It's a simple life, sitting atop a lamppost, watching things pass by below. Mostly humans, but that's fine.. they have lots of food and they simply don't care about whoever's hanging around above them.
The crow sits about and listens to the chatter. Things are going to be dark soon, time to bed up and let the owls and the other night animals get to work. It was a good day, the crow thinks. Could really do with another meal, but there was some food today so it could be worse.
Oh, the day might not be over. There's another human, alone, moving quickly, hands just full of bags. Many bags, piled on top of each other, all full of food. Now that's a human worth following.
The crow spreads its wings and moves to the far side of the road. That does not look like a stable pile of containers. Maybe the human will drop something? Maybe a vehicle will hit the bag? Maybe it'll be opened and the crow will be in the right place to get it? It's worth staying out for the first few minutes of night for the chance to be the first bird at a good feed.
It's quiet, and the human waits. Waits, before crossing the road. Obviously scared of the big human vehicles that go down the road.. yet.. it's impatient, and the human, arms full of too many bags, starts crossing the road slowly.
From up here, the disaster is clearly foreshadowed. A human vehicle turns onto the empty road, unseen by the human crossing. It's dark, bordering on night. And the human light that illuminates this crossing, well, for whatever reason it isn't on. There's a load roaring from the vehicle, and the crow takes off. There's a loud screeching sound, a human scream, and the food-carrying human rolls over the vehicle's front end, hitting its head on the clear bit, splattering blood and food all over.
Usually when something like this happens, the vehicles stop, humans get out, and more humans show up in more vehicles. The broken vehicles are carried away, any broken humans are carried away, and things eventually return to normal. But this time, the vehicle doesn't stop. It pulls backwards, and zooms away, roaring. Is the vehicle not from here? Is this not its turf? Is it a hostile human, maybe from another group, out here to fight?
..That food looks tasty.
A quick landing and a bit of caution. Caution, because humans are dangerous. This human.. it doesn't look healthy. The head was hit bad, the human is bent the wrong way around, and there are few sounds of breathing, just a brief gasp. And there's food everywhere. Potato chips, a thing the crow knows well, are all over the place. And they make good eating. One chip, broken in bits and pecked up. Two chips, broken under the birds talons and heroically gulped down. Three chips.. and a light comes out, scaring the crow away for a moment, a flash of purple.
Mixed in with the potato chips is a sparkling purple stone. It looks lovely. One last chip down the hatch and the stone will be next, as the crow hops over to it. There's a thin chain on it, made of some shiny metal, and only a bit tarnished by blood. The stone itself is a deep purple, and shines with an internal light. The crow give it a quick, exploratory peck with its beak, and..
Blackness. All is blackness.
I'm not blind. I can see!
Whiteness. All is whiteness.
I'm falling! Steady!
All is white, and then there is air. Then there is wind, rushing past.
Catch the air!
Wings out. The air fills a pair of outstretched wings. There's the expected jerk and snap, and then things are level, controlled. But all is still white.
Where..? There must be somewhere to land. Down?
Whump. The bird grabs something, a tree branch. It rocks, a quick up and down before settling. And attached to it is a tree, but a small one, only a few branches.
..Where am I?
Looking outward, there is still whiteness. Then there is a line. The birds eyes follow the line, into a corner. An interior corner. This is a room, inside somewhere. And the tree branch, it's green and growing, a big plant with wide leaves. A banana tree.
Around, other things come into focus. A plant pot. A table. A wall. A tablecloth, with a plate of fruit slices. Meat slices. A bowl of nuts. A nutcracker. Chairs.. two of them, and place settings, glass, plate, cutlery..
I'm thirsty, maybe there's something in the drinking glass.
Inside, there is tasty cold water. The bird drinks it, a sip at a time, filling its beak and then tilting its neck and head backwards for a swallow. Around it, the rest of the room comes into definition, slowly filling with artwork, defining the lighting, producing carpeting and adding colour and definition. The blank room is now an unthreataning blue-white colour, on a rich carpet, surrounding a small table full of snacks and light refreshments.
What there isn't is an exit.
I musta gotten in here somehow. Did someone bring me inside?
In the far corner, on a soft, plush seat, is a human. A tall, attractive man, well dressed, with a vest, a tie, and a sharp haircut, almost dangerously so. Seems young, about the same age as the human the bird just saw die.
The human gets up and walks over, examining the bird with a friendly grin and just a touch of awe.
"That's interesting. A neat bit of expression, Connor. Do you skydive? The bird look is very impressive."
The bird glares at the human.
The human glares back and frowns. Then he raises his eyebrows and looks again, more directly at the black bird standing on the table.
"Oh. Oh dear.."
