Feathered Guardian

“Gramme’ do you feel better?”

Ally asked her grandmother as she snuggled her little head into her grammes squishy boobs. Her favorite place to be.

“Yes I do, thank you for as’ in” she replied in a raspy tone that wasn’t quite like her own but with just enough prep to ease the worries of her precious little cabbage.

"Well, how come we ain't plantin' flowers no more? “ Ally slurred through the thumb she had now placed in her mouth. She waited for her grandmother's answer but fell into the trap of comfort and instant sleep.

"Girl if you don’t stop questioning me and worrying your nerves. Go to sleep."

She said calmly because she knew her granddaughter had a sassy mouth and she had learned its best not to provoke the little girl into back talking. But there was no little voice only the sound of Ally's soft breaths as she slept.

Ms. Julie pulled little Ally in closer to her and held her little frame against her as if she was trying to ingrain the memory of the little girl into her mind. Just a little bit tighter for just a little while longer.

Morning came and just as the mighty creator promised the sun rose and brought light to a dreadful situation. The safety of night could no longer keep the secret that rested underneath the thick roof of this house.

The screams from her mother’s voice brought Ally into consciousness but if Ally had known what all the fuss was about she would’ve snuggled herself closer into her gramme and never wake up.

Gone. My gramme was gone.

Ally watched the events of that day roll on around her like a silent black and white movie. Everybody had a role, rushing about as if they were really important and knew more about Julie than she did. It was her grandmother so she couldn’t understand why she didn't have a role. Why was she forced to be an observer in her own horror film?

Out of anxiousness he stuffed her thumb into her mouth and twirled one of her plaits, wishing she was laying her peanut head up against the softness of gramme’s large breast.

The events of that day are a blur and the days after it wasn't clear either. Somehow the days, months, and years had flown by without the permission of Ally. The little girl morphed into a young woman before her mother’s eyes. And it was her greatest joy that ally had done so without too much trouble, real trouble that is.

You see, Ally had begun to have dreams shortly after her grandmother passed. They were always really short and vaguely detailed but she always remembered what took place and where she was in the dream. She held on to every second she could recall because those dreams were all she had of her most favorite person. Memories failed her but those dreams felt like creating new memories, ones that she could cherish more. And she protected them by only sharing that she had dreams of her gramme with her mother.

As Ally grew older the frequency of the dreams declined which bothered her more than anything but was slowly replaced by the tussle and bustle of life.

Dreams of her grandmother holding her and rocking her in her arms were replaced with handsome suitors and worries about her future.

But one night as Ally slept the dreams returned but his time they were different. These dreams were a whole lot scarier and she tossed and turned as flashes of animal eyes haunted her. For months after the initial dream, Ally would often have the same one over and over. It would always be her standing in the middle of a large field staring at the eyes of several owls.

It frustrated her that she could not figure out what the dreams were trying to reveal to her. She decided that it didn’t mean anything and to take her mind off it she accepted the invitation of a friend to join them for some grad fun at a farm in the country.

“Who has a party way out here anyway ?” Ally asked her friend Bri as they exited the gas station and made their way back to the car.

“Girl I don't know, but no parents and you know there's gonna be liquor and smoke that we don’t have to pay for.. ion see a reason to complain,” replied Bri.

I mean yea you're right B, but it just seems strange that they’ll choose a place so far out. Whose family does this barn even belong to again? Ally questioned.

“ Some football player,” Bri answered as she slid back into the car.

Ally pumps the gas and attempts to ease her mind and put all the worries to rest. She needed this, a nice night out after hitting the books so hard these last few months to ensure that she kept her gpa in stellar condition to get into the Spelman.

As she replaced the pump and moved to get into the car she noticed a rather large white feather resting outside of the car door. She would have ignored it if she had not been standing there this entire time and knew that the feather had not been there just a few seconds before. She picked it up before sliding into the whip and showed it to Bri.

'Look at this big ass feather I just found, I wonder what kinda bird this come from?"

"Bruh that’s a huge feather it must've come from an eagle or an owl or something," Bri said.

The mention of the word owl commanded the attention of every hair on Ally’s body but she just laughed at Bri's response rather than disclose the details of the dreams she’d been having and moved the idea of the feather to the back of her mind.

When Bri and Ally arrived at the party it was already in full swing and the smell of cheap liquor and weed intoxicated Ally’s senses. The seeds of danger began sprouting in her belly as she begins to recognize the faces of those in attendance at this party.

All around her were girls that she knew despised her, not one friend insight. She stumbled throughout the house in search of Bri to let her know that they should leave. But the heaviness of her limbs alarmed her that something was seriously wrong. As she made her way outside she began slowly walking towards the barn in hopes of finding Bri there.

When she entered the barn she fell and instantly felt the hands of men on her body. She tried to see them but her eyesight was now blurry. Hands were pinning down her legs and arms and an enormous weight laid on top of her.

The only thing she could hear was some laughter and the soft whooing of an owl in the distance.

At that moment as she felt her bottoms being snatched down to her ankles she began to pray and to cry silently for her gramme’ to help her.

When she was given the idea to act as if she was having a seizure, she knew it would be her only chance at saving herself. So Ally with all the strength left in her began fiercely shaking her body and forcing spit to escape her mouth. She didn't stop until silence surrounded her and she was sure that the boys had gone.

Though she was exhausted she forced her eyes open and looked up. In the darkness, there were four sets of eyes looking down at her. The largest pair seemed as if they were coming near her when she realized that they were. The large round eyes belonged to the most beautiful snow-white owl she had ever seen. And it soared through the air of the barn, towards her like an angel.

Once on the ground, the bird hopped a few paces before bending its head down to slide Ally's phone toward her.

With some unknown strength, Ally dialed 911 and thanked her grandmother before settling into the familiar comfort of the owl's presence.

When ally came to she was in a hospital bed and was grabbed by her mother before she could utter a word.

“oh thank ya Jesus. she done woke up.” Her mother exclaimed.

Though her mother pressed Ally's face into her bosom, through one eye she was able to catch a glimpse of the wall. And there she saw the most beautiful painting of a large white owl that she had ever seen.

She embraced her mother back and she too allowed the tears to fall.