Crow Presents

Veronica lay on the couch in sweat pants, eating straight out of a carton of vanilla ice cream. Demi, her roommate, had gone to visit her family for the weekend, leaving her with nothing to do. After dropping out of college Demi had gracefully allowed her to stay at her apartment. A month later she was dropping hints about getting a job and contributing to the rent. Demi started by mentioning how hard it was to work two jobs, or asking about Veronica’s plans for the future.

“I’m busy finding myself.” Was Veronica’s answer every time.

She always said she had big ideas, that she was working on something, that she would be going places. Maybe she would start a craft store, or take up yoga. Now she mostly spent her time watching home decor shows and browsing craft ideas on pinterest.

Something big and black hit the window, making Veronica jump out of her skin. She went to the door to find a stunned crow. Its wings splayed out at odd angles. Feathers were strewn all over the balcony. Above sparrows chirped angrily. Veronica shooed them away. Most likely it had gotten too close to their nest.

The crow hissed and cackled. Veronica went back inside. It would fly off in a minute or two.

One minute passed. Then ten. Half an hour later and the pathetic thing was still outside. The sky was overcast with heavy black clouds.

“Ok, fine.”

Veronica got a towel, prepared a cardboard box, and carefully opened the door. She wrapped the crow up in the ragged dish towel like a burrito. The crow squawked and pecked her hand in protest. She held it out at arm’s length.

“Believe me I’m not any happier than you are.”

She gently put the crow into the box, which was filled with crumpled newspaper and a bowl of birdseed.

“There. Now eat up.”

Veronica didn’t want to leave the thing unattended. She dragged out her grandma’s quilt to made the sofa into a decent enough bed. It wasn’t like there was anyone else around to mind.

In the morning Veronica woke up to a sharp peck in the forehead. The crow fluttered off her chest.

“One night and you think you own the place.”

Her sleepy mind caught up to the fact that there was a wild animal in the house. She ran to the door and threw it open. The crow flew circles around the lamp before landing at the top of the bookshelf.

“Dude, get out of my apartment!” Veronica ducked as the crow flew past her. She slammed the door shut and latched it.

That wasn’t the end of it. The next morning Veronica went onto the balcony to enjoy a mug of coffee. Several sharp objects jammed into the palms of her feet. Veronica sat down to look at the pieces of junk left everywhere. She counted one chipped marble, one transparent lego, and three rusty paperclips. Among it all were black feathers.

Veronica would have tossed it over the side if not for the cawing of crows. She looked around and noticed a flock on her neighbor’s roof.

“Thank you!” Veronica waved at the murder. Might as well stay on their good side.

The next morning was the same. Over the next few days the gifts only got bigger. Sea glass, doll eyes, snail shells, bottle caps, buttons, sequins, shattered coke bottles, bits of quartz. Something that had been a nuisance now seemed kind of cute. When the week was almost over she took to hanging out on the balcony and feeding the crows.

Demi came back as promised. She didn’t seem to notice or care about the ever growing hoard strewn on the kitchen table. They weren’t especially close, but she was sure to question where Veronica was getting it all.

“I’va got something cool to show you.”

“Is it a job?”

“It’s better than a job.”

Demi threw her head back and inhaled deeply. “I’m gonna need a drink.”

The crows awaited me. They were everywhere, in the trees, over head on the roof, and on the railings of the balcony with new gifts in their beaks. I collected the haul into a pile in the kitchen and sifted through. These new treasures includes colorful beads, hair ties, dice, plastic dinosaurs, a couple of tooth brushes, a mouse skull, a broken colored pencil, a toe ring,and what may or may not hae been a diamond ring.

“Where are they getting this stuff?” Demi held up a gold necklace to the light.

“Don’t think about it too hard. But isn’t it great? I get free stuff all day for doing nothing! I could probably pawn this stuff off.”

Despite her roommate’s misgivings, she separated the treasure from the trash. The necklaces and rings and things were sold off, no questions asked. There was still the junk to deal with, but Veronica had a plan.

Demi came in one day to find a suspicious looking package wrapped in brown paper waiting for her.

“Hey, there’s something out here for you.”

Veronica took a pair of scissors to slit open the paper. Inside the package contained a large glue gun.

“I’m scared to ask why you need this.” Demi watched as Veronica spread newspaper across her kitchen table.

“It’s for my project.” Veronica brought out plastic containers overflowing with crow presents came next. “I’m going to start doing crafts. There’s an arts festival later this summer, and I was thinking I could sell them there.”

“Where is this coming from?”

“You wanted me to get a job, so why not make a little bit of money doing what I love?”

Veronica looked outside, where her crows awaited her.