Quirk: Read Outside the Lines

Cages

Long poles bit into his shoulders. Twelve cages, each filled, dangled around him while the chittering, chirps, and tweets created a cacophony in Mateo's head. A feather escaped from between the bars and swirled to the ground.

The variety of birds still astonished him. From small, colorful hummingbirds whose wings sounded like insects to a toucan, red-orange bill gnashing the bars, beak strong enough to break a finger. A Great Kiskadee called out from its cage, repeating variants of its name in a serrated, high pitch.

Since childhood, he'd been able to hold out a hand, and the birds flocked. People in his village called him fowl, shying away, not sure if he was cursed or blessed. Now it kept his family and small village in the Costa Rican rainforest alive with food and supplies.

He walked along the dirt lanes. Cattle rested in their fields dotted with trees. High up, sloths shared the branches with monkeys and the birds he loved.

Mateo would never hurt them but sold them to an aviary in a large tourist town. They'd watched the sky from under a dome of netting, flying to the highest shrub rather than soaring the skies. He'd experienced a collected sadness when he arrived at the dome with new birds to sell, but all things sacrificed to survive.

They'd live their lives well-fed but caged.

At the aviary, he swapped birds for cash. The manager explained they needed something different from the normal parrots, tanagers, and motmots for future sales.

He made his way home, the walk long. But Mateo was rewarded with his mother's smile when he shared the money.

The following week, he scouted a new area, humid air sweet, dense rainforest foliage biting into him.

A new song met him in the wind when he stopped for a drink.

Mateo struggled closer and held out his hand. The bird landed upon it, and he blinked, unbelieving. It was the size of a chicken but elegant, with a mix of gold, silver, and red feathers.

He waited for it to sing, but instead, it spoke. "Mateo. I can bring your dream to life."

Mateo stepped back, throwing the bird away.

"Do not be afraid. I know your gifts, and I can give you what you want. I am a phoenix. Here to help you resurrect yourself. Don't you want to fly? See the world from the clouds above."

"How do you know my dream?"

"Could it be anything else? The only reason birds flock to you is because, in your heart, you are one as well." The phoenix sang the most haunting, beautiful song.

Mateo felt his bones turn light. Wings sprouted along his arms and legs as his clothes fell away.

He was transformed and immediately took to the sky. The phoenix joined him. "Enjoy the view and find me when you are done so I might return you to your human form."

Mateo sailed through the sky and clouds, landing in the highest branches of the trees and surveying the world. Everything looked tiny and timid below. He felt invincible.

A shining object caught his attention; curious, he went down to look at it. It was a ring. He snatched it in his beak, a lovely gift for his mother.

Black webbing covered him, and he could not escape, wings pinned to his side. Two humans stood above him.

"What is that?" a gruff, raggedy man asked.

"Don't know. Never seen a bird like that."

"You think it will bring a lot of money?"

"With those colors, absolutely. We can have it in the States by next week."

"Let's just hope it doesn't die like that last shipment we smuggled."