The Raven in the Window

It is 3 am, and 73-year-old Esther Caldwell is brewing chamomile tea. The house is still, save for the sounds of the wind and the trees outside her farmhouse. She carries her teacup to her bedroom, turning out all the lights along the way. Upon entry, she closes the door and sits at her vanity.

Esther looks at herself in the vanity mirror, taking in her appearance. Once vibrant and full of life, her green eyes are now dull as they stare back at her. She lifts her hand and gently pats under her eyes, touching the under-eye bags and dark circles that have formed from frequent nights of insomnia.

She drinks her tea, pondering the last time she'd had a goodnight's sleep, the taste of creamy vanilla, golden honey, and fresh chamomile flowers filling her senses.

It was five days ago. Esther's husband, Phillip Caldwell, was tuning in for the night as he had to be up early to feed the animals on the farm he ran and loved. Much to his chagrin, he was preparing to retire in a week on his 75th birthday.

Esther was sitting at her vanity, brushing her long, silver hair.

"Esther, my dear, if you stare at that mirror any longer, by the time you make it to bed, I'll be dead," Phillip says playfully.

"That's not funny. Give me a minute, Phil."

"You said that 30 minutes ago. I need my little spoon."

Esther chuckles. She sets down her hairbrush and, with one last glance in the vanity mirror, climbs into bed. "After all these years, you still can't sleep without me?"

"I haven't for the past 41 years, and I'm not about to start now." Phillip kisses Esther on the forehead.

They exchanged I love yous and drifted to sleep.

The next day, after working on the farm, Phillip complained of chest pains that came seemingly out of nowhere and lasted into the next day. Despite his discomfort, he would not go to the hospital, attributing the chest pains to over-exertion. Promising to take it easy, Phillip continued to work the next day.

By that night, the chest pains had worsened, as did Phillip's overall health. Esther called emergency services, and Phillip was rushed to the emergency room but died in the ambulance, grasping Esther's shaking hands.

Doctors explained to Esther that Phillip experienced a spike in blood pressure over a prolonged period, ultimately leading to heart failure.

She contested the diagnosis. Despite their age, both she and Phillip were incredibly healthy. But doctors maintained their prognosis, citing stress and fear over impending retirement as possible triggers to his sudden hypertension.

Eventually, Esther accepted their judgment and proceeded with planning. The Caldwell's life insurance policy allowed Esther to set up the service quickly.

Tonight was the night before the funeral. She could not sleep and hoped tea would help.

She fondly remembers how Phillip would always bring her chamomile tea in her favorite Disney teacup whenever she was having trouble sleeping.

Esther turns the cup, a gift from Phil, over in her hands, looking at the customized engraving in gold calligraphy.

"To my Dear Esther. Thank you for always bringing out the kid in me. I love you!"

A tear falls from Esther's eyes, and she slowly wipes it away, turning to look up at her and Phillip's wedding day photo, their smiles brighter than the sun.

"Phil, I can't do this," she cries. "Every night for 41 years, I have slept next to you. It's only been two days without you, and I'm falling apart. I have to walk into that church tomorrow and say goodbye. But I don't think I can. I can't accept that you're gone… I know that we both prepared for this event, but this doesn't feel right. You shouldn't be gone, not like that. How am I supposed to go on without you?"

Quietly sobbing to herself, Esther takes a few deep breathes before finishing her tea. She sets down the teacup and, with one last glance at the vanity mirror, climbs into bed.

Gently rubbing Phillip's side of the bed, she stares out at the night sky through the bedroom window overlooking the farm before falling asleep.

Moments later, jarred by something hitting the window, Esther spots a raven perched on the ledge, staring at her with glowing amber eyes. Her initial unease was oddly comforted by its presence.

She slowly gets out of bed and creeps toward the window, but the Raven flies away before reaching it. She rushes to the window and closes it, just in time to see the Raven fly into the farmhouse barn.

Falling back asleep is near impossible for Esther as thoughts of the Raven plague her mind. It felt familiar as if she had seen it before. But, in all her years of living on the farm, she had never encountered a raven. She eventually falls into a restless sleep, haunted by dreams of the Raven and her husband's funeral.

***

After the funeral the next day, Esther is surrounded by friends and family, offering sympathy and condolences. She says goodbye to a friend when her brother-in-law, Nathanial Caldwell, approaches her.

Nathanial is a 53-year-old investment banker. He and Mrs. Caldwell are close. He was Phillip's only family, and Phillip loved his baby brother dearly. Nathanial has been accommodating with the funeral and keeping Mrs. Caldwell strong.

"How you holding up?" He puts a comforting hand on Esther's shoulder.

"I'm doing okay, Nate, thank you." She wraps her arms around herself.

"Est, hey, you don't have to put on a brave face for me."

Averting her gaze, she retorts, "What do you want me to say? I lost my other half. I'm a mess, Nate."

Nathanial stuffs his hands into his pants pockets. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I don't mean to snap at you… How are you, though? Is your cancer really in remission?"

"Looks like it. Doctors have to run a few more tests on my kidneys, but yeah, for a few months now."

"I'm glad to hear that. I can't lose you too," she stresses.

