It started with something small; a plain pebble with an odd swirl formed on top.
I found it on the stoop to my door, placed inside my cup I had forgotten to bring in.
I had been distracted in my painting again. I had dreams of making it big in the world, but people were not interested in pictures of what they already knew.
The world was a strange place filled with strange creatures. Humanoid, terrifying, other-worldly beings that hid in thickets, became the waters, or lived in the skies.
People didn't want to see that. They wanted something... more.
So, I tried. Anything to make a little extra cash to keep food on my table and clothes on my back.
The house I had was only a little stone one in a field. It was far from town and was ringed with a wooden fence so old that it looked like it would be blown over in the breeze.
Wildflowers spilled colour outside my door every day, and the air was always fresh.
Even though my fridge struggled to keep my food cold, and my fireplace was so choked inside the chimney it barely warmed the house, it was my sanctuary that no-one else intruded on, until the gifts.
First was the stone.
The next day was a blue daisy.
I'd never seen anything like it. When I saw it dropped beneath my kitchen window, I failed to realise it was fake until I bought it inside and placed it in a milk bottle topped with water that it bobbed up from.
Part of a toy? Maybe from a cheap store in town?
But why would it come here?
There was no hints of anyone coming here on thier own terms. The grass was still as wild as ever and my fence remained bowed to the flowers.
Someone was trying to startle me and I wasn't going to let it.
I was still on edge that night when I made vegetable stew topped with a few of the wildflowers from outside.
While nestled in my cane chair that creaked when I wrapped my knitted blanket around myself, I smiled gratefully at the stew warming my hands.
The house was freezing, but the blanket offered some warmth. My bed would be warmer with the thick covers I had layered on it awaiting me.
The thought of being snuggled somewhere warmer won me over.
I cradled the bowl of stew close when I shuffled to the kitchen for a glass of water to take with me.
The sink was below the window overlooking the field and fence. Trading my bowl for a cup, I let the tap run before dipping the glass under and looking out at the darkness.
Rather than meeting the moonlight basking over my serene property, I was staring straight into two piercing white eyes.
The sheer shock of them rattled my body into dropping the glass back into the sink and stumbling away.
They lingered for only a few seconds longer before disappearing.
I bolted for the door, not to open and inspect my intruder, but to fumble the chain lock into position and click the knob beside it closed.
Hurrying for bed, the cold covers offered none of the comfort I had been seeking.
I remained there, too scared to retrieve my stew beneath the window, and too shaken to pick out the broken glass from the sink.
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With a new morning came renewed courage.
Sliding out of my room and rushing over to grab a log of wood from beside the fireplace, I inched towards the window where I could hear tapping.
It was something hard on the glass that jolted me as I slid closer to it.
My mouth ran dry. My legs could only shuffle on the floor as my eyes spotted a black hand and long nails tapping the glass.
Yep, that wasn't terrifying.
Glancing down at the drawer below my abandoned soup, I contemplated trading the hefty wood I held over my shoulder for a knife.
Inching into sight, the tapping stopped when I locked eyes with my intruder and felt my muscles relax.
It was just a crow.
Blowing out breath, my weak arms lowered the log onto the kitchen bench gratefully.
It wasn't an ordinary crow though.
These ones were very human-like. Although it still had the fierce eyes and head of the creature, the body was human. Even the arms tucked on either side of it resembled my own; shrouded in long, gleaming black feathers that grew from them.
Sharp claws on four fingers made up the hands on the tips of the wings that reached up to tap the glass again.
I saw the crow swivel its head to look elsewhere, jumping at the noise of something else that had its tail flared.
Just a crow. A really, really tall crow.
It must have been what was leaving the things for me. It made sense, seeing it was in its nature.
But, it also had me nervous seeing one so close to my home.
These types of crows were seen as omens of death. With its white eyes and black feathers cloaking it's body, I could understand why. It had to bend just to tap my window from how tall it was.
