He stared glumly out at the rain. The birds were perched on the telephone cable, their wings drawn tightly around the small bodies, shivering from the cold and wet. He could not see them that clearly – they were too far off for him to see – but he knew that they were cold. It was the bird in him, he thought, shivering slightly at the thought.
Suddenly, he felt as though the bone in his right arm had snapped. He cringed, his arms, both now, hanging uselessly by his sides. Then his back cramped and he fell to the floor, crying out to the Lord. He felt as though someone grated the hair of his head, and he screamed, bending over in agony.
Then the pain subsided just as suddenly as it had started. He raised his head, eying his surroundings. Nothing had changed there. No one had seen him transform into a huge bald eagle. He felt like weeping, but no tears came to the large bird’s eyes.
© 2016
Friday Fictioneers, 6 May 2016
Photo prompt provided by Roger Bultot
FELICIA HEILGENDORFF 
Was this inspired by Gregor Samsa in Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”?
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Thanks for reading 🙂 Nope, it actually wasn’t… I’ve never read that before!
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Poor chap, it doesn’t look like he has any control over his transformation, which otherwise could be quite freeing, to soar among the clouds at will.
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No, I agree, I don’t think he ever looks forward to his transformation! Thanks for reading 🙂
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Them birds had better leave quickly, in case he is hunger. 🙂
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Ooh, yeah! I hadn’t thought of that, but they will probably be taking flight immediately, scared of the sudden arrival of such a massive bird!
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Oh, is he a Were-eagle, or a shape shifter? This is fascinating, and the pain of the transformation very moving.
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Not quite sure.. at the very least, he can’t control transforming into an eagle and it’s not something he wants happening, because it’s so painful to go through.. Thank you! 🙂
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Great story of transformation. I would love to be a bald eagle! 🙂
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Thank you! I would love to roam the skies as well – it seems like a very fun thing to do! 🙂
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