The hermit Owlman

It was a strange night as something unusual was stirring in the air. I myself am not a human entirely but a shape shifter, as I can transform from a man into a night 🦉. As I was sitting among the fern branches of the tall pines I witnessed a small craft descending downward. There was a wooden stage and people sitting in chairs with green chalk marks making a landing area. When the firey silver craft landed it sat still for a few seconds, then the door slowly opened. Out stepped a large form that appeared hairy, and other forms of the same emerged. There were about five. The folks gathered there seemed to be making bids as if they were being auctioned off, yet there was no acuctioner. Each one of the five beasts were sold and went into separate cars with each buyer. I’m not sure what happened to the craft as it began to snow where I returned to my home among the ferns. I wanted to tell someone about this so I transformed back into a man and went down to the river of dreams, to look for Everlasting. She was a spirit who appeared with each snowfall where they would fly together, women and owl. He still had his spacecraft that he had taken from the other world that he crafted himself and yet he had never seen another craft until this night. He wasn’t sure just where Everlasting came from since her transparent body would vanish in the two suns that shimmered light particles on the crystalline fern trees like refined sugar dancing with the sunlight. His dwelling resembled a large barn owls coop with his favorite fern grass and twigs to rest upon, and that is where he found her, resting by the river near his cottage. He told her about what he had seen with the hairy spacemen and people he had never seen before. She smiled her living smile and seemed to understand, as they spent some time together until she flew back to her dwelling among the southern glass cotton trees. “Promise me you will bring a branch of glass cotton for my nest “ She nodded she would as she lifted her naked body up and into the snowy night air. There was a cool mist surrounding her that twinkled as she disappeared.

It rained for weeks after that and so he grew bored without seeing Everlasting. He was about to go hunt for his dinner when there was a knock at his door. Opening his door he could see one of the hairy creatures he had seen a month before. “Who are you?” Barn owl asked. “ Forgive me from intruding but I don’t want to be a slave.” His stary eyes pleaded. “I saw you at the auction, as well as your spacecraft.” “I was sent here along with four others to be slaves as I have escaped” He showed his hands with a broken rope. His body was solid fur making him look as a Star Wars creature. “Please come in Owlman gestured as he took a puff of his pipe, his hair was a tail of feathers. Under the soft fern lighted lamps he had made out of wood and fern oil they studied each other carefully.

“Let’s make a deal, if you let me hide here until my ship arrives, I will give you sheets of amber glass from my world to improve this dwelling.” His eyes lit up a glowing gold. “ I know there are many worlds where creatures as yourself travel, but how will you contact your world? “With this “he reached into his chest of brown fur , showing a small device. “What is that?He asked studying its shiny structure of engraving metal. The beast opened it up as a bright orange light Beemed with tiny key notes & symbols. “You can call your home world with this?” “It’s all I have, I can’t get back to my craft with it guarded and covered with snow. The creature said as he took his beast like claws and plucked one of the feathers 🪶 . “Don’t do that anymore! I don’t like my feathers plucked!!” “Forgive me master owlman, I was only intrigued.” The beast stepped back hanging his giant head, clutching his device. “There are other secrets I can share from my world, such as invisibility. His eyes glowed again. “ I know you are also a shapeshifter & that is why I am sharing this with you.” As they were discussing a tiny craft landed outside in the snow. Owlman peered out his fern glass window. “How will you get into that ?” Creature explained, “ This device shoots a beam of amber, allowing me to shrink the size of a 🐝 as I can cloak my whole being.” “ If you can do this alone, what do you need me for” “I’m hungry & need food to time travel , it’s a long journey.” “I see, he motioned to his fireplace with a roasting rabbits 🐇, I’ll make you a delicious 🥘 meal, and pack you a bag of my best dried meats.” The two sat down at a small wooden table and shared a ravishing dinner before a long journey home. “ Now about that amber…..” Owls voice trailed off as beast told stories about prehistoric animals that were preserved in the amber glass walls that made up his city. The scene slowly fades away leaving nothing to see but glistening fern leaves & glass..