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Troy stood on the grassland, gazing intently at the clear, azure sky. A soft breeze picked up, ruffling his blonde hair, and the sound of grass in the wind was the only sound in this peaceful setting.
A eagle's cry broke the silence. The eagle spread its splendid wings, sliding through the cool air effortlessly. To Troy, the freedom and power that this meant was too good to be resisted. Since he was a young boy, he had always been awed by birds' flight, especially an eagle’s. He would give anything to become a bird, just to experience that monent of freedom and exhilaration. His mom once teased him about being a bird in his previous life, unaware that he would take it so seriously. Unbeknownst to his family, Troy was determined to find a way to become an eagle, whether in the present or in his afterlife. He made sure that nothing could stand in his way.
A sudden rush of adrenaline made him throw his backpack onto the grass. His brain was clearly slipping into another state, which was rather violent perhaps, as he thrust open his bag and took out the hunting gun inside. Posing the gun on his shoulders, he frowned at the eagle in the sky, pointing the tip of the barrel to the bird with the fierce determination of killing it. In all his sixteen years of life, he had never had a true hunting experience; but he was surprisingly confident from the shooting lessons that he attended every Saturday. Inexperience wasnt going to deter him; he made himself a promise that he would not go home without the bird. He followed the bird’s flying trail, turning his body to the direction of where the bird was, twirling round and round until the bird landed gracefully on a branch. Removing the safety lock, he crept forward silently, moving swiftly and stealthily without making a noise, until the bird was within firing range. Just as quickly as he had decided to kill it, he squinted and aimed. Then he pulled the trigger.
There was a shrill cry, followed by a dull thump as the eagle stumbled onto the floor, limp and lifeless. Troy grabbed his backpack, and, still holding his gun, he ran to the tree where the eagle had just been a few moments ago. Underneath the tree, the stiff, feathery body was a strange sight against the soft, vibrant green grass. Yet Troy did not feel nauseous, as many do after their first kill, as he stared at the dead eagle. He merely had a strange but inviting sense that told him it was what he had to do, what he was fated to do. Feeling the rush of wind and hearing it whistle in the leaves, Troy closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed the sweetness of that weird feeling.
His eyes flew open as a brilliant idea occured to him. He could pull out the bird’s feathers, and tie them to his fingers with the rope on his backpack. In this way, he could create his own “bird hand”, and he could almost feel the wind on his back when he “flies” in the air using this new pair of “wings”. Yes, that’s definitely what I’m going to do, he thought excitedly.
Before long, his "bird hand" was completed and he was ecstatic. Sprinting across the fields of green grass, the wind slapped against his cheeks, pink from all the running. He felt as if he was truly an eagle, an eagle who was free to flap his wings, and an eagle who soared high above the white, puffy clouds, and an eagle who roamed the wide blue skies.
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Hours passed in a blink and it was nearly evening when Troy finally collapsed onto the grass in fatigue. As much as he wanted to just lay there and enjoy the feeling of the light breeze on his cheeks, he knew he had to return home soon.
Panic hit him when he realised that he was too far out in the wilderness to find his way back. It was definitely impossible to find which direction he came from, he had wandered too far away with his bird wings and the scenery was exactly the same in every single direction.
Just then, a house-like building in the distance caught Troy's attention. If he couldn't make it home tonight, his parents would surely be looking for him soon, and meanwhile, he would need a shelter to survive in the wild, and that building seem like a perfect place to stay. The interiors were dark though, so possibly it was abandoned. Even better.
As he ran towards the building, it became clear to Troy that it was once used as a farmhouse, although it had perhaps been abandoned for several years already. Approaching the brick structure, an explicable sense of familiarity washed over him, drawing him to the farmhouse even more.
The young dirty blonde boy pushed open the heavy oak door carefully, and the wood slowly creaked open. He peeked into the dark interiors of the seemingly deserted farmhouse cautiously, fear of the unknown overpowering his urge to explore all of a sudden. The rational part of his brain was screaming at him to leave this spooky place, but the other part, always the daredevil, was urging him forward.
'Well, what harm could it come to? It's not like there's a murderer hiding in the farmhouse, it's deserted, right? There're cobwebs everywhere, so this proves that the coast is clear. Besides, I just want to explore for a bit,' he reasoned with himself, an unfamiliar process as he was always the fearless person who charges into ‘dangerous’ situations without so much as sparing it another thought.
His surroundings dimmed as he took a few steps into the ancient building, the wooden floorboards squeaking at his every step. Scanning his surroundings, he found himself standing inside a large and extremely empty space. A thin ray of light pierced through an old-fashioned glass window at the far end of the barn, illuminating the large pile of dusty hay that would have been used to feed horses lying right beneath it.
Suddenly overwhelmed by exhaustion, Troy ran and flung himself onto the golden pile, not caring that the rigid straws were digging into his exposed flesh. He was greeted with a strange but welcoming scent, one that he couldn't quite place but felt relaxing. Burying his head into the golden hay, he inhaled deeply and the wonderful smell filled his nose.
Perhaps he really was too tired, for within moments he had already fallen into a deep, sleepy oblivion.
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“Oh you poor, cute little thing~ so innocent, not even suspecting a thing~” A woman dressed in a black hood appeared in the middle of the farmhouse, giggling in a high-pitched voice. Her silhouette floated across the empty space, eventually hovering mid-air beside the hunched, sleeping figure of the boy.
