Page 15 of Pretty Broken Wings

“It’s not the ghosts or the witches or the scarecrows.” His voice lowers. “It’s the birds.”

I stare at Rich. That seems dumb.

Rich’s voice stays quiet, not quiet like he’s trying to be scary, but quiet like heisscared. And that makes goosebumps run down my arms.

“All the other things in this town are pretty easy to deal with,” Rich says. “You ignore them. The raven?” He cocks an eyebrow at me. “Smarter than cats. If they don’t like you, they’ll organize their whole family to peck your eyes out.”

Suddenly, Rich lunges at me.

I jump back, and Rich laughs. “Birds are weird animals, son. Stay away from them.”

I blink, suddenly back in the windy, cold parking lot.

Fuck. I have to keep a handle on this shit. Memories keep popping up more and more frequently now. It’s always this time of year.

I open my phone, trying to squint to see the time. The screen is so small that I can’t tell, but my friend isn’t here yet. I try him again.

“Yeah, man, I’m coming!” I hear the sounds of the bar in the background. Meaning he hasn’t left yet.

Fucker.

I can’t believe Gage stole my fucking car.

I consider calling the cops on him just for fun. See what the lawyer does to get out of that one. But I don’t feel like explaining how the car got here.

My drunk brain rolls. He’s in the car with Raven.

Annoyance skitters through me. He’s going to her house. Is he going to go inside? Will she let him?

I start pacing back and forth. I don’t like the idea of my brother alone with my plaything. What if he tries to mess with her before I have?

Ohfuckno.

I check the time on my phone again, but it doesn’t get any clearer despite my squinting.

I don’t want Gage alone with Raven. She’s fucking mine.

Where the hell is my ride?

After waiting a bit longer, I realize Raven’s apartment is just around the corner. Around the corner in a car, but still. Surely it wouldn’t take long to walk?

As soon as I have the idea, it sticks with me. I start off at a brisk pace, walking in the darkness. But it doesn’t scare me. Lack of sight isn’t as important as sighted people make it out to be. There are other ways to connect with the world around you.

Suddenly, the air is punched out of my lungs as I run into something hard. I stagger back, coughing. Nothing comes at me, so I feel around.

A telephone pole.

Fuck me. I’m so drunk.

After I right myself, I keep walking. Above me, I hear a raven caw. Suddenly, I hear Rich’s breathless voice in my ear.“This is what all men do.”

Fuck.

I speed up, walking faster. Walking faster will let me outwalk the memories.

“It’s okay. Hey bud, it’s okay! It doesn’t mean anything.”

I walk faster.