The crow jumped back when I leant towards the window to try and see what it had dropped for me. It's eyes studied me as it's scaley legs tapped on the stone with its fidgity bird feet.
I had never seen one of these up close. They usually kept further away from humans, like the others I saw hunched further out in the field like boulders.
Dropping my eyes down to the stew, I sighed.
I wasn't even going to tempt fate and try to eat it. The crow could take it rather than me wasting it down the sink.
Cradling the coldness, I shivered to the front door I unlocked and snapped open.
The crow stood there, jumping when I poked my head out and smiled at it.
So nervous. It looked me up and down when I slid out slowly, eyeing it's exit behind it.
The stone slab that was my veranda didn't have any sort of railings. It was a steep drop to the ground, but not life-threatening.
The crow backed up to the edge and grumbled under its breath when I stopped inching towards it to place the bowl down.
Like the other two times, another gift had been dropped.
This one was a yellow button.
It was so bright too. It shone in the sun like money itself.
The sound of the bowl scraping against the stone when I pushed it towards the crow startled it into taking flight.
Dissapointment hit me hard when I watched it arc through the sky and land further out in the field with a leap.
Sighing, I picked up the button and left the bowl to return inside.
The sun was hot today and sure to warm up my freezing body. Even though the air had bite to it, I pulled the blanket off my bed, dragged out my box of art supplies, and tucked a canvas beneath my arm to bring back out.
The crow had moved forward when I rested against my house to look over the field.
I saw its head peek over the flowers to look at me. Some even tangled in its feathers, giving it a more wilder look than it already had.
I giggled, deciding what to paint.
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I was completely lost in swiping in the flowers in amongst feathers when I heard the bowl beside me dragging once more.
Peering over, the crow had its head dunked into the bowl and was dragging it while having its arse pointed upwards. It's tail flared as the curved bird legs pushed it around to try and snap up the stew.
I snorted, trying to hold in my laughter, which made it peel its dripping head up and caw back.
The noise was so loud. It's stuck neck feathers billowed out with the noise that pierced my ears.
It cawed again, and again, and again.
It was too much! I clambered to my feet and shooed away the crow who arched over to my fence to grip onto the leaning posts.
"NO! Not there, you stupid thing!" I bellowed out.
I couldn't hold it in any longer. Maybe it really was just a stupid, ignorant creature disguised as something smarter?
The fence creaked when the crow perched there, leaning further outwards.
"GET! GO!"
I threw the button towards it, which made it leave my poor fence to favour the fields again.
It was a wonder the whole fence didn't collapse from the weight forced onto it.
Growling, I dropped myself back down so I could retrieve my painting.
The crow in it had its beak open for an offering. I was going to use the button to glue to it.
Which was now lost in the grass.
Growling again at my oversight, I heaved myself up again, dumped down the comforting blanket, and stomped down to begin my desperate hunt for the damned thing.
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The crow was perched up on the roof of my house to watch me swat through the grass for the button.
Glaring up at it, I jabbed a finger to the creature.
"This is your fault, you know!" I snapped at it "if it wasn't for your noise, I wouldn't be out here!"
It shuffled across, ruffling out it's feathers.
Damned bird. Why was it bothering me now?
"I don't have anything for you!" I threw up my arms "usually you birds trade for something. Why are you leaving me things for nothing?"
It said nothing. It just stared.
Maybe it was my omen I was going to die? Being out in this grass, a snake could easily bite me, or a spider could poison me.
The nearest hospital was way too far. I only had my old red motorbike leaning against the side of the house that rattled whenever it struggled over sixty kilometers an hour.
That was it. It was death.
"Great" I mumbled bitterly, swatting more flowers out of the way to try and find the ground "thirty-five and I'm going to die."
I peered back up at the crow still watching me.
The others were gone. The sun grew intense as afternoon set in. I was still deciding if a mere button was even worth it anymore.
It would be that 'different' people wanted, but I could just rip off one from a shirt to substitute it.
Sweating and wiping my brow, I decided to go for that option.
