After the others were asleep, Martine stood at the open door and felt the hair on her skin turn downy and feathered. Nose and mouth beaked, wings sprouted from shoulder blades. She lifted and flew above the rooftops. She never tired of the thrill, swooping and soaring until dawn. Freedom.

Marilyn McFarlane is the author of Sacred Stories: Wisdom From World Religions and numerous travel books, and she writes poetry, mostly haiku, and fiction. She values minimalism and is impressed by how much can be conveyed in a mere fifty words.