Flock of Bastards

Honesto Cochino lies in a hospital bed, awaiting his frightening fate. Such a future never seemed like it would become his. He always believed that, as a watch repairman, he would always have the power to control time. At the time, such influence seemed incredible to Honesto, even magical. It never occurred to him that his behavior, and not his manipulation of time, would determine who, or what, he and his family would become. Through the actions of Honesto and his future generations, each spiraling out of control just a little further than their parents, the worst comes out of the shadows and into the light. Secrets about odd body parts like snouts or tails, closets that house entire communities of fantasy animals, and talking ashes hidden away in cardboard boxes are kept away from the public eye, but eventually become legends. A desperate desire to fly higher than anyone else while using someone else’s feathers leads to a path of total loss. And a stubborn tradition that requires a mountain of spices and a human-sized roasting tray becomes a feared evil that may never truly disappear. Ultimately, we learn that one’s shame does not determine what one becomes. Instead it is what one does with it that makes all the difference.