I was dying for a drink. My mouth felt like I was trying to swallow a teatowel that had been covered in tacky spiders webs.
Struggling up the stairs, I heard the claws of the crow shuffle before something dropped.
The gleam caught my eye and made me whine. On the verge of tears, I picked it up and looked to the crow.
That stupid yellow button. It had it all this time.
"You...." I choked out as I wiped my eyes "you b..."
I couldn't even speak from how useless and frustrated I felt. All those hours combing the grass and developing an itchy rash for nothing.
I should have known it was torturing me. It knew and it did nothing.
It was playing games with me. Cunning creature.
Sliding my weary body to the door, I tossed the button on the bench and sighed at the broken glass I still had to clean out of the sink.
"Don't hurt yourself."
Pausing over the shards, I looked out the window to see the head of the crow poking over the edge of the roof.
"Don't hurt yourself" it repeated in a deep slowness.
Was it just mimicking something it had heard? Could crows do that?
No. That was stupid...
I kept picking the shards to dump on the bench beside me while rummaging for a plastic bag.
I heard the weight of the crow drop to the steps and tap its way to the window.
Fire burned through my finger when I pulled up a bag and saw I had cut myself.
"You hurt yourself" it pointed.
"Genius" I mumbled and sucked on my finger.
The white eyes watched me glaring back at them.
What did it want from me?
A trade for the items?
"Alright" I searched the house desperately, snatching up items "here you go!"
I stormed out the door, startling the crow into backing up to the edge again.
"For the stone" I threw down a fork "for the flower" I tossed a thread pulled from my bed "for the button" I dumped a coin into the pile.
The crow eyed them and waited until I backed up to snatch up the items and inspect them in the sunlight.
"Now go! SHOO!"
It scurried to take off again. This time it sailed into the skies and disappeared.
Blowing out a grateful breath, I gathered up my art supplies to continue my work in my quiet home.
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Tapping on the window only confirmed I hadn't gotten rid of the crow like I had initially thought.
With darkness shrouding it and making the white eyes blare through the glass, I contemplated leaving the creature outside and ignoring it.
The tapping was so persistant and demanding that I was afraid it would break my window.
I slid it open and leant back when a clawed hand pushed into my kitchen, holding a new trinket.
It was the fork I had given it, twisted around the coin trapped within the bent prongs and handle. The end of the fork was twisted to the top where the twine had been wrapped to form a bright loop that a claw held toward me.
"You made this?"
I took it in disbelief to run my finger over the craftsmanship. The crow crooned and hopped from side to side in happiness at my acceptance of the gift.
No-one had done something like this for me in a very long time. It prickled my heart and made me smile at the amount of effort that had gone into it.
Did that mean I needed to give it something more in return? Was it just a never-ending exchange?
"Wear" it pointed to my neck "necklace."
"It's a little small for that" I held it up with my finger and giggled at the ambition "but it's great."
It's energy instantly deflated.
The least I could do was give it some more food for its efforts.
Dishing up a second bowl, I passed it out the window to the eager claws.
"Goodnight" I smiled at it looking down at the bowl "and thank you."
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I was actually excited to see what new gift had been left for me when I shuffled to the kitchen to slide in some bread to the toaster.
Peeking out the door, I saw that the crow was in the field, cawing out when it saw I was awake.
"Alright, alright" I grinned back with a yawn "it's too early for that."
It rushed for the veranda and stood there excitedly, tapping it's little feet from one to the other in happiness.
It dipped its head and opened its beak to dump a fat frog at my feet that splatted onto its back before flipping over and leaping away.
The crow and I watched it disappear into the grass before it turned back to me.
"Gift."
"Oh" I realised "uh, thank you."
It looked back to the way the frog had gone and frowned back at me.
"Gift" it insisted with a whine, diving back into the grass to try and find it again.
What a silly thing. I held back my laughter.
It'd be there for a while.
