Vagary

Chapter eight

The noise was stronger now. I opened my eyes just a little and blinding white light burned my retinas. I groaned. Nowhere was this bright outside, so I must have been taken somewhere. The whirring pressed against me making me feel claustrophobic "vumh vmh vumh," it went, a nauseating racket.  It sounded like the purring of a large cat toying with its prey. 
    I opened my eyes again and blinked rapidly trying to adjust to what I could see. I was in hospital...I think. Everything spun around as my head throbbed, probably the blood loss taking it's toll. I looked down to see that the metal spike had been removed and my torso had been mummified with thick white bandages. Also rather disturbingly I was wearing nothing but a blue hospital gown that was a little too revealing for my liking. I tried to get out of the large machine but I heard voices and that stopped me briefly.
 "What in God's name is that," one voice said half in horror, half in curiosity. I didn't like the sound of that at all.
"He appears to have two large growths under his skin in his back." That explained the pain I had been feeling but again did not sound good. 
"Are they tumours?"
"No, they almost look like...no they couldn't be..."
"Brrrring Brrrrring..."
There it was the phone from my dreams. The other noise that didn't fit. It rang out loud and piercing drowning out the chattering of the doctors. I wrenched myself free of the machine and ran across the room to where the phone was fixed to the wall. I knew I wouldn't have long before an army of medical staff tried to subdue me, so I hastily grabbed it. 
   "Time to fly little bird," said a gruff voice with a familiarly strange accent to it. I dropped the phone. 
    Immediately and with the feeling I was about to get closure, I ran out of the door (shouts and curses following me), raced down the corridor and finally raced up flight after flight of stairs. I did not get tired, I did not question my actions. I was running on pure gut feeling now. 
    Finally reaching the roof I came across no obstacles which struck me as odd, why was it so easy for a patient to get up here? Taking a huge shaky breath I plunged on until I was around a metre away from the edge. I turned around to find my family and what looked like half of the hospital workers standing a small way off with the same look of panic on each face. I smiled weakly as I heard my parents telling everyone to get back or they'd scare me further. Looking to my side I saw the ghost of the dream me, with all those nights of fear etched on his face. It fuelled my determination. 
   "I'm sorry but I have to do this," I yelled my voice hoarse and sad though not fearful. I really was sorry I had to do this however I had prepared for this for a very long time. 
   Stepping back a few paces I heard a communal intake of breath before I threw myself over the edge. 
   The pain in my back grew tenfold. If I had been hit by an elephant doused in fire at this moment I wouldn't have noticed it. I felt two points of immense pressure in my back as two somethings moved under my skin fighting their way out. I reached my arms around and raked my fingers across the skin in both places breaking it open. 
   Two objects projected from my back and opened up around me. I saw a wall of those fantasy silver feathers that I had been stabbed with before engulf me. The wind stung my face as I tried to see the extent of them only to find that they were folded around my body. I grew sick with the realisation I was plummeting towards the ground with no means of survival. 
    My wings, as that is what they assuredly were, were plastered to me by the wind. As I tumbled over and over I could not get straightened out to open them up. A cry of frustration left me as I fought to even myself out. 
   The ground was hurtling towards me, far too close now. I could see people in the street pointing up at me in horror. I was too tired to fight anymore. My eyes closed and my body tensed for impact. 
   A wall hit me, but not the ground. Air had surged upwards allowing me to move my wings better and without a seconds thought I opened them up to catch the up current. I looked for the source of the air and found that curious little old man grinning up at me giddily those purple eyes dancing with mischief. 
   This was it. After all those nights of falling I was finally flying. I swooped off out into the city, my possibilities once so limited now stretched off into the horizon.