The Crow and the Locket

Wind whistled through the empty streets, driving a tumbleweed past rusted hulls of abandoned cars coated heavy with dust. A female crow cawed from a rooftop, calling to the ruins. Nothing but the wind answered her back. She opened her wings and circled around, hunting for something to bring back. A glint from the city streets caught her eye and she tilted her wings, diving to the ground.

She hopped through the rubble in the street, broken up by tufts of weeds growing through the split pavement. The glittering golden object lay coiled in the grasp of someone long dead. The crow pecked at the sparkle, loosening it and pecking at the bits of dried flesh still clinging to the bone.

She pried and pecked and pulled. The fingers relaxed and the small golden heart slipped to the ground with a clink. She eyed it, peering at it and clawed it toward her. The cover popped open revealing a small ticking clock face. The hands stuck, ticking at the same moment the glass face cracked, recording the moment the world ended.

Plucking it up with her beak, she beat her wings, launching from the ground, holding onto her precious new sparkly as she flew. A second crow flew up to her cawing and dove for the golden heart. She pitched and scratched at him and dove to a distant tree for cover.

She steaded the locket on the branch and admired it for a moment. She nudged it with her beak, closing the watch face and studied it as the hand continued to hit the same number, never moving further on the face.

Carefully she picked it up and jumped from the tree, gliding to the next one. Her nest was here, hiding in the upper bows of a silver pine. It was a fine nest, built of bits of string and bright colored tinsel. She added the heart-shaped golden locket to her hidden treasures, placing it so she could admire it among the coins, bits and babbles she had collected.

She rested for a moment, closing her eyes with pleasure as she dreamed of other shiny things yet to be discovered. A black cloud rose in the horizon and she opened her eyes, watching it as it drew closer. The black thinned as it approached, breaking up into hundreds of individual bodies.

She hopped to the edge of the tree and cawed. They cawed back and delighted, she took the air, meeting up with the murder of crows, riding on the winds. It felt exhilarating to be with others of her kind and together they toured the city, landing in the killing fields, they foraged for grubs among the bleached bones of the ones who used to live in the city. They lay here, strewn about, their fate long forgotten.

She had searched them many times for shiny things, but watched, bemused as the other crows picked through, knowing she had already salvaged the best treasures. A vehicle rumbled down the road and the murder of crows took to the sky, retreating to safety. They watched from their perches as two humans in bright yellow suits stepped out of the vehicle, waving their instruments around.

They were of little interest to her, but she watched them nonetheless should they drop a morsel to eat or a trinket for her to retrieve. She scratched the side of her head with her claws as she watched them, already feeling bored. They didn’t visit these parts often.

They walked through the empty streets, waving their sticks at the vehicles and building doors, the blips and beeping broke up the sounds of their footfalls. Then they turned, headed for her tree with all her secrets tucked away inside. She took off, flying above them, cawing at them, furious that they were approaching her nest.

She landed in the tree, checked on her precious treasures, then dropped to a lower branch, warning the yellow humans to stay away. They looked at her through their hoods and waved their stick in her direction. One pointed to the other and said something in the human gibberish and stepped forward.

No! Go away! She screamed, flapping her wings furiously at them. It didn’t matter how much she beat her wings or screamed at them, they climbed her tree, drawing ever closer to her hidden treasures. Leave!

She pecked at them and they swatted her away, but she dodged it, taking to the air, flying around them, clawing and pecking at them. They swatted at her again, this time clipping her and she fell back in the tree, stunned. They were at her nest and she watched helplessly as they lifted out her precious treasure.

They retreated down the tree and she dove after them, clawing for the locket, crying and pleading at them to give it back, but they couldn’t understand her. She watched, mournfully as they walked back to their truck and climbed in and drove away. Stupid humans, they made the most beautiful shiney things but they always took them back.

She would get it back! It was hers, she had found it. Determined, she took to the air, tracking the vehicle from the sky, crying out to the others to help her. They joined her in the air and together they formed a black cloud, pursuing the vehicle down the long dusty road to a series of white tents sitting in a cluster, surrounded by a metal fence.

She landed on the twisted razor wire, watching as the two got out of the vehicle and took her precious treasure to their leader. Excitement rippled through them and they twisted the top, opening the golden heart up. They pulled out a small black dot and tossed the golden treasure to the side.

Staying silent, she swooped down to the tent, hopping forward, eyeing her sparkly just out of reach. They were distracted, chattering in their human gibberish about the tiny black dot, not even watching the most precious artifact in the whole camp.

The crow hopped over, careful not to draw attention to herself. If they caught her, they would probably kill her. She waited, biding her time until all backs were turned. With a flutter of wings she leapt onto the table, snatched the golden heart locket.

They turned and yelled at her. She leapt out of their reach but he caught her leg and she flapped uselessly against them, clinging desperately to her treasure. It was hers, she had found it, she had a right to take it back.

They spoke to each other as they reached for her. The murder of crows descended on the camp, cawing and swooping. All of them rallying to her side. The man looked startled and released her. She recovered and flew out of camp, watching as they swarmed, chaos erupting throughout camp. She landed on a nearby pole, set the golden locket under her talons and called to them. The flock lifted into the air and together they flew far away from the human camp.

She would need to change her nest site, it was no longer safe, but at least she had her golden treasure back, and she would never let it go again.