Flapping wings wake me. With a faint, musty scent, a warm Persian breeze caresses my face. Am I still alive? Only a faint groan comes from my parched throat. Another pain shoots through me, and I shut my eyes in agony. Drifting between wakefulness and dreamland, I stir on this rocky ground. A presence hovers over me. I open my eyes slowly. A cluster of feathers covers my entire field of vision. A familiar beak peeks out. Is that you, Simurgh? I’ve missed you, my friend! I pass out again as the giant bird hoists me up and soars skyward.
~
Toshiya Kamei holds an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Arkansas. His translations have appeared in such venues as Clarkesworld, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Strange Horizons.