Saturday, October 25, 2014

Crows

It was the excited sounds that drew me to the window.
I've heard crows talk my whole life. Watched them on
street signs just overhead, ranting like drunken Republicans.
But this sound was something new. Neither
rant nor warning, this sounded like excited children on the
playground surrounding a blood sport. Through the window and
up the street the crows were in a small thin tree flapping their
wings and waving the weak branches. Below them on the ground
was a small black cat and a red dog playing. The dog jumped up
and down and the cat crouched low confused by the crows and
the barking dog. But the dog wasn't barking and the cat wasn't
playing. The dog leaped forward and nipped at the cat's hindquarters.
The crows increased their excited noisy motion. It was like they
were saying, "Look at us! Look at US!" The cat tried to turn but
stumbled and flipped on it's back, claws out and hissing. The dog
leaped forward and caught the cat by the throat. It's not a dog!
It's going to kill!   It lifts the cat and shakes it violently as the cat
tries to get some purchase with it's claws. The crows are screaming,
"Kill Cat! Kill Cat! We want our share!"  I run barefoot down the stairs and
out the front door. The fox is carrying the cat across the street by
the back of it's neck. It hangs like a kitten in its mother's mouth. The
crows flap and follow to the feasting grounds. I run down the street
and see the fox enter the grove, tail up like a flag, carrying its prize.
The crows close behind still screaming their share. I know the cat
is lost as my barefeet will not follow. I cross the street to the tree and
find a collar with a small bell. A bell to alert birds that there is danger.
Save for the crows.

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