Sleeping
Eventually he decided to bank sharply and correct course back to his village. It materialized beneath him the way it must have several times now, but first in his experience. A slow spiral brought him down closer until finally he could bring his feet out beneath him and flap back to the Earth, the grass bowing away from him in a panic. A satisfied sigh escaped him. He rustled his body and strutted back through the office backdoor, making sure to close it this time. Passing his office, he thought about the ledger in which he’d memorized every name in the town. Suddenly it seemed like he didn’t need to do that anymore. With the sound of rushing wind still ringing in his ears, he was confident he wouldn’t have any problems being mayor.
Back out the front door he saw the village again. It was quieter now. The sun was setting, and shops were closing down. The few folk he did see elicited names in his head. I could probably walk back through the street and say goodnight, but that wouldn’t make much sense, now would it? In just one flap of the wings, he was back into the air. A steep climb fed into an even steeper dive. The streets rushed to meet him up to the moment he pulled up hard and came to level only a few feet above the rooftops. The citizens still outside saw his silhouette rush past them, his shadow barreling down the street and then down the hill. None gave much reaction, not because they weren’t impressed, but because seeing the mayor fly was like seeing the back of their hands. He was always there for them.
Jared slept like a corpse that night, all curled up in bed with his massive wing-hands folded over his head. He woke to the ring of his alarm clock which he slapped into silence. It had torn him from dreams of flight and freedom, though he remained unbothered as that awaited him in the day ahead. In another example of muscle memory he brushed through his morning routine, a segment of which included watching the morning news (where they were broadcasting from and how he got reception was a mystery, but not one he cared to investigate). From his front door he flitted into the air and made the brief flight to the office, performing yet another flyby of the village along the way and again failing to garner much of a reaction from those below.
Tina was waiting for him at the front desk once he burst through the front door. “So! What’s on the docket today?” he boomed.
A mildly startled Tina quickly checked a clipboard and rattled off Jared’s itinerary. He had braced for something complicated, or at least something technical that would’ve required the know-how of a seasoned politician. Instead, there was not much of anything to do besides showing his pretty face around town. That was the gist of everything Tina had listed for him. Check on the Feraligatr family and their new hatchling. See how repairs on the doctor’s building are doing. Etcetera, etcetera. It suddenly dawned on Jared that his duties as “mayor” were purely ceremonial. I suppose there’s not much to do in a village this small besides make sure everyone’s happy. I probably wasn’t even voted into this position. It was probably just given to me.
Written by TheGreatJaceyGee on 08 December 2025
The end (for now)