Jasper Cabin

This is a piece of writing I did for a very good friend, back in 2009.  It is a side-piece out of one of the universes I have created. In this universe, gods are real and their descendants still walk the earth, each with their own affinities and abilities. 

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Kryst walked into the cabin, brushing snow off his pants and boots as he cross the threshold.  Inside were three small tables, only one of which was occupied. The man sitting at the table was Jasper, the cranky old man that owned the cabin, dark brown skin, even though he spent all his time in the snowy mountains. Steel gray hair framed his face, and his black eyes stared Kryst down, daring him to talk to him.
“Evening, Jasper” Kryst said, grinning at the sour look he received, “Its getting pretty cold out there, eh?”
Jasper rolled his eyes and went back to his cup of coffee.  Kryst turned his attention to the back wall of the building, where all the coffee pots were.
The cabin was a small one, made for travelers passing through while climbing the mountains. It offered hot drinks and, if you were lucky, one of the two empty beds for a night of comfort. This time of year, no one passed through, so Jasper reluctantly let Kryst stay for two weeks as he explored the mountainside.
Kryst poured a glass of hot water, and took a packet of hot cocoa from his backpack. He snatched a plastic spoon from the rack and headed over to the unoccupied table furthest from the door.
Kryst poured the powder in the mug, and mixed thoroughly. He took a sip, reached into his bag, grabbed three small marshmallows and dropped them in the mug. Then he pulled his notebook and pen from his backpack. He mulled thoughts over for a minute, and then began to write.
Gene,
You have no idea how beautiful these mountains are. I mean they’re absolutely incredible. I swear, every year they become a little more beautiful, and Jasper gets a little more cantankerous. He’s spent most of the last week and a half giving me the evil eye! I think he really likes me though, he just doesn’t know how to show it.
Anyway, I found my birds again this year. They’re such a growing family now! The amazing part is, after fifty years, they all continue to flock to this same place, building their nests together, bringing different species of birds into the flock as mates, and creating a whole new set of birds. You really should come out and see them next year. I think you’d like it.
Otherwise it’s been quiet up here. There hasn’t been another soul up on these mountains for at least three weeks Jasper says, I don’t know how he does it. I’d go crazy, that’s for
At that moment, the door of the cabin opened, and Kryst looked up. Standing in the doorframe was a woman, Hispanic looking with black or dark brown hair. She shut the door behind her then spoke, “Is this the Jasper cabin?”
Jasper grunted, then drained his coffee, standing up to fill it back up.  Kryst smiled, “Yes it is. Don’t mind Jasper, he just likes to be the mean old man.”
“Oh good. I was supposed to meet up with a few friends here within the next day or so. Mr. Jasper, do  you have a spare bed I could use tonight?”
Jasper cleared his throat, “You’ve got money I assume,” he rattled, “this isn’t a free service I’m doing up here after all.”
She smiled, “Of course, I wouldn’t dream of taking advantage of you, sir.”
“Well then I suppose you can have my free room, we’ll talk about money in the morning. Kryst, I’m headed off to bed. Don’t wake me up.” He gave a dark stare to Kryst then left the room.
The girl looked after Jasper confusedly, “He didn’t tell me where-“
“Don’t worry, your room is just behind that door,” Kryst said, pointing, “and the bathroom is there and the kitchen over there and the coffee pots over there.”
“Thank you, err, Chris was it?”
“Kryst, with a ‘t’ at the end of it, and your name might be?”
The woman had wandered over to the pots and began to pour herself a mug of hot water, “Angelica,” she walked to Kryst’s table, “mind if share your table? It’s good to have company.”
Kryst shook his head, “I’d love the company. It gets boring talking just to Jasper,” Kryst chuckled to himself, “so Angelica huh? Mind if I call you Angel?”
Angelica shrugged, “Angel? I guess. That’s an odd nickname though. I don’t think anyone’s ever called me that.”
“I like being original. Besides, I sort of have an affinity for angels. People with wings? Beautiful.”
Angel gave him an odd look, and then shrugged again, “I suppose. To each his own.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a teabag and a small spoon. She placed the bag in the water carefully, then set the spoon next to the cup.
Kryst sat quietly for a moment, sipping his cocoa. After a few moments, he broke the silence again, “So are you American or Colombian?”
Angel laughed, “I’m from Mexican heritage actually, my father is descended from Aztecs, but my mother is from New York.”
Kryst nodded, “Descended from Aztecs? I didn’t know people knew their heritage that well still.”
Angel looked embarrassed for a moment, “Well, that’s what he would always tell me. Old Quentin the Aztec was her daddy. So it always kind of stuck.”
Kryst looked at her for a long moment. “Old Quentin the Aztec? Is your father an older gentleman?”
Angel gave Kryst a strange look, “He’s getting on in years, yes. Why?”
“Well, I knew a Quentin the Aztec, but it was a long time ago.”
“I doubt it was my father, must be a coincidence. He hasn’t really talked to strangers since I was two or three.”
“He’s afraid of them?”
She shrugged, looking a little irritated, “Not afraid per se. Just untrusting. He’s leery of people who don’t like him because of his heritage.”
Kryst nodded, “I can relate. I happen to be leery of the same kind of people.”
A puzzled look crossed Angel’s face again, “the same kind of people? I don’t see how anyone would judge you by your heritage.  You don’t look minority.”
Kryst grinned, “If you say so, Angel. Anyway, what brings you down here?”
Her face lit up, “Oh! I’m down here meeting some friends for an ornithological hike. We’re all kind of birdwatchers by hobby, and there’s supposed to be a special breed of bird that only lives in these mountains. It seems to survive by traveling long distances to find birds of similar genetic structure to bring back and make part of its family. We’ve heard rumors of a roost of eighty or ninety birds.”
