The Cat, The Crow and The Witch ||ONC 2024||

3

Matias

Eve maintains her garden, walking around with a watering can in her hand. I lay down on the porch, watching her. She gives water to those plants that need it, at others she bends and picks their weeds. To the rest of the plants she stops and talks to them, gently pets their leaves, and moves on.

A rustling sounds from the sky. I look up to see a crow lower itself towards the bird bath.

"I told you it would attract birds," I shout to Eve, not bothering to move. 

She spins around, completely ignoring me and watches the crow as it starts to dip itself in the water.  "Aren't you a beauty?" she says, almost breathlessly.

The crow pauses and tilts its head towards Eve. It watches her for a moment before continuing its bath. 

"Are you just enjoying the bath?" Eve asks. "Or would you like to stay?"

Again, the crow pauses. "I see lonely girl, and a cat, and a crow." Then it flies away, water droplets dripping behind it. 

Eve watches the bird go, a frown on her face. 

"I told you the bird bath was a bad idea."

Eve wasn't anywhere in town. Yesterday in the market I had reached out and tried to feel her presence in town, but nothing. The market had been filled with people, but none had been my girl. Even on the walk home I had kept reaching out, trying to feel her, but she was nowhere.

Now, not even the sun beams can cheer me up.

Staring out the window that looks to the street, I wait. And wait, and wait.

A rustling of feathers reverberates beside me, before quieting down as the clink of talons on the window sill fills the space. The birds beak comes into my view.

"Staring will not make her appear."

"But it might," I argue.

He peers at me. "The girl will be here soon."

I flick my tail as I turn my head towards him. "Eve will be back soon?" Hope laces my words.

His empty eyes fill with sorrow. "No. The other girl."

The hope deflates like one of Eve's spells gone wrong. I turn back to staring out the window. "Why would you get my hopes up?"

But he doesn't respond, and even if he did I don't think I'd hear him as my attention gets snagged. A girl with brown curls stands before the fence. She looks once to her right, then to her left before facing the cottage. She reaches her hand out and opens the latch of the fence.

"What is she doing here?" I hiss. I raise myself up, as if I'm about to pounce on her.

The bird lifts off of the sill and flies to somewhere in the house.

I stay and track the girl's movements as she makes her way up the stone path towards the front door.

A click sounds somewhere in the house. But my gaze never leaves her as she climbs up the porch steps, and then she's standing before the door and... and disappearing through the open door?

That crow opened the door for her!

I hop off my spot and dash to the entryway.

The girl stands there, one hand up towards her mouth, hiding her little o of  surprise. The bird flies in front of her face.

"Welcome!"

"You talk too?" she asks, her eyes wide with wonder. 

The bird cocks his head to the side. "Sometimes."