White Feather
White feathers are falling, cursing all who touch them, creating a link between townspeople and an unknown creature of light.
A single white feather floated, spiraling as it journeyed down. Its course was interrupted by the plump hand of a little boy.
“Mama, look. Pretty for you.” His eyes reached up adoringly as he offered the treasure.
“Not now, Thomas.” Was the response.
“Mama.” The boy tugged on his mother’s hem, whining, jealous of his mother’s friend more with every second of attention she stole.
Finally, both women looked down at the feather in his extended hand. His mother’s friend cried out and fled to the town tower, screaming. His mother grabbed him roughly and pulled him into the closest shop. The unexpected escape caused him to drop the feather. It resumed its spiral downward, as if never interrupted, while the town bell rung loud and clear. The streets were filled with people running, trying to find a building with room to contain them. The feather’s path became less predictable as it was picked up by an apron, swept off by a leg rushing past, and escaped back into the air after another child’s missed snatch. Finally, the dust settled. The white feather rested on the street undisturbed. The bell stopped ringing. A screech was heard from above. Nearby, two little eyes peered from a small basement window. Inside the basement, several families huddled with Thomas and his mother.
“Mama didn’t like?” Thomas asked.
“Thomas, that feather is bad luck. Never touch a feather like that again. If it is any pretty colour, you may have the feather, but never a white feather. Now come away from the window.”
“Mama, hand.” The little boy opened his palm and stared as a white light began to pulse in his palm. His eyes grew wide, reflecting the light, hypnotised by the sight.
A father nearby groaned. “Leah, we can’t have your kid in here. We have our own children to protect.”
She started to cry. “Please no. Please don’t put us out on the street. He’s still a baby.”
The father persisted. “He’s been touched by the white feather. You can see the sign. We can’t have him calling death in here.”
Murmurs filled the room. Hands began to reach for weapons. The basement was no longer safer than the street. “Thomas, we’ve got to go.”
Leah grabbed his wrist and pulled him up the stairs as he continued to stare at his hand. Around the room, eyes and weapons were lowered. As soon as the door slammed behind them, she heard the nervous whispers begin.
“Thomas. Thomas!” Leah shook her boy, but his eyes remained fixed on the light pulsing from the palm of his hand. She covered his hand with her own, trying to break the spell. The light pulse coming from his hand built up into a steady stream. Her nails broke his tender skin. Thomas screamed. The light broke through, pushing Leah through a wall. A screech echoed between the town’s walls.
Up the street, others were pushed out doors with light emanating from various parts of their bodies. In other buildings, lights could be seen escaping through basement windows, only to be extinguished amongst screams.
From the wreckage of stone and mortar, Leah screamed, “Thomas!”
A screech filled the air. Thomas turned to his mother. The light became a thin ribbon rising from his hand now. “Mama?”
Around the corner, there was a great ripping sound. The market shades would need repairing again.
“Thomas, come here. Quickly!”
Thomas looked at his hand, uncertain, and watched the ribbon of light grow, curl, and turn down the street and around the corner. A tug came at the other end.
“Thomas, I can’t get up. I need your help. Can you be the strong man I need you to be?”
Thomas lurched forward. His hand extended. The ribbon of light tightened.
“Thomas, I need you.”
The ribbon snapped and Thomas ran to his mother. Freed from the light, his small hands lifted the stones with unnatural strength. “Mama? Where?”
“I’m here Thomas.” Her nose and lips were barely visible through a gap in the ruins. Thomas flung the stones off with ease. Having her upper half freed, she sat up and held her boy tight. Over his shoulder she could see other ribbons twirling past and becoming taut. Men and women wandered down the street, pulled by the ribbons of light to the creature awaiting them around the corner.
“Mama, I go.”
“No!”
“Mama…” his voice grew weak. He collapsed, barely missing the rubble with his head. Leah heard the sickening crack as his spine bent across the stones. Her own back throbbed from the impact with the wall. Her hands had been broken as they broke through the wall. Still, adrenaline strengthened her legs. She rose from the little rubble left covering her and wandered into the street, tears wetting her cheeks and dripping from her chin. She watched as more people were drawn by their ribbons of light and disappeared around the corner. Her hands shook, dripping blood on the dust below her. Sobbing, she ran. Not bound by a ribbon, she rounded the corner with speed.
Unable to see the creature through her tears, her throat filled with sorrow, she barely got the words out. “You killed Thomas.”
Ahead of her, she saw a brunette’s ribbon of light snap. Closing her eyes, Leah screamed, “You killed my little boy!”
Leah bent over, catching her breath. Ahead of her, more ribbons of light began to snap. The group who had been pulled by the ribbons were freed. Turning, disorientated, each walked to Leah. Loose ribbons slithered and writhed towards the creature. Supported by the people, Leah rose, her vision clear. She watched as glowing yellow eyes blinked before her. Never had she imagined the feathered creature of light would look like this. If not for the feathers, she may have called it a dragon. Opening its mouth, it flicked its tongue, retracting every ribbon into its belly and blinding all who saw. The creature took to the sky, screeching as it flew, wailing the unexpected loss as it moved on to the next village for a feed. As Leah’s vision returned, she saw the group gathering around her.
“Where is your boy?” asked a farmer.
Leading them to the place where Thomas lay, Leah froze. She could see faces turned towards her. They waited for an explanation. Leah blinked in an effort to keep away the tears. There was no body. There was no blood other than her own trail leading into the street.
“Mama, I go catch monster.”
Leah cried, opening her bleeding arms for her son. “Oh, Thomas. How? You… You… You feel so good. Thomas, you look so good. I don’t think you’ve ever looked this good.”
A grin spread across his little face. Behind her, she heard others begin to mutter and gasp. She turned and found them tossing each other in the air, running up the street faster than leopards and bouncing on their toes until they were able to land on the top of the surrounding buildings. Each of these people had been drawn by a ribbon of light, while the rest of the town still hid in the basements. A blacksmith called from the end of the street, “Who wants to come with me to crush this beast?”
A variety of excited calls filled the air. A farmer spoke quietly to Thomas and Leah. “Our village owes you both an incredible expression of gratitude it seems. I don’t know how you broke the spell, but you may have just changed history.”
Thomas looked up at the farmer and smiled. “Me come.”
“Oh no, Thomas. You can’t go. You must stay with me for a while longer,” Leah interrupted before the farmer could respond.
Thomas looked at Leah and nodded. “Mama needs Thomas.”
Kneeling down, Thomas picked up a feather lying in the dust and held it with open hands. “Mama, for you. Pretty colour.”
He lay the feather in her broken, bleeding hand. Leah was unsure how dead grey classified as pretty. Yet now the feather represented hope, spattered with her blood.
Courtney wrote White Feather while mid-way through her first novel. While unrelated to her novels, she used it to experiment with creating strange creatures based on history and myths.
What do you think about this story?
How do you feel about the creature representing sin and selfishness?