Kryst shook his head, “There’s at least two hundred of them up there by now. People wouldn’t know that though I suppose. It’s hard to get up there without wings.”
Angel silently contemplated Kryst’s statement, mulling it over.
“Oh sorry!” Kryst said, “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
Angel shook her head, “Wait. You know about these birds?”
Kryst laughed, “Know about them? Between you and me, Angel, your dad and I created them.”
Angel looked surprised, “My dad and you?”
Kryst laughed again, “Well yeah, I just liked to throw wings on things mostly, but your dad, your dad is the god of genetic structures, at least that’s what he says now. Back then, he was the god of taxonomy. Same concept, more science I suppose.
“Anyway, he and I decided to try to use his power with mine to create an entirely new species of bird, that could keep its line going by finding mates that genetically match theirs. Because every characteristic the original birds had were dominant, the bird eventually will show up all over the world! It’s our masterpiece.”
Angel was reeling with shock, “You really do know my dad, and you helped him create this bird? He always said it was a man named Jay though.”
Kryst groaned, “Jay? After all these years, he can’t get over my brother’s ridiculous jokes?” Kryst shook his head again, “No, my name is Kryst. Jay is a mean nickname, not going to go into it. However, I know where these birds flight patterns are if you want me to show you and your friends a good place to observe them.
Angel pulled out the teabag, and began to stir the tea, adding small amounts of sugar and honey as she went, “To be honest, I don’t have any friends coming tomorrow. People just respond to that better than a woman on her own hiking in the mountains.”
“So how were you going to have Jasper see you meet up with them in the morning? Wouldn’t it be strange if you left all on your own?”
“Yes it would, however, I received some of my father’s heritage. I have my own ‘godhood’ if you will.” She smiled as the tea in her cup began sparkling, reflecting light from nowhere. One of the shimmers rose out of her cup and formed into a tall young man, dark hair and eyes.   More shimmers began forming into men. Soon she was surrounded by a whole group of hikers, “These are my ‘brothers’ if you will. We’re all very interested in ornithology, you see.”
Kryst laughed, “That’s a good trick! So you bend light and make shapes?”
Angel nodded, “Yeah, I can also make things harder or impossible to see, among other things.”
“That’s nifty! Useful in many situations I’d guess.” He looked around, then back at Angel, “So do you want to see your dad and my birds?”
Angel looked confused, “Now? It’s night, and its miles from here.”
Kryst shook his head, “Yeah, but it’s a short flight. I can give you some temporary wings, we’ll fly there. It’s impossible to climb the cliff face anyhow.”
Angel took a sip of her tea, pondering, and then shrugged, “Sure. Let’s go.”
“Alright, come outside!” He opened the door, and she followed him out into the night. The blizzard had stopped, and the skies were cloudy, but calm. He looked at Angel, focused, and watched a pair of golden brown wings grow from her shoulderblades.
Angel’s eyes widened with surprise as she felt the new muscles and connections form. She tentatively flapped the wings, and then looked at Kryst, “Well I can control them, but how do I fly?”
Kryst laughed again, wings sprouting from his own back. He flapped twice and lifted off the ground, “Just try it. It comes pretty naturally,” a broad grin spread from ear to ear.
She flapped a few times, and slowly her feet left earth. After a minute or two of experimenting, she seemed fairly comfortable in the air, “This seems too easy.”
“That’s part of my creation process, I create it as if it were natural, instead of something new and foreign. It should feel like you’ve always had them.”
Angel nodded, “Yeah, it does,” she did a few swoops, Kryst watching with a smile, and then glided downwards, “So where are we going?”
Kryst nodded, “Follow me.”
They flew west for twenty minutes or so, and then Kryst settled on a rocky outcrop.  He pointed up above them.  Looking up, Angel saw a group of fortyish nests spread across the face of the mountain, but the light was dim, and there was no moon, “Can I get closer?” she asked Kryst.
Kryst nodded, then said quietly, “Yeah, they’re very pretty in the light though, maybe we should have waited until the sun rose.”
Angel thought for a moment, then chuckled. She rose up in the air, and began to glow lightly, projecting light on one of the nests. Inside was a bird, mostly crimson, but streaked with gold, white, and black feathers in random places. She stared at them, lost in thought.
Kryst watched her rise higher and glow brighter. For a moment her skin and feathers radiated with white light. She noticed the excessive glow and quickly dimmed. However, for one moment, Kryst had seen it.
“Angel.”
She looked down, drifting back towards the outcrop, “What?”
“No, you looked like one. Like an angel, from old stories.”
“Did I?” She said, slightly blushing, “I guess a woman with wings would resemble-“
“No. I meant a real angel. Beautiful, wings, glowing; you were an angel, Angel.”
She smiled, “If you say so.”
They stayed on the outcrop for a while more, flying up to look at different birds. They all had a crimson base, but other colors mixed into every single bird. When Angel asked about it, Kryst explained.
“The idea is that eventually the birds will mix with so many colors that they’ll be flying rainbows. It was your dad’s idea. I just had the creation abilities to make it work.”
Eventually the sun rose, and they watched the birds make their way into the skies. They flew back to the cabin. When they landed, Kryst’s wings shrunk and dissipated. He turned to Angel, “I hate to take away your wings. They’re so pretty. They fit you well.”
Angel smiled, “I don’t want to lose them to be honest. They’re helpful, especially getting to those birds.”
Kryst nodded, “Yeah they are, but the problem is that people will freak out at them. You know that.”
Angel grinned mischievously, “Will they?” She folded them closely to her back, and with a shimmer they disappeared, “see?”
Kryst laughed again, “You are one strange angel.” He opened the cabin door, and they both went in.