A Murder of Crows

My throat closed up stifling the scream that tried to escape in horror. She was there. Then she wasn’t. The little girl fell off the platform onto tracks when the murder of crow flew up and scared her. She’s gone. I take a deep breath, gritting my teeth, trying to force the air in my ears to block out the screams of the mother looking down at what I imagine is the gruesome seen of her daughter being electrocuted. I close my eyes in hopes to stop the tears and block out the scene from my mind. If only I could reverse it. I force myself to face the reality and look again.

What?

When I open my eyes the little girl is squatting next to the crows again. The very scene I just saw has reset. What special level of hell have I entered? Wait, why is she standing next to the crows? Doesn’t she know!? My feet are moving, the clack of my stilettos hitting the pavement louder than the heartbeat thumping in my ears; as I sprint to the little girl knocking back her mother as the crows take off and the child startles. Wrapping my arms around her I fall on my back knocking my head on the ground. The mother grabs the girl, shouting obscenities, as the sting of the pavement on my skull makes me wince. As I slowly sit up, I am unable to process the sounds the mother is making into words.

“Oh bugger off you!” A woman with an accent of some form of British I don’t have an ear for comes over waving a bouquet of flowers at the mother. Apparently the mother thought I was trying to steal her child. “Can’t ye see she just stopped yer little girl from falling to the tracks, she did.” The woman gives a curt nod and turns to me offering a hand. “Up with you lets go.”

I take her hand still processing the situation. She pulls me up with swift tug. I am not quite sure how she’s so strong, but I cannot pull my hand from her grip as she pulls me out of the train station and away from the eyes staring at me.

“Hurry along before the imbecile gets a copper on you.” She doesn’t let go as she drags me down the metal staircase, to street, and down to an alley. Her pace slows but she keeps her grip. “There will be no living with her now.” She shakes her head murmuring to herself.

“Hi, um Hello?” I try to get her attention bringing my eyes to her level.

  “The last one will be at the train station, she says to me. One with the sight.” She shakes her head clearly not talking to me then looks back at me arching her eyebrow sizing me up. “Don’t look much like a divination witch do ye? You type like to be all frills and stones; enigmatic if you would.” Her fingers on her free hand shake to emphasize her opinion as she continues to stare at me out the corner of her eyes.

“I am sorry I have no idea what you are talking about!” My cheeks grow warm at what I am sure was an insult as I grasp my coral blazer closed with my hand trying to hide from her judgement. “Could you,” I tug my hand to get it out of hers, “would you… let me go!” I dig my heels in the ground finally ripping my hands from her grip.

“Look.” She sighed clearly just as annoyed with me as I am with her. “We don’t have time for this. If Sylvia knew ye’d be there, then surely whatever rat they have in the witch hunters knows too and they will be here any moment. I for one prefer not to be burned at the stake. What says yeh?”

I bust out laughing. “This is a joke right?” I tuck my hair behind my ear looking around, clearly I am being set up by someone trying to lay their claim to fame through pranks on YouTube.

“Yes. Yes. All a joke.” She waves me off with a hand sighing. “The real joke is that once again Sylvia was right. Now tell me, are ye a good witch or are ye a bad witch?” She put her short chubby arms on the curves of her hips       

“I think the term these days is Bad Bitch and to be honest, I am none of those things.” I smile at my self-depreciation and sigh. “Thank you for getting me out of that awkward situation, but I do have to go to work.” I dig around in my bag for my wallet and hold out a five dollar bill. “For the flowers you used to defend me. I appreciate your help.”

“By three. Give me grace.” The woman swats at my hand extended with the cash. She appears in physical pain as she groans and pinches the bridge of her nose. Taking a deep breath she keeps her eyes shut tight and her hand to her head. “How did you know that little girl was going to fall?” she drops her hand and raises her eyebrows at me.

“Well, I saw it happen, the crows scared her. I couldn’t watch that happen again could I? Maybe I didn’t see it, maybe it was an intrusive thought I had that I couldn’t ignore.”

“How many crows were there?”

“Six.” Why did I know that answer so quickly?

“The crows presented themselves to you. Its divination dearie, some of us can read as much as we want about it, but unfortunately it is a gift yer born with. So if ye wouldn’t mind, I don’t care to be in such populated places since they’ve been tracking down and killing new witches faster than we can discover them.”

“You can’t expect me to just buy into this.” I laugh “Thank you for a great story though. It will give me something to finally talk about at work.” I turn on my heel and start walking down the street.

“It’s not Déjà vu, and I guarantee that wasn’t the first time the birds told ye what was going to happen.” She calls out as I walk away. I shake my head trying erase the memories she was conjuring in my mind, when my feet stop moving – someone was coming and I could see that six crows sat on the dumpster in my peripheral.

“They’re here!” Despite her voice being hoarse with fear she took a step-in front of me holding her arms up in a defensive stance. Her face turned slightly over her shoulder towards me, but her eyes did not leave the end of the alley, “Run!”