Nathanial looks around before pulling an envelope out of a black messenger bag. Neither he nor Esther notices a little black book fall out of the side pocket. He hands Esther the envelope.

"I know losing my brother is hard on you. I overheard you at the funeral home the other day saying you spent most of the life insurance money on the ceremony, so, here."

Puzzled, Esther slowly reaches for the envelope, where she finds a check for $20,000. "Nate!" She gasps. "Where did you get this?!"

"Shhh. Don't worry about it. I hope it helps."

"I- I don't know what to say." Esther wraps Nathanial in a tight embrace. "Thank you."

She releases him and is startled by the sight of a raven perched high in a tree in the cemetery. Call it crazy, but… Is that the same Raven from last night? It can't be. How could it have followed her from the farmhouse?

Seeing her puzzled expression, Nathanial looks over his shoulder. "Esther? Are you okay?"

"I- You see that Raven? I could have sworn I saw that thing outside my window last night."

"Heh, maybe it's stalking you." Nathanial laughs and looks at the Raven.

It stares daggers at Nathanial, and Esther's blood runs cold. Those eyes. Those glowing amber eyes! It is the same Raven!

"Sure is creepy," Nathanial jokes. "Do you need a ride home?"

"No, it's okay, thank you."

"Alright. Take care, Est."

Nathaniel walks off, and Esther looks back to the Raven. It's gone. When she leaves, the Raven returns, landing where Nathanial and Esther previously stood, next to where the little black book Nathanial dropped earlier lay unnoticed.

***

After returning home later that night, the pain Esther has been holding back comes crashing down on her. She closes her bedroom door, collapses in a heap, and sobs heavily.

She doesn't realize how much time has passed when there's a knock at the window. It was the Amber-Eyed-Raven. Again, she is soothed by its presence.

"Why are you following me?"

The Raven darts its head back and forth between Esther and the barn. Warily creeping toward the window, she asks, "The barn? There's something in the barn?"

The Raven immediately flies toward the barn.

She can't believe what she is about to do. She thinks she's officially lost her mind. Still, Esther walks to her closet, grabs a flashlight, and heads to the barn.

The barn is dark, illuminated only by the moonlight shining through the windows.

"Um… Mr. Raven?"

Silence.

"Oh, what am I doing?" She turns to walk away when a distinct "Caw" comes from the horses' stable.

Clutching her flashlight, she walks to the stable. In a corner, she sees the Raven's glowing eyes. Once spotted, the Raven flies away. Esther approaches, confused; she finds her husband's water jug, a prescription pill bottle, and a little black book.

She picks up the pill bottle, dusting it off to read the label. The prescription was for a drug called Inlyta, prescribed to - Nathanial Caldwell. Stunned, Esther drops everything.

"What the hell?! She exclaims. "Why are Nathanial's pills in the barn?"

She picks up the little black book. It's Nathanial Caldwell's journal. It details his battles with cancer, how due to being weakened by chemotherapy, he lost his job and became depressed. His depression led to a gambling addiction that accumulated $150,000 in debts from individuals who terrified him. She turns to an entry and freezes.

"There's no turning back now. I've exhausted all my options. I've applied for loans, I tried to borrow money, I even considered taking out a life insurance policy on my wife, but that'd be too obvious. I can't believe I'm betraying my brother like this, but what choice do I have? If I don't get this money, these people are going to kill me. He has no children, no grandchildren. I do! And they need me... I'm doing what I have to do. I'm worried about Esther, though. She doesn't deserve this. I'll be sure to take care of her. I'm sorry, brother. I'm sorry, Esther."

Esther turns the page and reads another entry dated one day after Phillip died.

"D**n. I lost the pills! I searched that barn high and low and cannot find them. But, no one has said anything to me... I don't know how I'm going to look Esther in the eye."

Esther flips through the book and finds a folded paper dated years before Esther and Phillip met. It was a signed life insurance policy for Phillip, listing Nathanial as the sole beneficiary of $200,000. Thinking of the $20,000 check Nathanial gave her earlier, she feels sick to her stomach. She immediately leaves the barn to research the pills.

"Okay, according to inlyta.com, 'INLYTA is a prescription medicine used to treat kidney cancer that has spread or cannot be removed by surgery…INLYTA may cause your blood pressure to rise. In the clinical trial, hypertension occurred as early as four days into treatment.' Oh my god!"

"Caw!"

Esther's eyes snap to the window, where she sees the Amber-Eyed-Raven.

"Phillip... I know it's you. "She quivers.

The Raven flies from the window to her side. It lets out a despondent "Caw," confirming her revelation.

Tears pour out of Esther's eyes, and she gently pets the Raven, contemplating her next steps. "I'm so sorry, dear. I love you so much... He won't get away with this, Phil."

***

The next morning, while cooking, Esther makes a phone call.

"Nate, hi. Listen, I'm really having a hard time coping. Can you come over? I need a friend... Please? I'll make breakfast."

Nathanial hesitates. "Sure, Est, whatever you need."

Esther holds out her hand, and the Amber-Eyed Raven drops Nathanial’s pill bottle into it. She begins crushing the pills into the food.

"What would I do without you...