Immortals Lament

Valley of the Fallen Angels

Philza had two pieces of his heart. He had a cottage on a cliff where his and his wife's son, Wilbur, would grow. Wilbur had a few friends, Techno and Niki, and they played every day. But Wilbur simply could not wait until the day he could fly.

The day was coming up soon that Wilbur would be able to glide. Dadza and Mumza were going to take him. But Mumza didn't come home, and Dadza won't come out of his room, so Wilbur can't learn yet. There's a stone in the garden. Wilbur understands.

Dadza is out, but he's busy now with business and Niki and Techno are learning all sorts of cool things. Wilbur wants to fly now. Nobody will take him. That's okay. Wilbur understands. He can learn on his own.

Wilbur goes to the cliff by their house on a day that Dadza is gone. And then, he flies. For a moment, it's wonderful, everything he's ever imagined and more. The freedom ruffling his hair and his feathers, the smell of fresh, cool air around him, the view of the clouds above and the ground below, until the ground below gets far, far too close.

Philza comes home, and Wilbur is nowhere to be seen. Techno comes to the door, and tells him about the things he saw at the bottom of the cliff. Philza mourns, and from then on, there were two stones that sat in the garden.

A few days later, a basket is by the door. Inside is a baby with golden hair like the sun, and eyes blue like the sky. Philza can't help but take him in, loving the baby Tommy with everything he has. Dadza has to push through the grief now.

Tommy wants to fly, more than anything. It breaks Dadza's heart every time he has to tell him that he'll never fly, and his wings simply won't get bigger. Tommy doesn't understand. Tommy simply cannot wait until the day he can fly.

Dadza is tired, and goes to bed. Tommy decides if nobody will take him, he can learn it on his own. So he goes to the cliff outside of their house, and for a moment, it's everything he's ever imagined and more. He's just like Dadza. Except the ground is far, far too close.

Philza wakes up, and he knows something is wrong. Tommy can't be found. So he rushes out, flies down the cliff, and searches the ground. Relieved that nothing is found, he comes back up, and awaits Tommy's return.

Tommy doesn't return. After three days, Philza loses hope, searching the valley again, and again, and again. Nothing is ever found. Three stones sit in the garden. Philza mourns, and there is nothing that he has left. He stays every day by those stones.

Tommy loved his flight. How could he not have? It was horrible at first, falling so very far. But then, someone took his hand and helped him fly. He was a very strange boy, with spiky blue wings and a tail. But he was very fun. Tommy called him his big brother. Wilbur loved him like one too.

They made it back up the cliff a week after he fell. They opened the door, and were greeted by loving arms and loving wings. Two stones were gone from the back, as two pieces of Dadza's heart have returned.

One stone will always be there. She is there, lovingly watching her sons grow in the hopes that it takes them a very, very long time to ever see her again. But nobody is watching her, as she is there, but isn't at all.

One piece of his heart will never return. But his heart still feels full. It takes far too little time for them to go, and this time, they don't come back. Three stones in the garden now. But the fourth stone will never arrive. He remains, unchanging with time, sitting in the garden, until the house withers away, and the stones crumble to dust.

Sometimes, people will hear a very special birdsong from inside the valley. It sounds of sorrow and regret. They have taken to calling it The Immortals Lament.