Wings to Freedom

Chapter IV

From Death's Door to Heavenly Wings 🪽

Afterall, this was the very place where my life as a human ended..

ᕦ≧≦ᕤ

I fly towards a tree and land on one of its branches where I'm getting a good view of the interior of the building, and even my old bedroom.

That's the square where I've spent most of my life inside. My body has always been weak since birth and I was constantly sick with the most minor problems. My days were spent confined inside my bedroom, missing out on the activities that other children typically enjoyed.

That was my typical day, lying down in bed staring at the ceiling. The maids would come and help me get up in the morning and clean up after me, but after that, they'd leave me alone with only a small bell by my side to call the maids if I needed anything.

.
One day, my weak body hit its limit, and I felt immense pain spreading all over my body. The doctors tried their best to save me, but they knew that my condition was beyond saving. And I could feel it, too.

I turned to my side and saw my mother crying beside me while holding my hand. Her voice is fading as my eyes grew so heavy and the pain felt endless. Maybe if I just surrender to the sleep, the pain will eventually go away?

Perhaps the years of loneliness and boredom could be behind why part of me was relieved at the moment of death. Though death as a concept is terrifying, in my final moments, I felt at peace during the process.

the suffering was finally over.

I had no memories afterwards. Yet, I simply opened my eyes and discovered that I was kilometers high up in the sky, like an angel with the world at my fingertips.

At that moment I felt like I was falling towards the ground And started panicking. But before that, my feathers suddenly came to my rescue and caught me midair. And that's when I realized that I was a bird with wings

I notice my elder brother and younger sister, who are having a conversation in the living room. Back then, it felt frustrating to watch them look so careless and emotionless during my funeral, as if my death wasn't even worth mourning. But now, I can understand them now;

we never had any genuine relationships in the first place, so they had no need to cry over my passing.

I notice my mother sitting alone in her bed and organizing her jewelry. I was glad to see her doing better compared to the last few years. She might have been the only one who genuinely cared for me, and I'm glad she's still healing from my loss.

My mother would always be there to comfort and watch over me whenever the pain got too intense. I noticed a worried and scared gaze upon her face, and I think I even saw some guilt;

Quilt for having given me such a weak body.

I call it a day and fly off from my old house. I feel like I've seen enough for today.
Now flying closer towards Alfonso's window, I start wondering whether he's already returned from his classes or not.

To my surprise, I see that the window is ... closed...?

Who closed the window? I wonder to myself. Did someone come in to make sure it's closed after he'd left? Or perhaps Alfonso came back and closed it himself?

Before I can figure out the reason, the window gets opened suddenly and forcefully, and I'm abruptly snatched inside with force. I don't even see who did it, as all I feel is this rough pulling of my wings and body as I'm yanked inside the room.

I instinctively bite the hand of the person who's grabbing me so roughly, and they let go of me as they curse loudly.

"Fucking bird!" a female voice swears.

As soon as she lets go of me, I take the chance to escape her, and fly towards the top of the highest closet in the room, where I'm out of her reach.

She looks back at me furiously while holding the hand I bit with her other hand. Her face then suddenly changes from a furious and disgusted look to a very gentle and angelic expression as she walks towards the door.

"Your highness, the white Dove has returned" she tells Alfonso. Her tone is now much sweeter and kinder than before, as Alfonso makes his way inside the room.

Some people can be truly frightening. Just a few seconds ago, she seemed to despise me with every part of her being. Yet, as soon as she starts speaking to Alfonso, her entire behavior does a complete 180° on me.

"Thank you for notifying me, Grace" Alfonso replies. I see a bright spark in his eyes as he locks eyes with me.

Grace shoots a fierce look in my direction before retreating in her steps. When she leaves the room, I turn my attention back to Alfonso who's wearing glasses. He looks good in them.

"Erisah. I thought you had left and were gone, but you came back after all. I'm so relieved to see you here."

Alfonso's voice is soothing and soft, full of relief. He looks at me with a gentle expression, as if he was truly worried about my whereabouts.

How long has it been since someone was so happy with my presence? I think to myself.

I fly towards him, and once I've landed on his shoulder, I stay a little longer there, to show him that I'm also pleased with his presence

"I have something for you," he suddenly tells me. I'm starting to wonder what it could be since it could be anything inside that bag, from an apple to a rare treasure.

Looking back on this moment, I still can't believe how disgusting the contents of the bag were.

ᕦ≧≦ᕤ

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