I left it to grab my toast and butter it, bringing it outside to offer the crow one slice.
It leapt back up and promptly dumped the frog onto the toast that I held in shock.
What did I do with this?
The frog croaked when I passed it to the crow. It eyed the toast before snapping it up, along with the frog.
It threw its head back to swallow them both, fluffing up and shaking its head when it was devoured.
"I'll...." I tried to form words "...um...."
A smile played on my lips and I snorted as I started to laugh at the absurd situation.
The crow took flight at the noise, perching on the fence again that groaned from the pressure.
"No!" I laughed and waved my hands "you silly thing!"
Biting into my slice of toast and wiping my eyes, I realised how much I actually appreciated having this creature around.
Once a pest, I was seeing how wrong I was.
I liked having it on my doorstep morning and night. I was actually looking forward to whatever trinket it had dug up to present me with.
Inspired, I snatched up my art supplies once more to paint out the newest offering that had been short-lived.
A frog on toast. I giggled just at seeing it form before me again.
Maybe this is what I needed? Something to show me the 'different' I had been overlooking?
The crow leapt through the grass, obviously hunting something new that was evading it.
It was jumping about and making all sorts of noises. I watched it, smiling at its silly antics until it caught what it had been dodging.
Dangling from its feet was a very irritated, snapping, red bellied black snake.
"Gift!" the crow called happily as it leapt towards me to gain momentum to fly.
"NO! NO! NO!" I scrambled to try and drag myself to my feet as it advanced, scraping together my supplies to throw them haphazardly inside "NOT THAT! THAT'S A SNAKE!"
"Gift!" the crow ignored my panic to keep flying it towards me.
I could hear the hissing of the snake still trying to snap onto the claws it dangled from.
Shoving my wet painting under my arm and hurling the brushes inside, I tripped and fumbled my way to the door just as the crow launched the snake where I had been sitting.
I couldn't close and lock the door fast enough. Only when I slid down the back of it, I saw the damage I had done to the painting now smeared across my shirt and down my arm.
"Jeez" I moaned at my addled brain and stupidness.
The cute frog was just a ugly brown mark now. All of that hard work, gone in an instant.
I couldn't blame the crow either. It didn't see the danger in bringing me live gifts that didn't bother it. A frog was one thing, but a venemous snake was another.
Would.... it eat that one too?
I sighed, only thinking of how much time would go into covering up the canvas in the ugly brown to repaint over it.
"Gift" I heard on the other side of the door.
I couldn't hear the snake anymore. Perhaps it had slithered back into the grass?
Sliding across the lock and inching the door open, I peeked out to see the crow standing there. The snake was still here too, dangling lifelessly from its beak.
"Food" the crow glowed and dropped the snake by the door that my blood ran cold at.
"Oh, you can have it" I gulped back and chuckled nervously "your trade."
Did it understand that?
The crow scowled and flared, growling.
Yeah, it sounded like it did.
"I don't eat snakes" I mumbled to it.
The white eyes glaring at me were so intimidating. I felt like the crow itself could kill me as easily as that snake if I opened my door only a few inches further.
Its height didn't help the matter. Being so tall, the creature loomed over me and added to the anger pouring from it.
"Here" I fumbled behind me without taking my eyes off the crow, grasping something "a trade."
I rolled out an old paintbrush that had the varnish peeling off it.
A clawed foot snatched it up before the crow leapt into the air and sailed into the skies once more.
Grateful it was finally gone, I grimaced at the snake still dead by my door.
There was no way I was even going near that thing.
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It was still there when night fell and I curled by the fire with my canvas. The crow hadn't returned, which had me feeling guilty for refusing its trade, as horrible as it was.
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I was still focused on fixing up the frog on its toast under the sunlight when I saw the familiar blackness sailing towards the house.
A smile pressed to my face and I felt my anxiety lift at the return of the crow.
"Good to see you back!" I called out, clutching the canvas in excitement "I've got to show you wh...."
I barged out the front door, forgetting about the dead snake until its body was shoved aside.
