with the exception that the people wandered around erratically, everyone in a different direction to do something or find somebody else, who at the same time in turn was running in a completely different direction. I could only spot the light Gray column of smoke emerging behind the house, as the three caught up with me and stopped, gasping for air. "Something happened", said the sad seeming one. His face bore deep sorrow and lament whenever he looked at me. "They really tried it."
It didn't take long, to understand, what he was talking about. The column of smoke, the commotion and tense calm before could only mean one thing: an attack. Yet it was too quiet and busy at the same time in the house, for such a thing. Was everything over already?
"We don't know yet, how they managed it. That was a bomb, Thomas, a way too large bomb. Three or four men suddenly appeared in the cellar. We all wouldn't be here if...". He fell silent and looked at me with pity. His hand slid under his coat and he pulled something from under it. "We found this."
It was a slightly tousled, black-Gray feather.
In that instant, a thousand thoughts raced through my mind. The feather, it could only belong to - her. I was so lucky, that I've met - her. Since - she - too wasn't human. The same species, the same peculiar trait to have wings. We beings may be of great numbers, yet we were so scattered on Earth and of so many different species, that it didn't happen often, that two of the same species, let alone with identical fur colours and traits, met. I did everything for her, nothing was too important to not leave it be - for her. She always knew, what to do. She was perfect.
That I was in fact holding one of her feathers in my hand, raised the question, how the people here knew about my form, since I always appeared as a human and never got cocky to change shape. All the thoughts inside my head suddenly stopped, as I saw the tousled end of the feather. She was gone. It was thanks to her, that we were all still alive. She must have noticed the attack and sacrificed herself, to protect us all. She knew exactly, that there was no other way.
The wind pulled and jerked on my clothes as rain poured down my face. She was now watching over me, as she had always and asked something of me. I had to find the ones responsible and stop this pointless war once and for all.