The main characters in these fifteen stories find their true selves in the face of adversity and with a dash of magic. They work at or are connected in different ways to the same company, Ripple Media, and experience unusual situations. Despite facing different dilemmas, all these characters end up finding their purpose in life, whether it’s through their career, hobby or passion, or the courage to speak up for themselves or others. The stories in this collection include:
*Flight of the Blue Fairy, where Julia develops an insatiable itch, only to find a zipper running down her back which allows her to release a new skin;
*The Third Eye, where Sam is at a restaurant opening when the third eye opens on his forehead;
*To The Fairest, where Sophia, a young law student, is given a golden apple that draws three competing Greek goddesses to visit her home.
This short story collection gives the reader glimpses into different lives, revealing different struggles and dilemmas solved through self-reflection brought on by magical encounters.
The main characters in these fifteen stories find their true selves in the face of adversity and with a dash of magic. They work at or are connected in different ways to the same company, Ripple Media, and experience unusual situations. Despite facing different dilemmas, all these characters end up finding their purpose in life, whether it’s through their career, hobby or passion, or the courage to speak up for themselves or others. The stories in this collection include:
*Flight of the Blue Fairy, where Julia develops an insatiable itch, only to find a zipper running down her back which allows her to release a new skin;
*The Third Eye, where Sam is at a restaurant opening when the third eye opens on his forehead;
*To The Fairest, where Sophia, a young law student, is given a golden apple that draws three competing Greek goddesses to visit her home.
This short story collection gives the reader glimpses into different lives, revealing different struggles and dilemmas solved through self-reflection brought on by magical encounters.
Most people couldn’t see Sam’s third eye, but when he was extra tired or drunk, it tended to make an appearance, winking suggestively at other men, indiscriminately. Sam was both super tired and beyond tipsy at the party tonight, so he shouldn’t have been surprised when he felt it open. His third eye was a problem for several reasons because 1. He wasn’t gay, 2. He hated being seen as a freak, and 3. It was the first time his girlfriend of two months was seeing it appear.
The party was in a hip new restaurant located on the top floor of a downtown hotel. Tonight was its opening night, and as Rebecca worked for a monthly Texas magazine as a food critic, she received a coveted invite.
He was deep in a discussion about avocados with a guy named Beto when the third eye opened. He could tell by the brief tightening of skin and then fluttery feeling of eyelashes on his forehead as the eye awoke and stretched. He considered excusing himself to the bathroom, but it was too late.
“Avocados were originally called alligator pears in Florida, but in California – “ Beto stopped midsentence to stare. “Are you seeing this too? Or is it just me?” he asked his date, whose name Sam didn’t remember.
Beto’s girlfriend pointed, with her mouth open wide.
Rebecca gasped audibly.
Sam felt all eyes on his forehead. He usually grew out his hair enough to help cover that area, but Rebecca talked him into a haircut last weekend, and he could no longer hide the eye behind shag. He usually carried a beanie around too, just in case, but realized it was currently in his car downstairs in the hotel garage. He planned to tell Rebecca that he had this unique condition, but he kept putting it off, and now, well, there was no hiding it.
He felt the eye wink at Beto and flutter suggestively. He turned to Rebecca and whispered, “I’m sorry, maybe we should go?”
“Oh my god, look at that! What’s wrong with his head?” someone said loudly from across the room. Other exclamations filled the air as people turned to look at Sam.
He ducked his head, his cheeks burning, that familiar sick feeling starting in his stomach.
Rebecca looked appalled and tried to angle her body to put herself between Sam and any observers. She replied quietly, “I need to stay, but maybe you should.” She looked around at people staring. “Yes, I think you need to leave.” She turned and walked away.
Beto spoke up. ‘“So, I’ve never seen that before. How does it work?”
Staring after Rebecca, Sam said, “Well, I see chakras. I can tell if they are out of alignment or need to be unblocked.” He looked around to make sure other people didn’t hear.
Beto looked impressed.
