The Grudge of the Crow

Part 2: The Wish

Brennan walked down the street toward his home, now a young man of twenty years old. The warmth of alcohol glowed in his chest as he walked lazily back to his apartment, kicking a stone along the cement, the sound skittering against the walls next to him.

The flutter of wings. The ruffle of feathers.

Brennan looked up and saw that a crow had perched on the powerline above his head, its shiny black eyes looking curiously down at him. It reminded him of a dream he'd had when he was just a boy: a woman in black, eight crows with their talons dug into the tree branches above his head, a warm kiss to his forehead. He'd thought it was real until his older brother had laughed in his face when he'd told his family about it. Still, he never forgot the dream and had heard his brother's snide comments about it for years.

Frowning, Brennan picked up the stone he'd kicked for blocks and threw it at the crow. The stone sailed harmlessly past the crow, cast by Brennan's drunken aim, but the crow gave an indignant caw and flew away.

Brennan continued for five steps before he heard a voice above him.

"That wasn't very kind."

He froze. The voice was warm honey, like a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

Brennan looked up and blinked, disbelieving. The woman from his childish dream, the woman in black, sat on the powerlines above him with seven crows. She tapped her fingers on the handle of the parasol she held. When his eyes met hers, she smiled.

"You," Brennan said, and then he shook his head. He laughed. "I must be more hammered than I thought."

"You remember me," the woman replied and he looked back up. "You were just a boy then, but you have the same lovely eyes."

"You're not...you're real?" Brennan said slowly. "I don't..."

"I'm as real as you wish me to be," the woman said. She raised a dark eyebrow. "I have come to grant you a wish."

"A wish? What are you talking about? Why?"

"Why is not relevant. One wish, and only one." The woman swayed her feet lightly. The crows around her stared down at Brennan, waiting. "What do you desire?"

"Desire?" Brennan repeated. He looked down at his feet and thought furiously.

She's not real. Maybe I need to get help, Brennan thought. But, what if...

"Diana," Brennan finally said. "Diana Wallace. I've been in love with her for years..."

"If that is what you wish."

"Yes," Brennan said, not believing what was happening. "That is what I wish."

"Granted," the woman said. "I hope to see you again, Brennan."

Brennan blinked, and the woman vanished. The crows flew away, leaving one black feather drifting down toward him.