The doctor tapped a button on an IV pump, and David’s eyelids grew heavier. His mind buzzed with questions, but he had no way to ask them. He felt stronger, warmer, and full of potential, but a heavy blanket of sleepiness weighed him down. He remembered naps as a young boy. He would want to crawl around and explore to no end, but then sleepiness would overtake him until he couldn’t keep his eyes open. His body told him that it needed to rest, repair, and grow. He lingered on that image of himself as a young boy falling asleep in a sunny spot on the living room rug. The familiar sense of well-being drifted him into deep sleep.
As David sank out of consciousness, April returned and helped Dr. Dunmeier remove the breathing tube. She noticed Dr. Dunmeier’s hands shaking and saw his wide-eyed expression as he peered into David’s throat with the laryngoscope. What she couldn’t see was that David’s throat had changed. Humans normally have a covering called the epiglottis over their tracheal opening. David’s was gone. There was also a cleft in the roof of his mouth, and his tongue was narrowing and stiffening. As Dr. Dunmeier withdrew the laryngoscope, one of David’s lower incisors came with it. It fell on his chest and the nurse said, “What the—”
From The Sky Calls set for release in September, 2018.