by R. J. Wolf
BROKEN WINGS
“When ze’ polar caps melt, sea level will increase…” Mr. Douglas’ deep, baritone voice lulled Anthony into a catatonic state.
He was the freshmen geography teacher, known for his hour long, monotone speeches. Mr. Douglas was a large man, wide as a bear and just as hairy. He scowled at the students from behind his thick eyebrows, which hid his time worn eyes.
Anthony had known him for years. Mr. Douglas had been his elementary English teacher; an odd position considering his heavy, German accent. Now he taught geography, which was one of Anthony’s least favorite subjects aside from music. Having a teacher that could make defusing nuclear bombs seem boring certainly didn’t help the situation.
Anthony squirmed back and forth in his chair trying to get comfortable, but the burning sensation in his back wouldn’t go away. All day he had been alternating between leaning forward with his head tucked into his arms and sitting totally reclined with his head jarred back like a Pez dispenser. No matter what he tried he could never seem to find the perfect position.
He rubbed his back on the chair with a dog-like, joyful expression on his face. What he assumed was a mosquito bite had plagued him since last night and only gotten worse. Anthony arched his back a little more letting out a satisfying groan, drawing the attention of the entire classroom.
“Mr. Dimair, are we having chair problems today?” Mr. Douglas eyed him from behind his bulky, bifocal frames.
Anthony looked up and noticed that every eye was locked on him. He had stood completely out of his seat and was now behind his desk rubbing has back against the chair.
“Um my… underwear.” Anthony blurted out before thinking.
The class erupted in laughter as Mr. Douglas surveyed him with a stern face. He sighed and raised his hand, hushing the wave of giggles.
“Underwear problems?” Mr. Douglas repeated.
“I…I just need the bathroom.” Anthony pleaded as the burning in his back became unbearable.
“If you must.”
Anthony quickly ran around his desk and bolted out of the door.
“Oh and Mr. Dimair… do try to come back with your underwear sorted.” Mr. Douglas chuckled before turning back to the class.
Anthony burst into the boy’s bathroom. He scratched at his back wildly, almost tearing off his shirt. He slung himself into the beige colored wall and rubbed furiously against it.
“Oh my god!” He screamed in exhaustion.
He knew something was wrong. The pain he was feeling had gone beyond any insect bite. Pulling off his t-shirt, he slid his hand across his back. He scoured over it and then paused when his fingers ran across something scaly.
“Ugh!” Anthony yelled.
Almost afraid to touch it again, he turned his back to the mirror. Craning his neck, he could barely glimpse the scabbing gash that ran down his shoulder blade. He turned to his left and an identical gash ran down that side as well.
Biting his lip, Anthony gently poked at the wound. He rubbed his fingers across the scaly surface, grimacing the whole while. Something was sticking out. It felt thick and leathery, like his dad’s work belts.
With his eyes closed he pulled at it. It offered little resistance and more and more of it unfolded from his back. Anthony moved his hands away and wiggled in disgust. He squirmed around the restroom shaking his hands and talking to himself.
Slowly, he turned back and faced the mirror. He took a deep breath as he tried to calm his nerves. Suddenly, there was a loud crack and he buried his face into his hands, fearing the worst. The pain in his back was gone, but he was too afraid to see what had become of the leathery skin he had pulled from it.
After minutes in silence he peeked through the slits between his fingers.
“Ahh!” He screamed as he stumbled backwards and turned away from the mirror.
He threw his hands up and then pulled at his hair.
“No! No, no, no, no!” He repeated over and over as he paced the restroom frantically.
He couldn’t stop fidgeting. His fingers shot out and snapped erratically. He scratched at his arms and shook in place, breathing like he’d finished his first marathon.
“Come on Anthony. Get it together. It’s not there, it’s not real.” He said to himself.
Convinced he hadn’t seen what he really saw, he counted to three and then turned back to the mirror.
“Ahhh!” He belted at the top of his lungs.
