When You Wish To Fly

20250905

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

“Dad?”
Amelia was never up before her alarm. That alone would’ve alerted Ted, but the fact his daughter had gone to bed early complaining of a sore back meant he’d already been fretting.
He wheeled about, his half-assembled work lunch disregarded, and found Amelia standing in the kitchen doorway tugging at the neck of her Chip’s Tips pyjama top, which was pulled tight and looked stretched.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?”
“I-it feels weird and I can’t get this off, and…” Her eyes were wide and panicked.
“Ok, sweetie, it’s ok.” Ted said soothingly, parental mantras kicking in. “Here, let me see…”
Once Amelia pattered into the kitchen proper the problem was obvious: a wobbling bulge on her back left the usually loose top far too small. Ted crouched down, gave his distraught seven-year-old a reassuring smooch, and gingerly peeled up her shirt to inspect the mystery.
At first it looked like a mass of skin folds flopping loose. Then it clicked and his breath caught.
Wings.
She’d. Sprouted. Wings.
His daughter had wings. Sprouting out of her back.
Oooookay. Deep breath. Think fast. Stay calm. Or at least act it.
“I… um. I see the problem, sweetie. Just… I need you to relax for me, ok?”
“O-ok.” Sure enough, the fluttering bat-like appendages calmed with the rest of her trembling body.
Ted carefully flattened the wings with one hand and with the other slid the pyjama top free. Once he’d gotten it over the wings removal was easy.
“What is - OH!” Amelia had craned her neck to peer behind her, and could now see the wings. She gawped. Her voice cracked and wobbled. “D-Dad…”
“Yeah.” Ted absently lobbed the pyjama top into the wash basket and gently, delicately smoothed out the scrunched new limbs. “Do… do they hurt?”
“Um. A little?” Amelia hesitantly wiggled her shoulders and the wings straightened further. “I think they’re just squished? It doesn’t… my back doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Ok. That’s good.” Ted assured himself as much as his daughter.
What was he supposed to do now?
Well, this was definitely something that needed a doctor. That was actually reassuring, because it put the bewildering morning under the tidy, well-established category My Child Needs Medical Care. He had a to-do list for that. There was precedent.
First things first. “Is Mummy still in bed?”
“Yeah. I… I didn’t wanna wake her and I could hear you and…”
“That’s good, sweetie. You did the right thing.” Ted fished out his phone. “I’m going to send Mummy a little text, and then I need to call school and tell them you won’t be in today. Ok? And I need to tell my work the same.”
“Ok.” The combination of soothing words and familiar phrases settled most of Amelia’s fear, her wings folding neatly against her back as she relaxed and nodded.
“You sit down and I’ll…” Ted paused as he realised the high-backed dining chairs probably weren’t comfortable for someone with wings. But the couch wouldn’t be either. He pulled a chair out and turned it sideways, and Amelia sat and leant her head against the back. Side. Whatever.
“Do… are you hungry? Thirsty?”
Come to think of it, Amelia had been eating a lot recently. They hadn’t thought anything of it. Growing girl and all that. But it may have been an early sign of… whatever this was.
“Uh… dunno.”
“Ok, well, tell me if you want cereal or anything.” Ted pulled up a message to his wife and after momentary flailing typed in [There’s been some kind of magical incident. Amelia’s ok, but we need to take her to the hospital. Brace yourself before coming downstairs.]
Not a reassuring thing to wake up to, but he wasn’t sure what else to say.
Now. Work, or school? He looked at the clock. He should be getting out the door any minute, so call his boss first. Thankfully it got picked up quickly.
“Morning, Ted. Something wrong?”
“Yeah.” Ted paused. Polite vagueness, or honesty? Normally he’d err towards the former, but… Felix was a werewolf, so… “I can’t come in today. My daughter sprouted wings overnight.”
Silence.
“I swear this isn’t-”
“I wouldn’t expect that kinda BS joke from you, pal.” Felix’s tone was calm and professional, a balm on jangly nerves. “So. I’ll mark you off for family emergency today, then you contact me as soon as you can to say how many days you’ll need.”
“Thank you so much you’re a star.”
“No worries, it’s my job.” Felix made it sound like this was no different from someone’s car not starting. “I, uh, assuming you’re taking her for a checkup?”
“Yeah, going to be headed to the hospital as soon as… everyone’s signed off.”
“Well, consider yourself signed off. Send my love to the little one - and you and Zara, of course.”
“Right. Thanks. I’ll update you as soon as… we know what’s going on.” Ted bid farewell and hung up, then immediately moved to the next call.
With Amelia’s school he kept to the bare facts that Amelia hadn’t been well last night, woke up feeling worse, and they were taking her to the doctor. Explaining everything could wait.
By the time he’d finished Amelia had gotten fidgety and started experimenting with her wings. Stretching them as wide as she could, folding them tight, flapping them.
Ted tried to keep his tone light and calm. Emulating Felix. “Still feeling ok, sweetie? Not hurting, or anything?”
“They feel weird, but… nothing’s hurting.” Amelia assured him. Her expression now intrigued rather than frightened. That was good.
“Alright.” Ted looked at the clock. Still a little early, but… he didn’t want poor Zara to walk right into this. “I’m going to wake up Mummy, ok? And explain things. Then we’ll take you to the hospital.”
“Ok.” Amelia’s wings flicked in time with her swaying feet. “Can we have breakfast first?”
“Yeah. Sure. Mummy’s going to need coffee anyway.”
And he could do with a sit-down.

Prompt was “Your character goes to bed with a sore back and wakes up to find they grew wings overnight.”