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One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told,
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten for a time of joyous bliss.
Call me naive but I never would’ve expected this, and yet, here I am, and there it was.
–x–x–x–x–x–x–x–x 1 week prior x–x–x–x–x–x–x–x–x–
Early in the morning. That’s when it began. The screaming outside was back, though different this time. I’m not fazed, the noise is common around here; it’s worse on nights that it’s absolutely silent. The screaming was different this time though. The way it resonated through my spine sounded like nothing I’d heard before. It was too shrill to be an elk, but much too high pitched to be a fox or bobcat. It was steady, like a coyote, but just… off. I doubted it was a mountain lion, cougars weren’t common in this area, but I couldn’t think of anything else that sounded close to the shriek I’d just heard. I couldn’t place it. Those are just the sounds of the midwest; I’m just glad when there’s noise at all. It can get too quiet sometimes.
I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind as I closed my bedroom window. I could’ve sworn I closed it before going to bed, but then again my windows always seem to be open.
I jumped. The sound felt like it had come from right outside the window. Looking out I didn’t see anything. I couldn’t tell if that was a comforting thought or not. I was on the second floor though, so maybe that’s why. Maybe that’s why it didn’t look like the porch light shone as far as it should have.
I’m awake, so I may as well start my day, no matter that the sun’s still down, I just need a cup of coffee. I put the kettle on and sit at my rickety dining table. It was old. I’d probably need to refurbished it soon. It was wobbly and the robin’s blue paint was chipping. I’ll just add that to my list of chores for the day, I wasn’t planning on much else after all.
The kettle began to whistle, pulling me from my reverie. It was a tad lighter outside now, the sky painting everything in sight a soft pink hue. That was better. I got up to pour my coffee when I heard a tapping at the glass door. Over my shoulder I looked onto the deck. It was just my neighbor’s cat, Turtle. Smiling, I walked over to let him in. I only saw what he was holding after he began to pad towards me. He sat down at my feet, carefully laying his gift on the wooden floor. A raven. What a majestic creature. I wonder how he caught it. Turning around, I grab a towel out of a cabinet, carefully picking the bird up and placing it in a shoebox by the door. Turtle brings me presents often.
“Thank you,” I nod to the cat. What a sweet boy. Hearing my thanks, he stands, brushing against my calf before jumping atop the dining chair next to mine and making himself comfy. I place the box with the bird outside to take care of later. After rinsing my hands I opened a can of tuna. He’s not my cat, but Turtle likes to show up around mealtimes, and I’m nothing if not a polite host. We eat our meals at the table.
–x–x–x–x–x–x–x
Every day this week has been odd. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but odd. Yesterday, a raven flew into my window. This morning my doorbell rang. No one was there, but there was another of those somber corvids, lying still on the upside down welcome mat. There was one every day this week. It wasn’t weird to see them. They’re everywhere around here. It was just weird how they showed up. One weird occurrence a day. One sad occurrence really. I love those birds and their gossamer feathers. The way they reflected multitudes of colors off their black sheen. It really was a somber sight to see them in such a state. And there had been one for every day this week. Another thing worth noting was Turtle. The lovely cat came by often, a perfect gentleman, except this week he came by every single day. And he seemed to show up around the same time as the birds. Maybe he knew something; a mysterious little fellow he was. When I let him in this morning, I looked at the seven boxes lined up perfectly on my back porch. I hadn’t gotten around to burying the poor dears. It was a miracle nothing had come up for a mini feast. Seven ravens. I thought of the rhyme I used to love as a child.
One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,-
Hmm.
The rest of the day my thoughts were occupied, entertained by the idea that the ravens were to mean something different. Mother always did say they knew better than us. If one was preening, it was to mean rain. They have a better memory than you, be nice to them. Nearing the evening I hopped in my car and headed to town for a quick bite. On the ride there I could’ve sworn I saw a large shadow pacing my car, but a quick glance said there wasn’t. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. I parked outside a pub. I got some chips and a BLT to go. Walking out of the pub I felt the feeling return. It’s probably best to ignore it, so I get in the car and start it. On the way back home I was driving past a cornfield, and there was the scream again, except this time much, much closer. A creature, far larger and more mangled than I’d ever seen before, lunged in front of the car from the stalks to my right. I was too close to swerve in time. As I slammed the brakes and braced myself for the collision, another, even larger animal leapt from the field, side-swiping the first beast and pinning it to the road, a loud thud causing me to open my eyes again. I didn’t want to get out of the car. I didn’t even want my doors unlocked. Instead I leaned forward to see what I could through the windshield. A… cat?
The cat was far too large to be a cat though. Hell, it was far too large to be a bear, and yet there it was, holding down a creature only somewhat smaller than it. As I stared, struck dumb by all that had just happened, the cat began to shrink. I thought I must have seen that wrong, but no, the monstrous cat decreased in size rather quickly. I got a better look at my would-be attacker. I’ve no clue what that is. It doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before. Not animal, but assuredly not human. I knew in the pit of my stomach that was the creature from whence the screams came. Unsure what to do, I sat, puzzled. How do you react in this situation? I looked at the cat, searching for answers to questions I didn’t even know how to begin to ask. As if knowing what I thought, the cat turned, almost regally. I knew those eyes anywhere.
“Turtle?” I whisper, utterly dumbstruck.
And as if he were disclosing a secret to a confidante, I swear I saw the tiniest nod before he walked back among the corn.
Call me naive, but I never would’ve expected this, and yet, here I am, and there it was. Standing atop a massive beast that shouldn’t exist.
A secret. Seven crows. And Turtle.
I kept driving.