Quickly retreating inside, I went to the kitchen window instead.
"It's the frog!" I breathed to it landing there "didn't it come up well?"
I was quite proud of it. Despite the first messed attempt, I had managed to hide most of the ugly brown behind the funny animal I pointed out to the crow.
"Food" it prodded the frog with a nail.
"Well, a picture of it, yeah" I shrugged in agreeance.
It liked it. I burned with embarrassment at the appreciation.
Even strangers didn't linger on my work as long as this creature was. With them, it was out of politeness. With the crow, it was actual fascination.
It genuinely loved my work.
It tried to grab the frog, making me laugh.
"It's still got to finish it" I pulled it away, looking over the crow "what did you bring today?"
Please, no more snakes.
It held out a curled hand and dropped a note of money from it. It swirled on its descent to the sink where I looked in disbelief.
Ten dollers.
"Where....?" I picked it up to make sure it was real "....how...?"
There was no way.... actual money!
"This!" I waved the note to the crow with a whoop "this is a good gift!"
Now, what did I have to trade?
Looking around, nothing stood out until I looked down at the canvas I still clutched.
"Well...." I lingered on the frog and it's flaws "... I guess this makes you my first paying customer of the year."
I held out the canvas for the crow to take. It kept its arms outstretched as it studied the frog on the toast with a croon.
"Don't eat it" I warned it with a giggle.
"Don't eat it" it repeated, still frozen in the same stance.
Did it really love it that much?
I blushed and pocketed the money. The love for something I hadn't perfected just amazed me. The crow didn't care for the flaws I saw, it loved the art regardless.
"Look" I spoke up again to gain it's attention "if you get rid of the dead snake, I'll make you another one of those."
It looked to the snake then to the art it still held from its body.
"A gift" I insisted.
I still had the first one to finish of the flowers tangled in its feathers. No-one else would want to buy that anyway.
The crow fluffed up and promptly dropped the art so it could tap over to the door and clutch the dead snake in its feet. It then tossed it from the verandah so it could shoot out after it and speed into the sky to toss the lifeless body around, swerving and spiralling around with it until catching it in its beak where it returned to the window proudly.
"No, I'm good" I smiled nervously when it strutted with its catch, flaring.
It crooned before starting to toss back the snake the same way it had the frog.
I closed my eyes and turned from it so I didn't need to see the gruesome act. I could hear the beak snapping on the bones of the snake and breaking it so it would slip down easier.
Squinting before opening them again, I saw it was gone.
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Was I deeply impressed or crawling with disgust? Maybe a bit of both.
"I-i've got work to do, so you should find somewhere to put that painting, ok?" I flicked my finger for the crow to leave.
Where did a wild animal keep things like that? Did it have its own nest filled with other artworks and money that stretched over it like a bowerbird? Or was it going to try and eat the frog when it had taken it out of sight?
Either way, it had been paid for. I was still jittering at the fact a creature had been the first to pay me for a piece.
The crow snatched up the art in its feet so it could toss it in the same way it had the snake. I smirked at the large creature carrying away the frog sitting on the toast that flashed back at me with each powerful stroke of its wings.
My gifts were sacred to it.
But, it was picking up the wrong signals. The creature needed to be with its own kind, not ignoring them to favour me.
I was flattered and honored it had chosen me, but I couldn't let this behaviour go on because I secretly liked it and encouraged it by keeping up the trading between us.
But why did I feel so horrible when it wasn't here? Like I wanted to cry and pine for its return?
It lightened my life and gave it something to look forward to rather than my art that now didn't. That was all to survive now. Art had lost the excitement and exhilaration of the creation, until the crow inspired me once more.
No. It had to go. You have to be firm.
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I waited for the return of the crow to put my plan into action.
When it landed, I couldn't think about anything else other than the diluted paint that ran from the side of its beak. I could see it was more prominent at the edges, like it was leaking fresh paint itself.
