The Summoning

The widow, Mary Gold, lived on Sunnyvale Road in a red-brick ranch home. Some of the neighbors started to refer to her as ‘the merry widow’ because she seemed to be more happy than sad since her husband died. Well, at first she was sad, but then the life insurance check arrived and she forgot about old Norman and his frugal ways. She changed a few things. Mary had all the rooms painted a nice butter yellow. It made her feel like sunshine leaked into every crevice. Of course, it needed new furnishings, as well.

The feeling was so uplifting; she traded in the old family pea-green Buick Skylark and purchased a blazing red convertible Mustang. She admired the way the sun glinted on the glossy finish. The joy in her starry eyes was priceless. She beamed an endless smile. And then she began to notice something.

The crow. At first it just sat in the tree and watched her. Sometimes it would caw or cackle at her when she went to the mailbox. In a few days, several more joined in. They would hop to the ground and follow her speaking in some garbled bird language. The chatter mystified Mary, but she paid them little mind until one morning when she went to retrieve the morning newspaper, she found the lawn a sea of black crows.

Still smiling, she asked, “What brings you here?”

“You summoned us,” said the head crow.

“No I didn’t.”

“You’re shining like a million jewels,” another crow responded. “We like shiny.”

“I thought that was just a myth.”

“You’re glowing from within, like a beacon of light,” another crow added.

“It’s called happiness.”

“…and we want some.”

One by one the crows battered her, each taking a piece of happiness until she was gone.


Word Count: 300

family brick crow