1 The Golden Cage

༺ Otis ༻

⠀

Have you ever heard the story of the parrot and its golden cage?

A merchant once received a gift from a friend. It was a beautiful parrot inside a golden cage.

The merchant fed his bird the tastiest of foods and put the cage inside his grand home with enough windows to look out into the luscious garden.

It was a wonderful life any pet could only dream of.

But one day, without a warning, the parrot fell over dead.

Struck with grief, the merchant dug a grave in his garden to bury the late friend but just as he was doing so, the parrot suddenly got up and flew away to sit on the fence.

"Parrot, why did you pretend to be dead?" the merchant asked.

His parrot replied: "The open sky is so much better than a golden cage."

And that was when their ways parted.

⤐

Honestly.

I don't remember the first time I had heard this story but today, more than ever, it reminds me of my own life.

Growing up I knew nothing about the outside world.

The August Country, which we citizens only ever called August, was a large autonomous state marked-off by the glass dome which towered above our heads and trees like a fancy cheese cover.

Behind the glass were endless meadows, forests, mountains and sky, and sometimes, when the day was clear, you could see how in the distance the colors changed - from green to grey and from blue to brown.

More than once I had wondered what life looks like outside of August. In fact, I wondered every single day.

But nobody here was allowed to leave. Ever. Except for the highest diplomats, a small group of humans trained to negotiate and monger with whoever lived on the other side.

You may be wondering why my people and I were closed off from the rest of the world and although the answer is simple, I myself was never satisfied with it.

We were humans. And they were not.

Okay, to be fair, it wasn't that black and white. Let me rephrase it.

'Most' of us were humans and 'most' of them were not. And for some reason somebody decided that it would be better to separate the two groups.

Maybe I would've known had I been taught anything about history in school but the only retrospective looks we ever dared to take were focused on The August Country alone.

The year the dome appeared was marked as year 0. Everything before that was irrelevant and snuffed out.

There were no records, notes or files that could have told me the origin of our world order. The only people to know what happened before year 0 were the diplomats and our government.

Maybe there were some old scriptures and books hidden deeply inside the state library but I could have only speculated and had given up my curiosity a long time ago.

That was until I met my twin brother, Ren.

⤐

"Otis, breakfast is ready."

My mom is poking her round head through the door and the usual waft of perfume and sulphur frolics its way into my room.

When I rectified that most of us are humans, it was my mom who I had remembered.

Because Tía Maria Von Stein is a witch.

And with her purple, wavy hair and glowing eyes she surely does look like one.

August is a human state and not supposed to be a home for witches and other magical beings. Exceptions are made when the person in question is raising a human family and swears to act as one.

Still, my mom likes doing her little experiments when nobody is watching and has taught me a thing or two, such as brewing a healing potion or bringing a dead plant back to life. Small things that only benefit us little but would get her into big trouble if anyone found out.

As a half-breed I possess some of her abilities , emphasis on some. I doubt that I will ever be able to fly or freeze time.

All the skills that would seem helpful to escape this golden cage are out of my league. What irony.

The rice, fruits and eggs smell amazing and once I arrive in the kitchen, I load my plate with as much food as I can. Of course I'm not skimping on the tea either.

"I will pick you up at five. I've got a meeting."

My dad doesn't look up from his book as he takes a sip from his coffee.

I don't recognize the novel he is holding but it's not uncommon for him to get through 500 pages within a week.

"You don't have to pick me up, I could take the tram."

His eyes glide over the thin rim of the glasses as he examines me.

"You plan on riding the tram with a new puppy? The car is safer. And I can help you pick the right one."

I just nod.

There is no point arguing anyway. My father has always been slightly over-protective of me, unlike my mom. With his only son being a half-breed and him a human who can't properly protect me, there is a lot to worry about. According to him.

Sometimes I'm thankful for it.

And sometimes I wish he would be like other dads and demand for me to act like a man.

I guess the right middleground hasn't been invented yet.

The doorbell rings and knowing who is waiting on the other side, I swallow what I'm chewing, jump up from my chair and grab my bag while sprinting through the hallway, hoping I'd arrive before my mom.

I swing the door open and almost run into Sora.

The girl stumbles back in surprise and grabs my shoulders so neither of us falls over.

"Somebody's eager for classes. Is it lasagna day? Did I miss something?"

I pull my friend into a hug and take in her scent.

Then I let go again.

"No, I'm just excited for today because…" A grin forms on my face.

Sora looks at me impatiently. "Because what?"

I take a deep breath before I reveal the news.

"My parents promised me that as a birthday present I would get a dog. And we will be adopting it today."

Her blue eyes widen. "No! A puppy?"

"Yes!"

"But your birthday is only in two weeks. Doesn't gifting presents early mean bad luck?"

I roll my eyes and pull her with me so we can finally start our way to college.

"Bad luck is not a thing. We are just going to adopt a dog, what could go wrong?"

Sora tucks red hair behind her ear, trying to come up with a riposte.

"What if the dog turns out to be sick? Or possessed?"

"Oh please! I was raised by a witch but you're the superstitious one?"

"I'm serious, Otis. What if - what is that?"

We slow down our steps once we spot a protest group on the other side of the road.

"A strike? Not very typical for D4. Especially not in the suburbs."

Sora is right, we hardly ever have protests here compared to other areas.

Our state is separated into six districts. The higher the number, the wealthier the people.

In the newspaper they often talk about protests in D2 and sometimes D3 but D4? What reasons could they have to complain? Afterall, the citizens here are doing pretty well.

"Should we go ask?"

Sora shakes her head. "No, I don't care. Let's keep going."

But when I see the signs the small group of people is waving, my curiosity wins and I pull my groaning friend with me.

Immediately, a young man with dreadlocks and a sparsely growing beard storms at us and forces leaflets into our hands.

"The news is out! TPN wants to take over! August is losing its autonomy!"

I look at the colorless paper I'm now holding and the first thing I notice is our crest.

A silver scale in front of greenery, one side is carrying a red apple, the other one a book.

Below are the words:

'Save August. Stop TPN.'

TPN is the common acronym for The Pure Nation, the only other state I've ever heard about.

They are supposedly similar to us, a nation of humans, with the difference being that they do not accept magical beings. And so they call themselves pure.

"They want to rule over August. Diplomats are currently working out a treaty with them. What does TPN gain? The authority. What do we gain? Nothing!"

"But then why…"

"We have to stop this! Spread the word! And sign our petition!"

The eager man holds a clipboard under my nose and apparently, lots of people have signed already. Isn't that the handwriting of our neighbor?

"Sorry but we are in a hurry."

Sora pulls on my sleeve and as much as I would love to follow her and avoid any social contact as I usually do, today is a different day.

So instead I say: "Give me a pen."

"Otis!" Sora hisses and then whispers: "You can't sign a petition when you don't know what's going on."

But I ignore her concern and put my name down on the paper.

"There you go. But honestly, I doubt TPN is going to do anything."

"Really?"

The man looks at me. His piercing, sharp eyes meet mine.

"Do you really think that? Or are you just trying to convince yourself?"