I saw brown mixed with yellow and green dribbling down its dark feathers that it glanced at before avoiding eye contact with it.
"Did you eat the frog?" I frowned.
The crow refused to look at me but stayed motionless.
"Not food" it replied sheepishly.
I saw the coated tongue when it spoke. The idiot had licked the paint from the canvas from the way it was smeared over the surface.
I had to remain firm. I hid my smile behind my fist I raised to my mouth to try and keep myself from laughing.
"What am I going to do with you?" I shook my head at it, snorting.
"Spicy" it complained pitifully.
"Spicy?" I pondered before letting out a sharp laugh that startled it "do you mean the paint?"
I knew it burned when I accidentally confused my paint jar for a cup while preoccupied. The paint costed my tongue and throat for days afterwards. I guess 'spicy' was the proper word for it.
The only thing I could do was offer the creature some water. The was no way I'd be able to wrangle something so large under my sink to flush out the paint properly.
"You can stay here until you sort this out" I circled a finger around its beak "I'm going to get the other painting sorted."
The crow tapped it's feet in excitement, eagerly following its way inside and to the sink I gestured for it to flick the tap upwards of to run the water.
With it drowning it's face that gasped out occasionally, I could finally get to work.
I kept my smile to myself as I nestled in my wicker chair with my supplies around me.
It really was such a silly creature, but I loved having it brighten up my home with its antics for just a little while longer.
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"Well, it's not perfect, but a trade is a trade."
The crow took the canvas with excitement from me when it waited outside my door.
After last night, all it did was drink until it was so bloated on water it couldn't fly.
The lazy thing slept outside my house on the verandah in its own little corner pressed against the wall.
All I could see was a ball of feathers when I went to get my own water and check on it as well.
Now, it was a new day with a new offering.
"Please don't lick this one" I watched the crow study itself happily "or eat it."
"Me" it crooned, hugging it tightly.
Such a human gesture. It really was fascinating me every day at all the little quirks this creature had.
"That's your gift" I reminded it "for the snake, remember? Now, no more, ok?"
White eyes peered at me in confusion.
"I, uh..." I grew ashamed of my harshness in trying to do the best for it "....you need to be with your own kind."
I swept an arm to the empty fields. The other crows had been keeping clear of it since this one's fascination in me. It was only the grass and flowers again.
"I'm not like you."
The crow gestured to itself than to me. With both of us to our height, I could see how it was comparing both of our structures.
"That's not what I mean" I grumbled "you know that. You aren't human. I'm not a bird."
It hugged the canvas against its chest as it noticed my frustration with the situation.
"No more gifts" I bit out "no more trades. You need to go and be a... a.... crow!"
Blowing out my breath, I could feel the anger pickling at my eyes.
"It was fun" I told it still refusing to move "and I got some inspiration out of it all for the first time in forever" I smiled at the canvas it smothered "you can't be ruining everything for a hermit like me."
It was killing me slowly, but it was the right thing to do.
"Please, go" I pointed to the field "before I make a stupid decision and change my mind."
The crow's eyes softened when it saw how much I was struggling.
It walked closer, each nail tapping on the cold stone, until it was right in front of me.
It really was such a magnificent creature up close I could hear each deep breath and smell the warm flowers on its skin. Every deep black feather reacted to the air around it as it just stood there.
It crooned as it rubbed its head against mine and snuggled into the crook of my neck.
Why did it have to do that?
Choking back the lump in my throat and digging my nails into my palms so I didn't hug it, the crow moved past me with the canvas still pressed to its chest.
Pausing at the stairs, I saw it look down at it, then to me wiping my eyes.
"Not gift" it muttered gently as it placed it down on the stone and stepped back with an empathetic smile.
Then, the crow left with the last flutter of its wings carrying it higher and further away until it was nothing more.
As much as my heart was breaking at the sight of the painted crow with flowers tangled into its feathers, I smiled at the reminder of such a fond memory it had left me.
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Goodbye, Crow.
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