In a world where humanity has split between the winged and the earthbound, one man's failed transformation leaves him caught between two worlds. After five years away, he returns home for one last chance at reconciliation, bearing a cake and the weight of his deteriorating body. But time moves differently when you're dying, and the line between reality and hallucination blurs with each passing moment. As he navigates a tense family dinner where tablecloths fray and reform, and walls snow inside navy bedrooms, he must confront the price of evolution and the cost of belonging. This haunting tale explores the spaces between who we were and who we become, asking whether love can bridge the gap between the human and post-human. This story delves into the heart of what makes us human: our flaws, our love, and our desperate need to make things right before time runs out.

The Story Behind the Story

Ren gifted me two stories for my 31st birthday. This was one of them. The other was Born, Bound, Blind. He had intended to expand this one into a full novel, and had created spreadsheets where he’d plotted the story and details for world-building, down to things like currency and economy. I still have these documents, but I don’t think I have the heart to complete it for him.

In the beginning stages of talking about writing an anthology together, we had both been working on our respective novels: his The Human Constant Equation and my Canticle of the Turning. As we lamented the struggle to complete a full novel, we decided to turn our efforts to short stories, and compile them into a single collection. Since both our books had sprung from short stories, we agreed to include their original forms in the anthology as well.

So, you’ll notice these two stories don’t share any connecting threads with the others in the collection. Unlike the other stories, these aren’t set in the same world.

While The Human Constant Equation was, of course, included in the original edition, I went back and forth for a while on whether or not to include it in the new one. Part of the reason is because I’m unsure whether or not I will come back to Ren’s book in the future and try to finish his work. Leaving this story in the collection would give away some spoilers, if that is the case.

I had the same reasoning for leaving out Canticle of the Turning, since I do intend to complete that book (that excerpt is also just really long..).

However, this version will still be included as a bonus story in the new edition.

For revisions, as always, I kept as much of Ren’s original words as possible. I enhanced some parts by adding sensory or other meaningful details. I also polished his wording a bit so his meaning is clearer.