A broken promise

“It feels sore,” he said, stumbling barefoot along the road.

As they walked, the sky circled with angels, their wings pure white, spread wide under the golden sun.

As the evening set in, the shadows started to advance across the city as the air cooled and thinned.

He reached underneath his t-shirt and scratched the wounds on his back. Like tracks, the two slits ran around the inside of each shoulder blade. The scar tissue was raised – rough from where he’d been cut.

“Can you still fly?” his friend asked. “There’s only one way to find out,” he said.

Thinking back to that night, he felt guilty. Had he deserved this? Was he meant to stay on Earth?

The angels rose higher, following the light towards the horizon. He tried to remember what it was like to feel weightless. High above the ground, observing the fates of many.

Passing an empty block of flats, he noticed a fire escape hinged open. Seeing his chance, he slipped in through the door and disappeared.

“What are you doing?”

“Finding out,” said the voice from inside the stairwell.

His friend followed, his own wings lay closed along his back, the soft feathers lightly brushing the cold, concrete steps as they climbed.

“How much longer to the top?”

Their breath became heavier as they climbed up into the darkness. Finally, the entrance to the roof burst open and their faces basked in the remains of the sunlight. Walking towards the edge, he arched his back.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I have no choice,” he said.

Stepping up onto the lip, he looked up and gazed at what he had once had.

Was faith enough?

Heart pounding, he closed his eyes,

and jumped.