Beto’s girlfriend spoke up. “Can you look at my chakras?”
Sam sighed. “Yeah, your root chakra is out of alignment.”
“I knew it! Beto, I told you something felt wrong. I’m going to schedule a massage!” She walked off, pulling out her cell phone to make a call.
Beto shrugged and turned to follow her.
Sam found himself alone. This was the story of his life. Always slightly apart from others because of his difference. Even his parents hadn’t understood completely, pushing him to hide his third eye so that other kids wouldn’t treat him differently, but it was like everyone sensed his differentness. He never found true acceptance, except with his grandmother, Seraphina, who never made him feel weird or asked him to hide it. In fact, she encouraged him to embrace the third eye that made him unique, told him to lean into it and learn from what he could see with it.
“Hey, it’s Sam, right?” a voice piped up behind him.
He turned to see a coworker of Rebecca’s who he was introduced to earlier. He thought her name was Teagan.
“Don’t let these losers upset you. They just don’t understand or appreciate anything that’s different.”
“That’s really nice of you to say. Teagan, right?”
“Yeah. And I mean it. Don’t worry about these people, they aren’t the kind of people you should care about anyway.”
He looked at her dubiously.
She continued, “No, really, only pretentious snobs here today. All restaurant openings are like that. The people who feel the need to name-drop and be the first to eat somewhere new and trendy. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”
He looked at her curiously. “Aren’t you one of those people too?”
She looked offended and then laughed. “Ha! Well, it may seem that way, but I’m undercover.”
“You’re what?”
“Undercover. I write a food blog under an anonymous name. I don’t blow smoke up these celebrity chefs’ asses. I really tell it like it is. I get invited occasionally, like tonight, because my dad’s a chef, but if they knew I wrote that blog, they wouldn’t want me here. Critiquing and bitching is kind of my thing.” She grinned and shrugged.
“Sam, I thought you were leaving.” Rebecca returned.
He flushed and saw Teagan’s eyebrows rise. “I am leaving, but not because you think I should, but because I don’t want to spend any more time with you and unaccepting rude people who think it’s okay to stare and point.”
He heard someone clapping and saw Beto before his girlfriend shushed him. He made eye contact with Rebecca. “I’m so disappointed. I thought you were different.” And he turned around to leave the restaurant and head to the elevators.
Teagan caught up with him at the elevators. She smiled. “Want to grab some coffee?”
Her chakras were perfectly aligned, not a single one blocked. He nodded. “I’d like that.”
They stepped into the elevator. As the doors closed, she leaned in and whispered into his ear, “When I get turned on, I grow a third nipple.”
All three of his eyes widened in surprise, and he smiled.
Let Birds Fly is a collection of short stories that looks at how people interact with otherworldly forces (like coffee, green goo, or lost siblings) and how this helps them to reflect on or change the lives they have. Each story explores the goals, dreams, or awareness of a character, and each leaves you wondering how transformation will happen. Some stories interconnect, but each has its own focus and its own journey for the person taking part. This book is incredibly well written, with a rhythm that takes the reader into other worlds, and each of the stories is believable and alive with possibility.
Short story collections can be hard to get into, but this one is different and fully engaging. Each story is thought-provoking, with characters exploring what they really want. Do they want calm children if it means subduing them with substances? Do they want another packet of ego-busting coffee, or are they more interested in acquiring the tools to carry out their dreams? And how do you learn to survive after losing a sibling? Are dating sites as harmless as they seem? And how do we make sense of influencers when the products they punt have a deeper and more significant meaning to the people who create them?
Let Birds Fly is a brilliantly written satire that would suit fans of series like Black Mirror or people who question how to live life in a seemingly crazy world, where the push of a button enables us to delete people, and where we’re increasingly sold solutions to struggles we can’t work through. It’s superbly written, and the stories will leave you thinking for a long time afterwards. With few books like this on the market, Let Birds Fly is an absolute winner, subtle, intriguing, and different with each reading. This is one to gift, to hoard, and to come back to. I highly recommend it.