His scream carried all the way to the courtyard and down the long halls of the school. Anthony hadn’t noticed how loud he was as he stood mortified in front of the mirror.
Without warning, the door burst open and Anthony spun around and dove for the stalls. Sliding into one he slammed the door and locked it.
“Mr. Dimair!” A booming voice exploded. “Are you in there, are you okay?” It was Mr. Douglas.
“Oh, uh y... yes I’m fine. My… um my stomach it just hurts real bad. I’ll be out in a minute.” Anthony moaned.
“Are you sure? I heard your infantile whimpering all the way down in my classroom.” Mr. Douglas said in annoyance.
“Yes, I’m ok s…sorry for interrupting class Mr. Douglas.” Anthony pleaded.
“Hurry up in there, and keep it down for God’s sake.”
Mr. Douglas turned and headed back into the hallway. Anthony waited and then hesitantly opened the stall door. He walked back to the mirror and stared blankly at the image in front of him.
It was indescribable. No amount of warning could’ve prepared him. Anthony shook from head to toe, fighting just to remain on his feet.
He heard a buzz and something vibrated in his back pocket. Reaching down, he fumbled into his jeans and grabbed his cell phone. A message from Mikey scrolled across the screen.
“Dude where are u…u dead lol???!”
Anthony looked to the mirror and then back to his phone. Taking a deep breath he typed a quick message and hit send.
“Hallway rr get in here!”
He scampered back into the stall and closed the door behind him. The message had barely gone through when he heard the restroom door swing open and several footsteps trample inside.
Anthony!” Mikey called out. “Bro, this is getting weird.”
“I’m in the stall.” Anthony said, barely above a whisper.
“Well get out here dude.”
Anthony sighed and cracked the stall door. He stepped one foot out and paused.
“Just promise me you won’t run.”
“Run from what?” Mit asked.
He’d barely finished the question when Anthony emerged from the stall and stood in front of them. Steve screamed and took off. He bolted out of the bathroom door and disappeared down the hallway. Mit didn’t move. He stood like a statue, wide-eyed with his mouth hanging on the floor.
“Dude…what the…dude?” Mikey repeated over and over.
Anthony frowned. He was standing in the middle of the bathroom shirtless. His chest heaved up and down and behind him two giant wings beat lazily in the air. They looked like a mix between dragon and eagle wings, but the hair covering them was leathery and shiny.
Mikey threw his hand over his mouth. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes.
“Dude, I mean dude?” Mikey was still trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
Mit slowly composed himself and then started to circle Anthony. He moved closer and closer inspecting him like a new alien species.
“Does it hurt?” Mit asked.
He poked at one and it shivered slightly. The wings were growing right out of his back, attached to him just like his arms or his legs.
“No…I, I don’t really feel anything.” Anthony responded.
The door cracked open and everyone jumped.
“Sorry, um sorry for running.” Steve mumbled as he poked his head in the door. “Is it safe to come in?”
“I think so.” Anthony looked confused.
Steve stepped inside and joined Mikey who was eying Ant
hony from a safe distance. Mit was still poking and prodding at him like a science project.
“Can you move them?” Mit asked.
Anthony shrugged his shoulders. Mikey inched closer with a disgusted look on his face.
“Bro, that’s kinda awesome. I mean it’s gross, but kinda awesome.”
“Yeah, well you can have them.” Anthony said in annoyance.
“We can’t stay in here all day.” Mit declared, after a long silence.
Anthony threw his hands in the air and his wings flapped.
“Oh! They moved.” Steve stuttered.
“What do you want me to do? I can’t just walk out of here like this.”
Mit bit his bottom lip and rubbed his chin. “Maybe we…maybe we can push them back in.”
“I’m not touching those things.” Steve demanded.
“Dude shut up!” Mikey scowled at him.
Together with Mit he cautiously approached Anthony and grabbed the side of a wing. They tried rolling it up like a giant paper towel. Anthony squirmed and complained.
“That’s not working.”
