Bird Droppings

Bird Droppings

I was sitting on my porch in my comfy chair, reading a book and having some tea relaxing before starting the day. while flipping the age i noticed something out of the corner of my eye. A big beautiful black raven landed on the railing of the porch in front of me. literally three feet away. My first thought was, great the devil has come to collect me. Then it was, this big thing is going to pluck my eyes out! He was scary and gorgeous all at the same time. Then i seen it had something in it's beak. As he was walking up and down the railing, I didn't move.
I sat very still and started talking to him. Hello there pretty bird. Thank you for coming to visit me today? Your a pretty bird. Why have you landed on my porch railing today pretty bird and what is in your beak? The whole time he is staring at me with those big black pools of black ink called eyes, turning his head from side to side making crazy little noises at me. I admit it was very creepy. I slid my feet to the floor and sat up a little in my chair. He started bouncing up an down excitedly. I froze and a shiver ran down my spine.
Ok Mr. Raven if it makes you feel better, I won't move a muscle. He walked down the rail a few feet. Then he turned his body around and walked back to where I was sitting. I could now see what he was holding in his beak. It was a pocket watch. It looked really old and covered in dust. I just sat there looking at him. He came right in front of me and stopped. He turned to face me. He was looking right at me, cocking his head from side to side. It was so amazing looking at him that close. So I started talking to him again. Mr. raven why do you have a pocket watch in your beak and where did you get it? Is it for me? I put my hand out ever so slowly under the watch and held it there.
He started bouncing again. Then he stopped, turned his head sideways and dropped the watch into my hand. I closed my fingers around it and pulled my hand back. I then said well thank you Mr. Raven for such a special gift. Now what can I do for you? Are you hungry? He bounced back down the railing. I waited a few seconds then stood up. He didn't move. I went to my refrigerator and got a hand full of ground beef I was going to use for my dinner that night and put it on a plate. I took it out on the porch. He was still there on the railing making little noises. I put the beef on the step of the porch and went back to my chair. He looked at me then flew to the steps and started eating the meat. When he was done he turned to me and I swear he bowed at me. He tucked his head down and brought up his wing. (well it looked like he bowed!) Then he flew off.
The next morning I took the watch to an antique dealer in town. Come to find out it was really old. It was from around 1929. The dealer was glad to buy it from me. He gave me four hundred dollars for it. I was so surprised. I was broke and really needed the money. I sat on my porch every day for a week waiting for that bird to come back. I knew it was a fluke and he wasn't coming back. I wasn't going to see him again. On the seventh morning just when I was giving up hope. Just as I stood up to go in the house, here he came. He landed again effortlessly on the railing in front of me. He was such a beautiful bird. Black as ebony with huge black eyes. To my surprise he had a gold necklace with what looked like diamonds in it, in his mouth. I sat back down while he bounced up and down the rail excited. I started talking to him again.
In a soft soothing voice I said. Your a pretty bird. I'm glad you came to see me today Mr. Raven. How have you been? I wanted to thank you for the pocket watch you brought me. I sold it to a nice man in town and the money really helped. Thank you very much. Can I pet you Mr. Raven? Will you fly away if I try to? I reached out to touch him. I thought he would fly away but he just sat there. I slowly ran my fingers down his back. He made soft chirping sounds.
Your so soft Mr. Raven I said to him. What a pretty necklace you have in your beak today. Is that for me pretty bird? I sat back down. Holding out my hands in front of him. He bowed his head and dropped the necklace into my hands. I asked, where are you getting all these old things, but of course I got no answer. He bobbed his head up a down making crazy sounds trying to talk to me, I think. I said hello, hello and he actually said hello. Oh my gosh you can talk. I was amazed. Your such a good bird. What else can you say? Can you say pretty bird? He didn't say that. Ok pretty bird you just stay here and I'll go find you something to eat from the fridge. I went in the kitchen and got a banana. I broke it up and put it on a plate. When I got back out on the porch, I looked for him but he was gone. So I put the plate on the steps and sat down in my chair. After twenty minutes of waiting for him to come back I picked up the plate and went inside.
The next morning I took the necklace to the antique shop again in town. The owner there was a sweet man. He asked me why I was selling my family treasures? I told him I was in need of the money and being a writer wasn't paying off yet. He seamed to understand because he said we all have hard times. I know he gave me more than the necklace was worth. He told me it was twenty four karat gold. Also that all three diamonds were real and of good quality. He gave me eight hundred dollars for it. I was so happy. I used it to pay some more bills and buy some more food.
Again I sat on my porch every day waiting. I was so curious where the raven was getting these old things from. I decided to try to follow him the next time he came. Now sitting on my porch waiting on him I kept my car keys with me so when it was time I can hop in my car to follow him. A week later while sitting in my chair reading not paying attention, he scared me when he landed on the railing in front of me. This time he had a ring in his beak. It shimmered in the sunlight. When he got close for me to see that it was an amethyst ring I was excited. My mother's birthstone was amethyst. I might have to keep this gift Mr. Raven i told him.
Once again I started talking to him. Is this ring for me pretty bird? When I put my hand out he dropped the ring in the palm of my hand. Oh this is so pretty Mr. Raven. Thank you. Thank you. It was dirty but I could see it was old and very pretty even under the dirt. I tried it on my ring finger it was a perfect fit. Definitely a keeper.
I told him to wait there while I found him something to eat. I went to my kitchen and opened the fridge to look for something. While I had my head in three fridge, I heard him making noises behind me. When I turned around there he was in my kitchen bouncing around my kitchen floor. I didn't know what to do. I went back to looking in the fridge. I found some strawberries and blueberries for him. I tore them up and put it on a plate. He was still just roaming around the kitchen pecking at stuff inspecting everything. I showed him the plate and tossed him a hunk of strawberry. He gobbled it down. I walked backwards out the door with him following me out onto the porch. I sat the plate down and he went to it to eat. I shut the house door and waited for him to finish eating.
I knew when he was done he would fly off. I grabbed my keys from the table next to my chair and waited. As before when his plate was empty he turned to me and made as to bow at me. Then he flew up into the air and ran to my car and pulled out of my driveway to follow him. He was headed back towards town. He landed once on top of an old barn roof. I thought that the barn was his home so I pulled into the muddy drive to see what he would do. As I was about to get out of my car, he flew away again, so I put my foot back in the car and followed him again until he came to a crop of trees and I lost him from sight. Disappointed I turned around to go back home. When I was almost home again, I spotted him flying over a hey field. I followed him untill he landed on the fence post. I sat there watching him. He flew up and off so i followed. He took me to another barn on an old farm.
He flew in. I got out an went inside looking around for him. I heard him making his clicking noises up in rafters on a loft up a latter. i climbed to the top ans seen him in the corner throwing hey around with his feet. i started talking to him again as i walked closer to him. The closer i got i could see he was getting more and more anxious. When i was beside him i could see why. There in the hey, he had a treasure trove of things. There were old things, new looking things. so many shiny things that sparkled in the light. It was like he was showing me his treasures. I said to him. Oh Mr.Raven you have sooo many pretty things, where did u get all this? He just continued to bounce up and down making his noises. I wanted to take a few more things but then i said you have given me enough. I will go now and dont worry Mr. Raven i promise i will not come back and bother you here. I left the loft and barn an kept my promise i never went back and he never come back.