An illustration from my short story, “Aboard the airship, US Grant.”

“The airship flies at an astounding 45 miles-per-hour towards Denver–now it is going further. It or at least the area around Cabin 19 is entering the Borderlands.

There is a face at the port.

Although still recognizable as Sakura, the changes have been extensive. The nose has subtly curved, giving it a beak-like appearance. The once beautiful mouth is filled with needle-sharp teeth. The now crimson eyes have slid closer to the sides of her head. The exquisite ebony hair has turned into glistening black feathers to form a double-horned crest. Black down has grown to cover the corpse-colored body. The arms have elongated into taloned wings; legs have twisted and shrunken, now crowned with claws, which it uses to cling to the hull.

The hungry ghost that was Sakura Nakamura has been transmogrified into a Tengu–a vengeful spirit of the air.”