Suddenly the door burst open. In unison they turned to find Principal Harris standing in the doorway. He had a look on his face between anger and mild amusement. His eyes moved to each one of them and he cleared his throat.
“Detention, for three weeks. All of you to my office now!” He stammered and then turned and stormed out.
Anthony was confused. Had wings become a normal occurrence at this high school?
“Dude…dude they’re gone!” Mikey screamed.
Anthony reached across his back. He ran to the mirror and turned around. Sure enough his wings had tucked back into the scaly slits on his back.
“I…I don’t get it.”
“Who cares? They’re gone, that’s a good thing.” Steve reasoned.
“You think Harris saw them?” Mit asked as he tossed Anthony his shirt.
“Nah, that dudes blind anyway. Let’s go before he comes back.” Mikey said as he headed to the door.
Principal Harris’ office had the distinct smell of cigars and old socks. The vanilla colored walls were lined with awards and degrees, none of which belonged to him. A dusty bookcase sat in the corner which he used to display his model ship collection.
From across the desk his beady, little eyes examined them; barely visible from beneath his bushy, gray eyebrows. Normally a very forceful man, he seemed small and frail. He sunk in back his black leather chair. Probably noticing his diminished presence, Principal Harris sat up leaning forward on the desk. He remained silent for some time and then suddenly broke into riddle.
“Boys who butcher the background of the boat get bridled in the brig.” He spoke loudly putting an extra emphasis on each B.
Anthony sat confused, his back still slightly irritated. Steve and Mikey giggled as Mit let out a snore which went unnoticed to Principal Harris.
After thirty minutes of finger pointing, threats of eternal detention and countless incoherent riddles, Anthony and his friends were released. They suffered nothing more than a slap on the wrist and three weeks of detention for what he called rambunctious restroom horseplay.
They walked out of the principal’s office as the bell rung to release school. They had practically spent the entire day, either in the bathroom or resisting Harris’ nautical riddle hypnotism. Finally, outside of the school walls, Anthony’s mind was free to roam and the shock and awe of sprouting wings was in full effect.
“This can’t be real; I mean this just can’t be real.” Anthony strode deliberately down the sidewalk shaking his head. “What am I gonna tell my mom? My dad’s gonna flip out.”
“Dude…do not tell your parents.” Mikey stopped and grabbed him by the arms. “I’ve seen enough movies to know you don’t tell anyone. They’ll lock you up and throw away the key.”
Anthony shook his head and frowned.
“Look at the bright side.” Steve interrupted.
“There is no bright side genius.”
“Yeah, you’re like some superhuman alien thing,” Mit added. “It’s actually kind of cool”
“I’m just…I’m just going home.” Anthony split off in a different direction.
“Hey, are your parents’ home? Mind if I come over?” Mit asked, running to catch up with him.
“Not today Mit. I just wanna be alone.” Anthony frowned.
“Oh, yeah okay.” Mit turned around with a sunken expression.
“Hey dude, you can crash at my place," Mikey turned to Mit and said sympathetically. “Catch you late Anthony.”
Anthony made it home and snuck upstairs to his room. He fell into his bed and covered his face with a pillow. He felt scared and exhausted.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid.” He yelled, punching his pillow over and over. “Ugh!”
Huffing loudly, he buried his face into the mattress. He closed his eyes, resisting the urge to cry. Before he knew it, he was asleep.
His room melted away and suddenly there was a fire was burning in the distance. Anthony could hear the screams of people, trapped by the raging inferno. Hesitantly he approached the smoldering city. Smoke billowed into the air. It left a thick, sulfuric taste on his tongue.
Something grabbed his leg and he looked down. It was a man or at least the torso of a man, the rest looked more like a bear.
“You will die.” It gasped in a raspy voice.
Anthony suddenly woke up covered in sweat. He looked around his room, his eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. His clock read 1:23 AM.
Rubbing his eyes Anthony rolled out of bed. “It was all a dream.” He smiled.
Yawning, he stumbled to the bathroom and splashed water on his face. He grinned at his reflection then turned around and looked at his back.
