The Winged Man

By Rhoades Maibam

Once, there was a man who had wings. Yet, he walked on land just like most people. But, every time he looked up to the sky he saw people with wings soaring high in the sky. At first, he wondered why he wasn’t among them and at times, felt left out.

However, as he continued to observe, he saw that almost all the people soaring in the sky had bruises and scars all over them while the ones walking had none. This made him wonder, for he knew that sky had no obstacles and one could only get bruised on land. Unable to decipher, he continued to walk like others and was about to give up on finding the purpose of his wings.

But, from what seemed like the top of a mountain, he saw a human figure plunging into the sky along with a few others. They were risking it all and giving it all. Shocked and amazed at the same time, he continued to observe them for some time, and what he saw answered all the questions which had been troubling him all this time.

Among those who plunged, many were able to soar in the sky and this showed him ‘how’ winged people like him could soar in the sky. Also, many couldn’t make it and instead, fell hard on the rocks beneath. This showed him ‘why’ those soaring in the sky had scars and bruises all over them while the ones walking had none.

After this, the next thing that he did was head for the mountains.

By Rhoades Maibam