This premade cover was designed by BoN Editions
ELEMENTAL ASCENT was a distinguished university professor. As a premade fantasy book cover, he possessed four elemental powers, a magnificent magical sword, and twenty-three academic publications.
He taught philosophy, although several members of the faculty objected to his habit of pointing out the correct answers during examinations with a sword.
Every afternoon, he visited the park with a bag of pumpkin seeds.
He enjoyed sitting on the same wooden bench, contemplating the great mysteries of existence while feeding a small flock of paper airplanes.
The airplanes had appeared one morning, apparently folded from the pages of an abandoned philosophy textbook. Nobody knew how they had come to life.
They had tiny legs, enormous appetites, and a remarkable ability to fly directly into people’s faces.
ELEMENTAL ASCENT adored them.
He had even bought a special paper bag labeled PAPER PLANES ONLY, although the airplanes couldn’t read and regularly ate the bag itself.
One beautiful autumn afternoon, while the professor was considering whether existence preceded essence, an enormous, jet-black crow landed at the opposite end of the bench.
The paper airplanes immediately hid beneath his coat.
For twenty minutes, the professor and the crow sat in complete silence.
The professor contemplated the meaning of life.
The crow contemplated the professor.
Eventually, ELEMENTAL ASCENT took a pumpkin seed from his bag and slid it across the wooden bench towards the bird.
The crow examined it.
Tilted its head.
Then pushed it back with its beak.
The professor slid it towards the crow again.
The crow pushed it back.
This happened five more times.
On the seventh attempt, the professor lost his patience.
“Now listen here. I’ve been teaching philosophy for thirty years. If you don’t want to eat it, at least tell me why!”
The crow sighed deeply.
This was surprising in itself, because as far as the professor knew, crows generally limited themselves to cawing and stealing things.
“Look, Professor,” said the bird, “we spend our entire lives pushing our little pumpkin seeds back and forth across the great bench of existence.”
ELEMENTAL ASCENT leaned forward.
“We search for meaning. We argue about purpose. We convince ourselves that every little movement matters.”
“Precisely!” cried the professor.
“And in the end,” continued the crow, “the cat eats us anyway.”
With that, it spread its wings and flew away.
The professor remained motionless.
He had spent thirty years studying the greatest philosophical questions in human history.
A bird had answered all of them in forty seconds.
One of the paper airplanes cautiously emerged from beneath his coat.
It approached the abandoned pumpkin seed.
Pushed it towards the professor.
The professor stared at it.
The airplane pushed it again.
Then it unfolded itself, swallowed the seed, folded itself back into an airplane, and flew away.
ELEMENTAL ASCENT watched it disappear between the trees.
For the first time in his academic career, he felt no need to explain anything.
The following Monday, he resigned from the university.
A week later, he opened a bakery.
His former colleagues were astonished.
“Why would a distinguished professor abandon philosophy to become a baker?”
ELEMENTAL ASCENT shrugged.
“At least when I push dough around, something eventually comes out of the oven.”
Continue the Conversation
If this story resonated with you, here are three more you might enjoy.
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– Hollow Crown – A Fantasy Premade Book Cover at Airport Security
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– BLACK WINGS – A Fantasy Premade Book Cover Afraid of Flying
A winged fantasy book cover decides to conquer his greatest fear. Unfortunately, that fear is flying.
Every Book Cover Has a Story. This One Found a New Career.
ELEMENTAL ASCENT may have abandoned philosophy, but his magical sword and four elemental powers are still available for a new adventure.
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