text: I found the girl’s bones in the church, tucked inside the attic. They had been picked clean and were colored stone gray. The only flesh that remained on her skeleton was the skin stretched taut across her skull. It cradled her eyes precariously in their sockets, and I watched a spider wove delicate webs on her irises. Her spine had been dislodged and splayed apart. They looked like the desiccated wings of an angel who had tried to fly but ultimately had failed. I wouldn’t fail. Something glinted in the faint light. A thin gold bracelet encircled the delicate bones of her wrist. Allegra, it read in fancy script. Allegra. I knew her. I had known her. Everyone spoke about her in lovely, hushed tones. I wanted to be talked about. I wanted to be worshipped, so I sought her in the church and I found her. This house wasn’t haunted; it was infested. There were spider webs everywhere. I had come because there were rumors about a church and its deity. She granted you every wish if you were brave enough to seek her out. And I was brave. I stroked Allegra’s bones and marveled. “I’m so jealous of you,” I whispered to her. “But I can be much better.” When I heard the breathing behind me, I thought my chest would burst open. My heart wouldn’t stop beating, and acidic bile filled my throat. The Goddess emitted harsh and rattling gasps. She smelled like blood and death. She reached over my shoulder and entwined a long, furry appendage around my neck. I tried to turn and see the deity. Who was I speaking to? But it held me in place and rendered me immobile. “Not yet,” she whispered to me. “Not yet. What do you want, my dear....” She asked. I pointed to Allegra, stripped to the bone, and left to hang on a web. She hadn’t wanted it enough. She never deserved it, but I did. “I want to fly,” I said boldly. I had found my voice. “I want to fly and touch the heavens. I want everyone to know and love me.” She said nothing. She didn’t have to. Instead, she lifted me into the air and turned me so I could finally see. She was beautiful. And her beauty enhanced as she smiled at me and plunged an arm into my chest. I watched my blood spray and then sputter. I watched until everything went black. I remember flying. Yes, I flew. I flew higher than Allegra, and I went farther than anybody that I have ever known. It’s dark and empty here, but I don’t feel lonely. I would never be alone when worshipped. I can see them calling and crying for me. They sink onto tired knees and pray about me. I have become the angel. I am who they talk about. In the church, I found my wings, and my name is now a legend. You will never forget me.