The Starry City

He sat upon the fence of the Sky Pier, the tattered cloths of the peasant class blowing in the wind of the sea that rippled above him. The Sea that stretched from the purple of the night to the yellow blazing sun that set on the bayou.

           The wood of the Pier creaked under the pressure of the air swirling around it, splintered and rusted from years of weathered abuse. The boys hair rustled in the air above the City of Stars, the scent of magic strong on his skin, creating an aura in the breeze. The gulls flapped their mighty wings in front of him, far from the Pier, where normal man could not reach, but could only dream.

          "If only" thought the boy, gazing upon the gulls as they flew towards the mighty palace by the river, where the King and Queen ate and laughed and argued with the Nobles and the Musketeers.

           "If only I could walk through the air upon my feet, like the boats walk upon the water, and the birds upon the clouds." He said in his mind, slowly leaning toward towards.the edge of the Pier, eyes closed, high hopes. The wind picked up as his cloths rustled harder and his hair rustled faster. 

            He opened his eyes abruptly and spread his hands out like wings. An aura surrounded the boy, as thought light itself became his wings, and his eyes shown bright like fire. As thought the sun had missed the West, and set behind his eyelids instead.

            He started floating above the fence on the Pier, slowly flapping his arms like the sparrows and the pigeons. Light danced around him like moths around a flame. He floated higher and higher, above the Pier, like a gull in the wind.

            "I'm doing it!" He thought to himself. "I'm doing it!"

            "Joseph! Supper!" Yelled his mother from the kitchen. He fell back down to the Pier, landing on his back and causing a loud creak to come from the old wood.

            "Coming!" He yelled back, getting up quickly and dusting himself off. He ran back to his house upon the rock, where the candy cane lighthouse had sat for years overlooking the Starry City. And all was He sat upon the fence of the Sky Pier, the tattered cloths of the peasant class blowing in the wind of the sea that rippled above him. The Sea that stretched from the purple of the night to the yellow blazing sun that set on the bayou.

           The wood of the Pier creaked under the pressure of the air swirling around it, splintered and rusted from years of weathered abuse. The boys hair rustled in the air above the City of Stars, the scent of magic strong on his skin, creating an aura in the breeze. The gulls flapped their mighty wings in front of him, far from the Pier, where normal man could not reach, but could only dream.

          "If only" thought the boy, gazing upon the gulls as they flew towards the mighty palace by the river, where the King and Queen ate and laughed and argued with the Nobles and the Musketeers.

           "If only I could walk through the air upon my feet, like the boats walk upon the water, and the birds upon the clouds." He said in his mind, slowly leaning toward towards.the edge of the Pier, eyes closed, high hopes. The wind picked up as his cloths rustled harder and his hair rustled faster. 

            He opened his eyes abruptly and spread his hands out like wings. An aura surrounded the boy, as thought light itself became his wings, and his eyes shown bright like fire. As thought the sun had missed the West, and set behind his eyelids instead.

            He started floating above the fence on the Pier, slowly flapping his arms like the sparrows and the pigeons. Light danced around him like moths around a flame. He floated higher and higher, above the Pier, like a feather floating in the wind and breeze.

            "I'm doing it!" He cried out to the city below him. "I'm walking on air!"

            "Joseph! Supper!" Yelled his mother from the kitchen. He fell back down to the Pier, landing on his back and causing a loud creak to come from the old wood.

            "Coming!" He yelled back, getting up quickly and dusting himself off. He ran back to his house upon the rock, where the candy cane lighthouse had sat for years overlooking the Starry City, shining it's light for all the ships lost in the storms, in danger of a fatal blow from the rocks that barricaded the cliffs of the beach.

            The steps of the lighthouse moaned under the weight and pressure of little Joseph sprinting up them towards the dinner that awaited his arrival. He opened the creaky door and disappeared into the bottom of the lighthouse. Into the sanctum of his birth home and the grave of the light masters before him.

            As he closed the door of the house with one last creak, a figure appeared from the shadows of the Pier. Dressed in all black from head to toe, the figure moved towards the lighthouse window, an gazed maliciously upon Joseph and his mother.

            "Prey..." Hissed the figure, scratching the side of the lighthouse with it's boney clawed hands. The cloak it wore rippled in the wind, and then blew back suddenly exposing a massive set of black demonic wings. The man, if one could even call him that, crouched down to his knees, spread his wings and flew far up into the sky, leaving a contrail of darkness in his wake.

             And then, the wind stopped and the sun set... And all was well....