Night Bird Soaring by T. L. Morganfield

“Night Bird Soaring” is a 2008 science fiction short story by T. L. Morganfield. It is about a boy who is chosen to represent the god Tezcatlipoca in a modern day Teotihuacan.

Non-Spoiler Summary In A Nutshell:

Soon after the birth of Totyoalli the local priest chose him to represent the god Tezcatlipoca during his 29th year. Now some may say that is a good thing, but Totyoalli isn’t so sure. Why? Well, because it means that eventually Totyoalli’s life will be sacrificed! Ouch! Even worse is the fact that Totyoalli wants to join the Aerospace Corps and go into space – but there just won’t be enough time. Complicating matters even more is one of his future wives, who also wants to go into space, but she will unfortunately also receive a grim and early demise. What are two young lovers to do? How about a visit to the emperor to see if he can help. But can an emperor change a person’s destiny? Hmm… you’ll have to read this fine story to find out the answer to that question.

Cuauhtemoc set a firm hand on Totyoalli’s shoulder. “Everyone meets Xolotl; you just know ahead of time the exact moment and place He will visit you. Eighteen years is a long time, and there are still many opportunities to pursue your passions. Living is not wasted time. Always remember that.”

“I can still be an astronaut, then?” Totyoalli asked.

Smiling, Cuauhtemoc replied, “We’ll discuss that when you’ve finished calmecac.”

My Two Cents:

• The good:

• The alternate history setting of this story was brilliant! I loved reading about the empire and all their amazing achievements.
• The ending of “Night Bird Soaring” was excellent – it took me a little bit by surprise.

• The bad:

• Nothing really – I enjoyed the whole thing.

Fact Sheet:
• Page Count: 17
• Word Count: 7,316
• “Night Bird Soaring” garnered the following awards:

• It was nominated for the 2008 Sidewise Award for Best Short-Form Alternate History.

Where you can find “Night Bird Soaring”:

• This short story first appeared in the Autumn 2008 issue of Gud.
• You can read a free HTML version of “Night Bird Soaring” (for a limited time) at the Gud magazine web site.

Some Interesting Links:

• Did you know that T. L. Morganfield used to work for a chain of airport bookstores? Yep. You can learn more about this science fiction author by checking out her web site.
• Special thanks to Kaolin Fire for recommending this great story to me!

Craving More Stories?
If you enjoyed this story then you might also like O One, about the chief computator, in an alternate history China, who is challenged by a new computing engine, by Chris Roberson.

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