Wings
She ran. It did not matter, it did not matter where, just away, away from her home village, away from the cottage, in which she had grown up, away from the people, who she knew since her early childhood and who arranged the funeral pile now. Her funeral pile. She didn't know how much time had elapsed, but gradually she slowed down. When she finally stood completely still, she gasped.
She hearkened in the wood, it seemed like her stalker had given up. The only thing she noticed was hush, even the birds kept silent. She felt like something stripped over the land, scanned it with senses, that weren't human. Suddenly she knew, that the thing looked for her. She didn't know,where she knew that from, she didn't know, what the thing was, but she knew, it shouldn't find her. She attempted to breathe calmly, to hide her presence. The world became indistinct in front of her eyes, as if she observed it through a waterfall. The feeling continued, it seemed nearly endless in time, even if that were merely some minutes.
Then it was over. The whole forest seemed to exhale, the uneasy feeling disappeared.
She was pinched, but she moved along.The time to rest hadn't come yet, the distance from her home village wasn't far away enough. She still couldn't grasp, what had happened.
It was her eighteenth birthday. After the Sunday mass, a little celebration in the families circle was planned, because she had reached the marriageable age. She had never kid herself, even if she didn’t want to marry, she would have to do it, if that was her parents' wish. But it aversed her, to be under the thumb of an absolute stranger. She had seen the girls, who often married a bold elderly bridegroom. It did not matter, how they had been before, whether calm and collected or erratic and fickle, a short time later, all of them were the same: Dull creatures, only a shadow of themselves.
She had prayed to god to spare her this. Her laugh twanged bitterely and hoarsely through the wood. He spared her this destiny, but in a different way than she had thought before.
Her thoughts returned to the genesis of her flight. To the reason why she should burn as a witch. From her back arose two wings. Their feathers were pale, bright white and silky. If they weren't the cause of her troubles, she would love them, because they looked like the wings of an angel.
It happened, when she had entered the church. She had wanted to go to her normal position to praise god, when she fell down suddenly, frantically convulsive, contorting in cramps. The people flinched, thinking that she was obsessed from a deamon. Then her dress torne open at the back, she had appreciated the sound of the ripping material like a snap.
Next there was only silence. Still a trifle dazed, she stood up. When she saw, how the men drew back, she became suspicious. What was wrong? Why did everybody look at her, as if she was the devil in the flesh? Only then she noticed the wings and inspected them. This moment of absentmindedness was used by some men to knock her down.
They put her into a somber den, dreading that she would curse everybody she would see. She stayed there several days, without knowing, how much time elapsed. Only the meals, consisting of bread and water, helped her to judge how long she was there. The whole time she listened at the wall, hoping that she would figure out, what they planned with her. At the time when a coarse, gruff voice ordered to build a funeral pile, cold, pure fear gripped her.
Then, the day after hearing this, they lugged her out. The sun seemed to be so bright, so that she had to blink sometimes, to notice more than only silhouettes.
The crowd parted before her and her keepers, as if the people composed a guard of honour for her - a guard of honour to her execution.
The panic gave her forces, she'd never had before. Lithe she squirmed out of the clutch of her guards, collecting all the strength she could find and ran. Then she came there, not knowing what she should do next. If she could really fly with these wings, she would dart upwards to heaven, would live there among the angels. But she didn't dare to try it. She had the great fear, that the feathered wings were too heavy, only ballast that wouldn't work. Even if she could fly, who says, that she would be allowed to live in heaven? She was only a human, indeed a believer in god, but not an angel.
She saw the border of the forest, she had traversed it. But which route should she turn to? Never before had she been so far away from her village. She had never seen any things different than always the same fields and the steadily changing river, that went past the fields. Preoccupied, she continued going in the course she walked before, when she suddenly stopped.
In front of her was a deep canyon. The walls fell over twenty meters in the depth, where they were bathed by a rapid stream. A thought struck her. She would leave the decision to destiny. If her wings were able to carry her, than she would knock on heaven's door. If they couldn't do that... then she would dash into the cold waters, which doubtlessly would signify her death. She stepped intently to the edge, spread her wings and dropped forward.
She felt the wind, which tugged on her hair, while she fell towards the water. Then she attempted to move her wings. It worked. It was really hard, but it worked. Gradually she went up, meter by meter, only three strokes, till she reached the top. Only two. Only one. The strength left her, but she managed to adhere to the edge. She mobilised her last power to pull herself up. After she had made it, she lay down, until she heard some steps, that silently approximate.
A man approached her, but he seemed not to be a normal human. His appearance changed again and again. For a moment she thought she had seen a horned figure with a ramfoot and an asstail. She would have prefered to go away, but this was impossible in her condition.
"So what have we got there?" The voice was still worse than his appearance. Indeed it didn't flicker, but it twanged greasily, brazen and frosty. His smell was nauseating, he smelled of the whole brimstone of hell. "Should I help you?" With weak eyes she peered at him, she would rather die, than touch this person. She eagerly shook her head.
"You know, that I could blow off your wings and let the people in your village forget this affair. You could live a normal life, like before."
A short time she allowed herself to have a wishful thought to continue her old life. But something in her didn’t like the idea to even accept a pence from him, much less magic aid. "I could make sure, that you are able to choose anybody you wish as your groom, any time you wish." Again she answered with a shake of the head. She would overcome temptation!
She identified this creature. She disbelieved, that he was the real devil, but surely he stood on the side of evil. If she trusted him, not only her life would be in danger, but also her immortal soul. A short time ago, she would have laughed if somebody had told her, that there were creatures walking over the earth, that aren't humans or animals - but a short time ago, she didn't have wings, either.
"What's your wish?" "That you go away!" "Why won't you accept my assistance?" "'Cause you're evil." Amazed he stared at her. "I have to admit, that your intuition is very good. You are the first earthborn angel, which recognized me straight away." He put a jeering smirk on."Too bad, that this won't help you."
She had to gulp, when she heard this words. Was she really an angel? Or was this only another trick of the evil, that she couldn't detect? But more urgent problems moved these thoughts. The man, the creature she corrected herself, stepped up to her - a sharp, short knife in his right hand. He had given up to hide his real look, so she saw his true self, that appeared.
"Do you know, how handy the blood of an angel is? You have only to poison it enough, than you can control a number of souls with it. Would you like to give it freely to me? Maybe I let you enough to survive then..." She shook her head, surely she would never do that. "What a pity, then I must kill you." His face showed clearly, that he was anything than sorry about that. She closed her eyes, when the knife came closer and closer, she hadn't enough force to fly or fight. Suddenly she heard a bloodcurling scream.
She opened her eyes wide. Instead of the devil there lay a little ash heap, blown away by a blast, that suddenly appeared. Her eyes wandered along at a grinning young man, who stood in front of her, a big sword in one hand. He put out his hand to her and it seemed like a strength flowed through it, so that she was able to stand up. "Sorry that I'm late. You've kept up well." He turned around. "Come, the others are waiting for you." Then he spread his wings, that were hidden behind his back and pulled her upwards.
