The Virgin of Flames by Chris Abani

Author:Chris Abani
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2010-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

sixteen

no crow dies alone.

That’s what Gabriel told Black when he asked him why he wouldn’t leave him alone.

“The others don’t help. They just gather to watch. To sing it along the dark path.”

Black was sitting on the rail overlooking the 101 North. Gabriel could tell Black wanted to jump, and he couldn’t care less, but this was his job: to make a perfunctory attempt at saving humanity from itself. He was perched on the rail next to Black, wearing his pigeon disguise. Anyway, deep down Gabriel knew Black wouldn’t jump. If he was going to, he would have by now. All these years of carrying the darkness like a perverted torch. All these years and still searching. He sighed, thinking humans always did things the hard way.

“Some comfort,” Black said. The metal rail was cold and hard against his still turgid dick. Every time he shifted, he winced because he pinched his balls.

“What do you want from me? I’m a fucking pigeon.”

“That’s another thing. Why do you appear as a pigeon to me?”

“Only sometimes, though, right? I mean that’s the caveat. Only sometimes.”

“Still, it’s doubtful Mohammed or Mary would have taken you so seriously if you’d appeared to them as a pigeon.”

Gabriel shrugged. At least Black thought he shrugged, but he couldn’t be sure. He was a pigeon.

“To each his own hallucination,” he said.

“Oh, watch it there, buddy! That’s blasphemy.”

Gabriel cooed. Black lit a cigarette. The night sky was a navy blue sheet with the freeway for a seam.

“Do you want to see what I showed the old prophets?” Gabriel asked, after a while.

Black shrugged.

“Sure.”

“Follow me then,” Gabriel said, his words nearly lost in the flutter of wings. In the distance, the moon trembled on the lip of the Hollywood sign.

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