When the Crane People Came — Part Two
By E.B. Sommer
A few days later, the Crane People come. Their large milk-colored wings and long necks make a stark contrast to the dark blue sky behind them. Their wings and necks are the few traits they share with the birds native to our planet, but our species still cannot pronounce their true name, and we have settled on calling them something that is familiar and safe. Our kind does not like to acknowledge the unknown, even when it is staring us in the face.
Hilda is in the fields beside me, and we share a few quick glances. Both of us like the days when the Crane People come. My father scowls to my left.
They are mostly silent–watchful–but occasionally they do communicate with us. That is one of the many marvels surrounding their coming to Earth; they were able to speak with us as soon as they landed, assuring us that the abrupt cut in radio and television signals was an unfortunate side effect of their arrival, but that they would do their best to assist our species in transitioning away from our harmful ways of life. Some called them angels and some called them devils. I was too young to think anything about them beyond that they were ‘other’ to ourselves. For our species, the ‘other’ will always hold a little of the angel and a little of the devil in them.
They hover on the edges of the field where we work, watching with their overly large, haunted eyes. They don’t linger long, and take to the skies after only an hour or two has passed, fleeing to their cities in the clouds. My father watches them with a fiery hate in his eyes. Hilda and I watch them with something like awe.
E.B. Sommer has been writing her whole life, but as with many writers she has only recently been willing to submit her work. She’s an insurance agent by trade and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, having served for 27 months in Rwanda. Her work has been featured in The Stygian Zine, Manawaker Flash Fiction Podcast, and In Another Time Magazine. She resides in Minnesota, where she lives with her family and their dog, Sam. She can be found at www.ebsommer.com.
Copyright © 2025 By E.B. Sommer