Flash Fiction Friday: Chained

You don’t know what it’s like. You don’t know how I feel, standing here above the world.

They taunt me. They torment me. They squawk and caw and cackle at my pain. They, with their wings still luxurious, still powerful, still sleek and beautiful as they reflect the moonlight.

Yet I… I stand here, chained to the earth. Never can I join them. Never will I be able to soar through the air. Never will I be able to stretch wings and beat them against the clouds as I rise higher and higher.

For I’m forever grounded.

No matter how strong I am, how powerful, how bold or courageous, I’ll never leave. I’ll remain here on this rock. I’ll stand here as the fire rages closer, as it consumes my world… as it consumes me.

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Inspired by artist Jonas Joedicke’s ‘Free Like a Bird‘ from Deviantart.