Dark Rain: 15 Short Tales Read Free Page B

Where?
    Crazy
.
Everything is just so damn crazy.
    And yet, this winged creature I had become projected a sense of serenity, greatness. Perfection, in its own way. It maneuvered beautifully, flew powerfully, and had instantly given me access to how to do it all.
    I saw the logic to that. Had I been anything other than an expert, I might just have damaged this beautiful beast. Perhaps worse than damage… possibly even destroy it?
    So, I had instantly, instinctively known how to fly, to maneuver, to land, and everything necessary to stay airborne and safe.
    And to keep
him
safe.
    But how did it all work?
    After all, I summoned him often with little notice. Was he, say, flying serenely over whatever faraway world he lived in, happy as a giant winged clam, when suddenly found himself here?
    That didn’t seem right.
    Is that what happens?
I asked now, while I angled up through the heavens—as the wind buffeted me, slipped over me.
    And where was the demoness who lived within me? Did all three of us share this current winged body? And for that matter, where did my cute little 5’3” body go?
    The higher I got, the more powerful I seemed to get, too. Wind thundered over me, a constant howl. I was no longer a mother, a sister, a private investigator. I was a flying machine, a thing that matched wits with the heavens… and won.
    Can we do this?
I asked the creature within me, the creature who had taken a back seat and let me drive.
    There was no response…and if there had been, I probably wouldn’t have heard it, anyway.
    Response or nor response, I felt as if I could continue on… for eternity.
    It’s him!
He’s giving me these feelings.
    Also, I was sure it was a
him
. He’d given off a distinctly masculine impression.
    So, you’re a boy monster?
I asked.
    Still no response.
    Still, I flew.
    I beat my wings—his wings. I beat them steadily, powerfully, confidently. And faster. Always faster.
    In fact, I felt I should beat them harder and harder. I was being propelled. By
him
.
    As I beat my wings faster than I’d ever done before, I became aware of one thing and one thing only: I could fly as fast as I wanted. There was no limit to this winged creature who defied space and time and gravity, this beautifully horrific entity that was not of this earth.
    Faster. I had to go faster.
    I thought of my kids, my family, my job. I had cases on my desk that needed attention. What was I doing? This was crazy. I was crazy. Ever since I knew I could fly, I wanted to fly to the moon.
    I wanted to test the boundaries of what I was, what I could do.
    True, sometimes I really thought I had gone insane. Some days, I was certain I was babbling incoherently in a funny farm, surrounded by padded walls.
    Are you there?
I suddenly thought.
    I’m here, Samantha.
The voice was deep, hesitant, and almost shy.
    No, it was neither of those. The voice was… distant. As in, it came from deep within my thoughts. Deeper than anything I had yet encountered.
    No, that wasn’t true. I had delved deep into Russell Baker’s subconscious, hadn’t I? His real self had been buried deep beneath what could only be called an “enchantment.” Or rather, an inadvertent enchantment. But that’s another story for another time.
    Where do you come from?
I asked.
    I come from neither here nor there.
    What does that mean?
    Nothing, actually, I’m still trying on your language for size. Perhaps that wasn’t the best expression.
    Maybe it was.
I thought.
Except I don’t know exactly what you mean.
    I’m still playing with your language. Your concepts, forgive me.
    Forgiven,
I thought.
And quite frankly, you speak English very well.
    Actually, I “think” English very well. Mostly, I draw from your knowledge of the language. We have, after all, been connected for a very long time now.
    Why haven’t we spoken before?
    You tell me, Samantha.
    I thought about that as I flew faster and faster. Higher and higher.
    I guess I didn’t understand who you were or