“No!” He screamed.
The scaly slits were still there on his shoulder blades, although they’d faded a bit. Anthony sighed and crawled into the shower in defeat.
VI
LUCKY FOURTEEN
Anthony cringed as he traipsed down the walkway towards school. His friends stood near the entrance waiting for him with blank expressions.
“So, umm what’s up?” Anthony tried to sound nonchalant.
“Dude…what’s up with you?” Mikey giggled.
“Yeah man everything, you know okay?” Mit had a look of concern on his face.
“Yeah, yeah I’m alive.”
Steve fiddled with his fingers and looked away.
“What’s up with him?” Anthony asked.
Steve turned and faced him. He bit his lip contemplating how to approach the subject everyone was thinking about. “You…you’ve got wings man. Wings growing out of your back.”
“Why don’t you tell the whole school?” Anthony scowled at him.
“Sorry, it’s just…am I really the only one that thinks this is a little weird? I mean you need to tell someone or see somebody.”
“Dude, enough of that. He told us. That’s enough. Now either get over it or find some new friends.”
Steve looked at them all for a moment. His face fell and he sighed. “Sorry man. Mikey’s right.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Anthony waved him off. “It is weird.”
“So can you fly?” Steve asked.
Anthony squinted and bit his lip. He hadn’t even considered flying. He was still wondering if they’d pop out again.
“I don’t think so. They haven’t even come out again.”
The warning bell suddenly rang and a rush of kids headed into the building.
“Let’s pick this up after school.” Mit demanded.
With that they all headed off to class. The remainder of school went by in a haze. After a few hours he’d somehow forgotten all about his wings and was back on the prowl for Nickie. Much to his disappointment, the entire day went by without him catching a glimpse of her.
When school ended they all met up outside and headed off towards their neighborhood. Steve skipped down the sidewalk
humming as Mikey shot spit wads at him. Anthony followed behind them, contorting his body trying to scratch his back.
“Man, are you ok? You don’t look so good.” Mit asked as he turned around.
“Yeah…I’m good.” Anthony smiled at him trying to hide the bulging feeling in his back.
They rounded the corner that led into their neighborhood and Anthony started walking faster. He was getting the same feeling he had in the restroom.
“Is your mom home?” He turned to Mikey and asked.
“Nope she won’t be home until six.”
“Good I’m coming over.”
Anthony sped up, each step making him more uncomfortable. Mit and Steve smiled at one another and followed. They were sure they didn’t want to miss whatever was about to happen.
Anthony quickened his pace to a slow jog once they made it to Mikey’s street. He could see the house up ahead.
“Ah, ugh.” He moaned, each step bringing him more discomfort. “I gotta go.” Anthony yelped then took off in a full sprint.
With Mikey on his heels he burst through the front door. As soon as he crossed into the foyer his wings sprung out ripping his shirt and taking up the majority of the living room. They sent pictures and little ornaments flying and knocked several paintings from the wall.
Mikey stared at him in amazement. Somehow his wings looked more impressive now than in the restroom. They had to span at least seven feet and looked like you could knock a grown man unconscious with a swing from them.
“Make them flap,” Steve smiled as he stepped inside and closed the door.
Anthony grinned and wiggled his shoulders. Nothing happened. He swung his arms, but his wings still didn’t budge. Mit slapped at them and in one fluid motion they flapped and sent him sprawling into the wall.
“Whoa!” Mikey yelled overshadowing Mit’s moans of pain.
Anthony ran to help Mit up apologizing along the way. “Sorry Mit, I can’t control these things.”
For the next hour Anthony tried unsuccessfully to gain some type of voluntary control over his wings. From wiggling his ears to making fart noises with his arms he tried everything. By the time he left he was no closer to controlling his wings than when he got there.
As the sun started to set Anthony scurried down the sidewalk hoping his wings wouldn’t come out again. When he made it home he walked into his house and darted upstairs, trying to avoid his mother. He made it halfway up the stairs when her voice called from the kitchen.