“Oh, how tedious.” “Can you, though?” “I could…” “Do it now, then. Let me see.” The form of the angel seemed to condense and swirl into a little vortex in mid-air, and then a blackbird swooped down on to the grass at Will’s feet. “Fly to my shoulder,” said Will. The bird did so, and then spoke in the angel’s familiar acid tone: “I shall only do this when it’s absolutely necessary. It’s unspeakably humiliating.” “Too bad,” said Will. “Whenever we see people, in this world, you become a bird. There’s no point in fussing or arguing. Just do it.”
