Father Alberto and the Flying Girl

by Timothy X Atack · 2026

In a remote medieval parish, newly appointed Father Alberto is tasked with overseeing the Abbey of Saint Particular, where the so‑called mad are locked away as godless sinners. Once a year, during the raucous Feast of the Holy Fool, the inmates are released for a single day, and Alberto must shepherd them back to the dungeons. As he watches the prisoners, he begins to see their humanity and discovers that his rigid duties can be softened by compassion. Among the released is the enigmatic Flying Girl, a child who leaps from tree to tree and refuses to be bound by any rule. Her wild spirit challenges Alberto’s faith and courage, drawing him into a dangerous clash with the ruthless Abbess and the fearsome Inferrant Brethren, a secretive brotherhood bent on purging the parish of perceived evil. As the brotherhood’s dark agenda looms, Alberto must decide whether to protect the Flying Girl and the other ‘fools’ or submit to the oppressive order that governs his world.