Black Raven

The snow falling since early morning was slowly transforming the view from her window. A white blanket of fluff covering the branches, the hedges and the street created a dreamlike scenery. Her gaze was fixed on the dancing snowflakes, she felt numb and tired. The knocking sound coming from the door brought Daniella’s attention back to her one-bedroom appartement. She glanced around, feeling unsure about whether she would be answering. Her eyes were puffy and red, she was not expecting anyone, and she was certainly not in the mood for company. The visitor kept knocking, insistent. She slowly made her way to the door, opening it to find a stranger standing before her. He immediately shoved a letter towards her, turned on his heels and headed towards the staircase leading back down to the front door. No hello, no goodbye, quite rude she thought.

She peered down towards the envelope she was holding, examining it. The return address was a legal firm from Cherry River. Great Aunt Emily’s funeral would be held there in three days time. Aunt Emily had been her rock when she had lost both her parents ten years ago. She had also been her favourite Aunt growing up, her family would visit for a few weeks every summer. Aunt Emily had inherited Grey Manor from her family. The house was grand with its ten bedrooms, each uniquely decorated in a timeless and tasteful manner. The mansion was built of dark greyish stones with two towers, culminating with steeply pointed spires shooting from the top, both sitting on each side of the façade. The gardens were dense, rich, and well tended with numerous varieties of blooms throughout the season. She had cherished her visits to the gothic manor, always searching for trap doors and secret passages.

Daniella felt guilty for not visiting more, it had been nearly a year since she had last seen her Aunt. She had spoken to her every few months, but her busy schedule had prevented her from traveling the two hours to visit. In hindsight, she wondered if she could have made time. Somehow Daniella had felt like Aunt Emily was eternal, she had been so full of energy and life. She had truly loved and admired the eccentric old lady. Aunt Emily had passed in her sleep, peacefully she was told. At the grand old age of 96, Daniella could admit that her aunt had a lead full and good life.

Daniella carefully opened the envelope and began reading. She was being summoned, wait what? Summoned it said, after the funeral, for the reading of the will. A formal reading, how strange, trust Aunt Emily to go out in style. Daniella was touched to be included, perhaps Aunt Emily had bequeathed some memorabilia, she was quite moved by the gesture. It could not be much, Aunt Emily only had a small pension, she no longer had any money to speak of. Of course, there was the house, it must be of great value.

Aunt Emily had been a well-known artist in her time; however, all her paintings had been sold quite some time ago. For the past 20 years or so, she had not so much as lifted a paintbrush. Alas, her arthritis had forced her to give up her passion altogether. Aunt Emily was not one to wallow, she had taken up travelling with gusto. Anything that Aunt Emily did, she did with passion and style. She spent the next ten years discovering and exploring the seven continents and the seven seas.

******

The day before the funeral, Daniella drove to Cherry River, arriving in the late afternoon. She had decided to stay at a quaint little B&B near the old mansion. On her way to the B&B, she decided to drive by the mansion, somehow seeing the grand old house made her feel closer to her aunt. She noticed her cousin George’s car sitting in the driveway. George was not her favourite; he was pushy and self righteous. Her childhood had been a perpetual competition with George. He constantly endeavored to best her. It made her wonder if George would be at the reading. Surely, he would be, his parents Aunt Marguerite and Uncle Clive, would certainly be there as well, being the last living relatives of Aunt Emily. She headed to the B&B and checked in. She stayed in and made it an early night, she wanted to be well rested.

The funeral was held in the local church. Daniella arrived early and made her way to a pew at the front of the church. It was a small chapel, few people had yet to arrive. Daniella briefly wondered if many people would attend, after all at 96, Aunt Emily had outlived most of her friends. Daniella closed her eyes, listening to the organist play a lovely piece of music, reminiscing about her Aunt. Witty, colourful, eclectic, and kind-hearted came to mind when reflecting on who Aunt Emily was. Daniella had a heavy heart, she would miss the wonderful old gal. The ceremony was beautiful and resembled what her Aunt had been. ‘’She must have had planned it herself,’’ the thought had Daniella smiling. As she turned, to exit the church, Daniella was surprise to see such a gathering, she should not have been, her Aunt had always had a way of surrounding herself with friends.

Daniella was the first to arrive at Grey Manor, the estate attorney, Mr. Stone, led her into the parlor. She sat on the chesterfield, a little nervous, not knowing what to expect.

‘’We are waiting on three other beneficiaries; I expect they should arrive shortly.’’ Stated Mr. Stone, before he exited the room.

