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Authors: Philip José Farmer
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north. Then it turned again as if pivoting on an invisible pin.
The flames leaped out from the stiff-wings. Its roar rose and fell as it climbed up above the Bird of God. It rose almost straight up and dived down away. The black things were sticking out of the other side now, but Ras could not see any red spurting from it. It dropped swiftly, then shot off at an angle. The flaming bird twisted with it, still coming fast. Something black fell from its side, turned over and over, then shot out a small black object. The small object unfolded as a flower unfolds and became a great white bloom. Below it hung the figure of a human being--or of an angel. The white flower and the body drifted southward, falling slowly, carried with the wind.
Ras had wanted to see where the angel hit the ground. At that moment, however, the change in sounds from the two birds made him turn to look at them. The stiff-wings, a bloom of fire with petals of dark smoke, had caught up with the Bird of God. It flashed by on its side, wings perpendicular to the ground, and one wing struck the whirling wings of the Bird of God. The stiff-wings flew into pieces; the Bird of God staggered and began to fall.
Immediately thereafter, the stiff-wings exploded. A ball of scarlet, it swelled. and enveloped the Bird of God. Then the ball had gone by and was falling. The Bird of God was falling also, but more slowly. A black figure hurtled from it, and presently it also bloomed and a human figure was swaying beneath the flower, which was a bright yellow.
Ras could see that there was still a man in the belly of the Bird of God. He rose from his seat and leaped through theopening in the side and out into the air. He flamed as he fell.
There were many small white objects floating from the wounded side of the bird. They streamed out like loose feathers and began to dance back and forth, coming down slowly. They floated out behind the Bird of God; they were rectangular beads strung on blue threads of air. The threads disintegrated and the beads were everywhere. And when the lowest came close enough to Ras for him to see them, he knew that they were sheets of paper, like the pages of the books in the old cabin.
The Bird of God gave birth to flame with a bellow of anguish. It passed overhead, still streaming paper now, but burning paper. The last man to jump from it struck the ground beyond a tree a hundred yards away from Ras.
The first to jump was about four hundred yards away to the southeast and near the jungle. Ras watched the figure and then shouted with surprise when long, yellow hair floated out from her.
Yellow hair?!
"Your wife will be white and perhaps she will have yellow hair," Mariyam had said.
Ras had thought this strange. He was not sure he would like yellow hair.
"It is written that you will have a wife," Yusufu had said. "But there is no promise that she will have yellow hair."
The Bird of God brushed against the tops of the trees to the southeast and blocked off his view of the yellow-haired person. It crashed with a great noise, and flames shot up, and screaming birds flew up, so numerous they were like specks of pepper. Pepper in the eyes they were, because if the yellow hair was stillfalling, she was curtained off by the birds. Smoke poured out from the trees then and obscured the birds also.
By now, the being beneath the yellow flower was also out of sight. Ras started toward the flames but stopped, his spear held before him. A leopard had burst out of the jungle and was bounding toward him. Its ears were laid back flat, and it was snarling.
"O beautiful with Death, you will have a mate today!" he shouted. "My spear!"
The leopard bounded past with not a glance at him. Behind it came three tiny, twist-horned antelope, a long-necked serval cat, and a mongoose, all running shoulder to shoulder and paying no attention to anything but the terror that had also driven the leopard. Ras laughed and ran on, though he still held his spear ready. The
The flames leaped out from the stiff-wings. Its roar rose and fell as it climbed up above the Bird of God. It rose almost straight up and dived down away. The black things were sticking out of the other side now, but Ras could not see any red spurting from it. It dropped swiftly, then shot off at an angle. The flaming bird twisted with it, still coming fast. Something black fell from its side, turned over and over, then shot out a small black object. The small object unfolded as a flower unfolds and became a great white bloom. Below it hung the figure of a human being--or of an angel. The white flower and the body drifted southward, falling slowly, carried with the wind.
Ras had wanted to see where the angel hit the ground. At that moment, however, the change in sounds from the two birds made him turn to look at them. The stiff-wings, a bloom of fire with petals of dark smoke, had caught up with the Bird of God. It flashed by on its side, wings perpendicular to the ground, and one wing struck the whirling wings of the Bird of God. The stiff-wings flew into pieces; the Bird of God staggered and began to fall.
Immediately thereafter, the stiff-wings exploded. A ball of scarlet, it swelled. and enveloped the Bird of God. Then the ball had gone by and was falling. The Bird of God was falling also, but more slowly. A black figure hurtled from it, and presently it also bloomed and a human figure was swaying beneath the flower, which was a bright yellow.
Ras could see that there was still a man in the belly of the Bird of God. He rose from his seat and leaped through theopening in the side and out into the air. He flamed as he fell.
There were many small white objects floating from the wounded side of the bird. They streamed out like loose feathers and began to dance back and forth, coming down slowly. They floated out behind the Bird of God; they were rectangular beads strung on blue threads of air. The threads disintegrated and the beads were everywhere. And when the lowest came close enough to Ras for him to see them, he knew that they were sheets of paper, like the pages of the books in the old cabin.
The Bird of God gave birth to flame with a bellow of anguish. It passed overhead, still streaming paper now, but burning paper. The last man to jump from it struck the ground beyond a tree a hundred yards away from Ras.
The first to jump was about four hundred yards away to the southeast and near the jungle. Ras watched the figure and then shouted with surprise when long, yellow hair floated out from her.
Yellow hair?!
"Your wife will be white and perhaps she will have yellow hair," Mariyam had said.
Ras had thought this strange. He was not sure he would like yellow hair.
"It is written that you will have a wife," Yusufu had said. "But there is no promise that she will have yellow hair."
The Bird of God brushed against the tops of the trees to the southeast and blocked off his view of the yellow-haired person. It crashed with a great noise, and flames shot up, and screaming birds flew up, so numerous they were like specks of pepper. Pepper in the eyes they were, because if the yellow hair was stillfalling, she was curtained off by the birds. Smoke poured out from the trees then and obscured the birds also.
By now, the being beneath the yellow flower was also out of sight. Ras started toward the flames but stopped, his spear held before him. A leopard had burst out of the jungle and was bounding toward him. Its ears were laid back flat, and it was snarling.
"O beautiful with Death, you will have a mate today!" he shouted. "My spear!"
The leopard bounded past with not a glance at him. Behind it came three tiny, twist-horned antelope, a long-necked serval cat, and a mongoose, all running shoulder to shoulder and paying no attention to anything but the terror that had also driven the leopard. Ras laughed and ran on, though he still held his spear ready. The
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