It's a simple life, sitting atop a lamppost, watching things pass by below. Mostly humans, but that's fine.. they have lots of food and they simply don't care about whoever's hanging around above them.
The crow sits about and listens to the chatter. Things are going to be dark soon, time to bed up and let the owls and the other night animals get to work. It was a good day, the crow thinks. Could really do with another meal, but there was some food today so it could be worse.
Oh, the day might not be over. There's another human, alone, moving quickly, hands just full of bags. Many bags, piled on top of each other, all full of food. Now that's a human worth following.
The crow spreads its wings and moves to the far side of the road. That does not look like a stable pile of containers. Maybe the human will drop something? Maybe a vehicle will hit the bag? Maybe it'll be opened and the crow will be in the right place to get it? It's worth staying out for the first few minutes of night for the chance to be the first bird at a good feed.
It's quiet, and the human waits. Waits, before crossing the road. Obviously scared of the big human vehicles that go down the road.. yet.. it's impatient, and the human, arms full of too many bags, starts crossing the road slowly.
From up here, the disaster is clearly foreshadowed. A human vehicle turns onto the empty road, unseen by the human crossing. It's dark, bordering on night. And the human light that illuminates this crossing, well, for whatever reason it isn't on. There's a load roaring from the vehicle, and the crow takes off. There's a loud screeching sound, a human scream, and the food-carrying human rolls over the vehicle's front end, hitting its head on the clear bit, splattering blood and food all over.
Usually when something like this happens, the vehicles stop, humans get out, and more humans show up in more vehicles. The broken vehicles are carried away, any broken humans are carried away, and things eventually return to normal. But this time, the vehicle doesn't stop. It pulls backwards, and zooms away, roaring. Is the vehicle not from here? Is this not its turf? Is it a hostile human, maybe from another group, out here to fight?
..That food looks tasty.
A quick landing and a bit of caution. Caution, because humans are dangerous. This human.. it doesn't look healthy. The head was hit bad, the human is bent the wrong way around, and there are few sounds of breathing, just a brief gasp. And there's food everywhere. Potato chips, a thing the crow knows well, are all over the place. And they make good eating. One chip, broken in bits and pecked up. Two chips, broken under the birds talons and heroically gulped down. Three chips.. and a light comes out, scaring the crow away for a moment, a flash of purple.
Mixed in with the potato chips is a sparkling purple stone. It looks lovely. One last chip down the hatch and the stone will be next, as the crow hops over to it. There's a thin chain on it, made of some shiny metal, and only a bit tarnished by blood. The stone itself is a deep purple, and shines with an internal light. The crow give it a quick, exploratory peck with its beak, and..
Blackness. All is blackness.
I'm not blind. I can see!
Whiteness. All is whiteness.
I'm falling! Steady!
All is white, and then there is air. Then there is wind, rushing past.
Catch the air!
Wings out. The air fills a pair of outstretched wings. There's the expected jerk and snap, and then things are level, controlled. But all is still white.
Where..? There must be somewhere to land. Down?
Whump. The bird grabs something, a tree branch. It rocks, a quick up and down before settling. And attached to it is a tree, but a small one, only a few branches.
..Where am I?
Looking outward, there is still whiteness. Then there is a line. The birds eyes follow the line, into a corner. An interior corner. This is a room, inside somewhere. And the tree branch, it's green and growing, a big plant with wide leaves. A banana tree.
Around, other things come into focus. A plant pot. A table. A wall. A tablecloth, with a plate of fruit slices. Meat slices. A bowl of nuts. A nutcracker. Chairs.. two of them, and place settings, glass, plate, cutlery..
I'm thirsty, maybe there's something in the drinking glass.
Inside, there is tasty cold water. The bird drinks it, a sip at a time, filling its beak and then tilting its neck and head backwards for a swallow. Around it, the rest of the room comes into definition, slowly filling with artwork, defining the lighting, producing carpeting and adding colour and definition. The blank room is now an unthreataning blue-white colour, on a rich carpet, surrounding a small table full of snacks and light refreshments.
What there isn't is an exit.
I musta gotten in here somehow. Did someone bring me inside?
In the far corner, on a soft, plush seat, is a human. A tall, attractive man, well dressed, with a vest, a tie, and a sharp haircut, almost dangerously so. Seems young, about the same age as the human the bird just saw die.
The human gets up and walks over, examining the bird with a friendly grin and just a touch of awe.
"That's interesting. A neat bit of expression, Connor. Do you skydive? The bird look is very impressive."
The bird glares at the human.
The human glares back and frowns. Then he raises his eyebrows and looks again, more directly at the black bird standing on the table.
"Oh. Oh dear.."