The woman held out her right arm, palm facing upwards, as a strange, pale green mist seeped from between her slender fingers, curling itself into a translucent ball.
“Your wish shall be granted, boy,” she whispered with an unnerving smile upon her lips. “Good night, young boy, enjoy your afterlife,” the glowing ball flung itself towards Troy's torso. Her body dissolved into the darkness in a moment.
In the dead of the night, under the silvery moonlight, Troy's breathing became shallow and laboured, slowing down finally halting itself forever.
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The sight of what he has become made his parents step back in disbelief. Touching his back, he felt soft feathers. Somehow, he already knew what had happened.
A pair of magnificent wings has sprouted from his back, covered with lush, soft feathers that were black like the midnight sky. Beams of moonlight reflected from the smooth feathers, dotting the wings just like stars in the night sky. It was not exactly the pair of angel wings from fairytale books, not the heavenly white wings in angel fantasies. Yet, the holiness, power and determination that emanated from this pair of wings was immeasurable. No mortal being could ever hope to make sense of it.
“Troy,” his mother managed a croaky whisper, breaking the eerily quiet night.
Troy opened his mouth to call to his parents, but his throat refused to speak. He cleared his throat and tried again.
“Mom, Dad,” the words came out so smoothly that he didn’t realise he had spoken aloud. He sounded exactly the same as before he had turned into an immortal, yet there was a strange, tingly sensation that seemed unlike himself. “I’m sorry...I know that what I am now is really hard for you to take in, but I want to say that I’m thankful for everything that you have done for me as your son. It’s farewell for now...While I may not be the Troy that you know, somehow, someway, there is a part of myself that will remain in my body even after the transfomation.” Words tumbled out of his lips before he was aware that he was speaking. The words seemed so mature, and the speaker sounded so calm and composed, that Troy knew it was not himself that had spoken, even as the strong, determined person that he had been. He had no way of speaking like that in this kind of situation; it could only have been the angel inside him. Although they are merged as one now, he still had to familiarize himself with the way it works.
“What...what exactly are you…?” His father spoke in a gruff voice, attempting to even though it shook with fear and shock.
Troy managed a small smile and said, “I am Troy, the Soul Keeper. Better known as the Angel of Life and Death. I cannot really describe what my job is to you, as you would not understand anyway and it is against the rules to reveal our duties to humans. Though I think you should get some hints from my title.” He tossed his head in an unconscious movement, removing fringes of his blonde hair from his eyes, just like what he used to do when he was still human. Even though it was a tiny gesture, his parents were aware of it, and it offered little consolation to them, knowing that their son would always be their son.
“Troy…” his mother spoke again admist tears that were brimming over her eyes. “Will we...ever...see each other...again…?” She sobbed.
“Mom…” It was hard for Troy to look at his mother, who was so close to bursting into tears. He felt his heart being ripped apart, knowing that it was a no to her question. Tears were threatening his own eyes, and as much as he wanted to tell her that they might meet again, he knew he had to tell the truth.
“I’m sorry, mom...we will never see each other again. Except, when you die, I will come and collect your soul. Then, maybe, just for a brief second, you can look at me again. But I’m afraid that would be your last glimpse of me, and after that you will journey to your afterlife.” The angel Troy said.
They all fell silent for a moment. His mom sniffed and said, “So...where are you going to head to now?” She wiped away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks with her palm, trying hard to act strong for her son's sake, trying to be glad for her son's destiny.
“Well, I'm not quite sure, to be honest. I will just be travelling around the world, staying in wherever I have to perform my duties.” Troy confessed. Emotions filled his heart, and the human part of his mind took over as he bursted out in near tears, “Please...can you leave me be? I don't...want to see you cry over me... A part of me wants to stay as the mortal Troy, but I have no way to resist my fate... You have to know that I don't want to stay away from you as well...I'm...sorry!” The anguish and conflict that he felt in his heart was unbearable, but he just knew there was no easy escape. It would be better for his parents to accept the truth as soon as possible, and he would carry all the pain on his own. He would bury this last fond memory of his family deep inside his heart, and treasure it till the very end of this world.
He tried to speak again but nothing came out as he forced back the tears that were about to spill from his eyes, in vain. Being a (strong) person, he was not used to crying, let alone crying in front of his family. But he knew that this was his last chance to see them, and he didn't want to see them grieve over his fate.
“Mom, Dad… Thank you for everything, for raising me as your beloved son. Farewell, and may God bless you.” Troy said, holding his burdened gaze with his mother in a pained effort to say the final goodbye.
“Goodbye...” His mother sobbed into the boundless darkness. His father frowned a little and sighed heavily. “Goodbye, Troy.” His father never really showed a lot on his face, but it was clear from his facial expressions that he, too, struggled to say goodbye to his only son one last time.
Troy stood in the shadows as he watched his parents' silhouettes gradually dissolve into the pale, moonlit night. Solitude filled his heart as tears rolled down his cheeks and dripped onto the dark, cold pavement soundlessly. Not knowing how much time had passed, he merely stood there, staring into the infinity of the dreary, lonely night. To him, the night that broke his heart seemed to last forever.
At last, he steadied himself, trudging heavy heartedly along the path beneath his footsteps. Along the path that led to his new life, he treaded towards the horizon that was glowing with a thin pink and purple line of dawn, the horizon that held his future and his destiny.
~by Anonymous Wolf
~27th July, 2016