A few moments later, Cousin George and his parents walked in. George appeared to be quite thrilled, almost like the reading was a joyous occasion. Daniella looked away; she was repulsed by his greedy attitude. The estate attorney spoke, ‘’ Please be seated, I shall proceed to the reading.’’ It was lengthy and barely comprehensible language, legal jargon that she was unused to hearing. Daniella tried to concentrate but her attention strayed. Suddenly she heard her name being mentioned, “And to Daniella McNeil, my darling niece, who is caring and kind, I leave in her care Mr. Pinchuck as well as a valise containing memorabilia from my numerous voyages.” Daniella was a stunned by the bequest, Mr Pinchuck? What ever will she do with Aunt Emily’s black raven!

Mr. Stone’s assistant came in with an enormous antique copper bird cage, its patina green from age. Its content was a mean looking black bird croaking a harsh grating sound and batting its wing furiously, quite a sight - most scary. Daniella was uncomfortable and weary, she refrained from making any comments. She could not help but notice Cousin George smirking. She rolled her eyes, incredulous to what was taking place. She sighed, Aunt Emily had genuinely cared for the ugly bird, so in a way it was a gift from her heart. Daniella strived to accept the gift with grace.

Mr. Stone then continued the reading, “And to George McNeil, my nephew, I bequest my home, a real estate property known as ‘Grey Manor’, with all of its content and its encumbrances.’’ My jaw dropped slightly, I looked towards George, he was barely holding back from jumping up with joy, he had a huge grin plastered onto his face, like a cat that got the cream. It was quite a site; her head was light from the events that were taking place. Mr. Stone continued with the reading, affording some token bequests to Uncle Clive and Aunt Marguerite. By the time it was all over, Daniella felt drained and was eager to head back to the city. She bid her goodbyes to Cousin George and his parents. He made a point to extend an open invitation to ‘Grey Manor’, ‘’You are always welcome here, Aunt Emily would have wanted it that way.’’ It made her stomach churn, the invitation felt insincere, extended simply to show he had won. She forced a smile and was glad to be on her way.

She had the hardest time fitting the cage in the back of her compact Mini. She placed the old fashion valise on the passenger seat. The valise appeared to be antique, fashioned of dark brown leather with brass hinges and lockets, well worn but sturdy. She was anxious to have a peek at its content, but the croaking sounds coming from the back seat were distracting her, forcing her to think about how she would care for such a creature. The trip back to the city seemed endless, Daniella kept thinking about the turn of events. She wondered about the bequest of the mansion to George, she had never thought that she would envy her cousin. Aunt Emily had hated being predictable, but still if not a bad joke then what? Daniella could not help but feel deep sadness about her predicament. How could George get the Mansion, while she ended up with a blasted bird! Could Aunt Emily have cared more for George?

When she finally arrived back at her apartment, Daniella proceeded to unload the cage from the back seat, it somehow became stuck, she had to give it a small pull. Abruptly, it came free, Daniella fell back with the cage tumbling over her. The bird started to peck Daniella through the bars, panicked, she pushed the cage off to the side. In the commotion, the bottom of the cage become undone and the bird took flight. - This could not be happening! Ridiculous! The bird had driven her mad on the two hour drive to simply fly away when she arrived at her destination. At the same time, Daniella felt relieved, as much as Aunt Emily had cared for the ugly bird, Daniella had been spooked by the creature.

Deflated, Daniella picked up the cage and the valise before heading up the flight of stairs to her flat. Relieved to be home, she sat down with a cup of herbal tea to rummage through the old valise. While reaching for the small suitcase, she noticed the cage had a false bottom that had slightly loosened on impact. She pried it open to find an unusual looking key, she wondered what it could possibly open. She set it down on the coffee table and decided to open the valise.

The valise held numerous worthless trinkets: a miniature Eiffel tower, a wooden gondola, a ukulele, and many other typical souvenirs. But the most intriguing was a little black book. The book was in fact a journal of Aunt Emily’s travel. Daniella spent the whole evening reading about her Aunt’s adventures. It was a delightful journal, as colourful as the person who had written it. When she reached the end, there was a recent entry, it read. ‘’My dearest Daniella, if you are reading this, then no doubt I have passed. My dying wish was to leave you the remainder of my life’s earnings, the sum of twenty thousand dollars. You will find it in a safety deposit box at the Royal Bank on Main street. The key to the box is in the bottom of Mr. Pinchuck’s cage. I hope that you will use the money to enjoy life as I have. I would have left you Grey Manor, had the mortgage not exceeded what it was worth. I figured George had a better shot at trying to sell it for a small profit, he is quite the salesman you know. I needed you to know, you were like the daughter I never had, I love you Daniella.’’ It was simply signed Emily. Daniella had tears in her eyes, she had been loved, how comforting. She knew exactly how she would spend her newfound money, TRAVEL! She smiled and heard herself saying, ‘’First stop, Bird Island!’’