May I Have A Bite?

Every year around October, all he ever heard were warnings his parents had given him about a forbidden holiday. A holiday full of mischief and fear; Halloween. Although he heard of other people’s celebrations, he could not figure out why his town avoided it.

“We cannot celebrate that day here.” they said.

“Why not?” he asked, curled up under his blankets.

The dark sky roared, shaking the house, and frightening the little boy.

“We may never see you again.” they replied.

They stayed awhile and reassured him the bad weather will pass. And with that they said goodnight.

The boy thought about their ominous words. Another crack of thunder scared the thoughts out of him. What was he so scared for? He had more things to worry about. Real things, like lightning and thunder. Or the dark night. Or what was in it. He shivered.

This fall seemed to be an especially dark and rainy season. So many times, he sought the comfort of his trusty blanket and flashlight, and this night was no exception.

What do I really need to be afraid for? He questioned himself.

The disappearance of children is quite common in this town. The news channel covered it every fall without fail, and fear ate away at the townsfolk.

Halloween was to blame, and the celebrations eventually came to a halt. Yet the numbers of missing children steadily rose, and with no further leads. Despite all the warnings, he denied the idea of danger hitting so close to home.

It was a chilly Friday, just like any other. His mother tuned into the news, which gave the usual warnings he had heard many times before. Wiping the leftover cereal from his face with his sleeve, the boy left his home while waving goodbye to his mother.

He patiently awaited the bus in his quiet neighborhood. Clouds loomed over, and lightly pelted his bright yellow raincoat. A single black feather swayed in the wind and landed directly in front of the boy.

So dark. Why, it’s as dark as- He refused to finish his thought. He pushed his fear away and allowed curiosity to take over. Turning the feather in his hand he heard a strange sound.

-plunk-plunk-plunk-

A whisper from nowhere startled him, “May I have a bite?”

He looked around and around, only to find he was alone with a stash of candy that suddenly appeared by the stop sign a few feet away. A loud screech broke the silence, followed by the sound of a bus door opening.

“Get in kid!” the school bus driver called, “You’ll catch your death out there!”

The boy nodded, and went in. He picked a seat near the front and watched his neighborhood go by. To his surprise, the stash of candy vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Another single black feather lay in its place.

The sun had shone in time for recess, yet the day remained chilly, and the boy was still in gloom. I wish my friend were here. Why did he pick a day like today to get sick? He kicked the rocks off of the sidewalk in annoyance. With no one else to play with, he headed for the swings, still pondering about the strange encounter. Back and forth, back and forth he swung.

Something odd had caught his eye. A long and slender, feathered arm stretched from behind a tree, and with long gangly fingers it placed a candy piece by piece into a neat pile nearby.

-plunk-plunk-plunk-

He brought his swing to a halt and stared at the delicious looking candy. A whisper sounding closer than before asked, “May I have a bite?”

A loud bell had rung, followed by the sound of children gathering. A teacher called out his name while shivering from the cold.

“Come inside!” the teacher continued, “You’ll be late for class!”

The boy nodded and went inside. He picked a seat near the window, and watched the world go by. His eyes were drawn to the swings. Once again, the candy vanished, and a single black feather lay in its place.

Evening rolled in, and the boy and his family enjoyed a most scrumptious meal. After completing his nighttime routine, he noticed he could not sleep a wink. His stomach still cried for more food.

He tiptoed towards the kitchen, flashlight in hand. The boy gasped in fright. He expected an unoccupied room. What he found instead was a most unusual sight.

A tall raven man stood before him, with feathers that swallowed the moonlight. He stared at the stranger. Is-is he made of candy? The boy wasn’t sure. It was too dark to tell. The raven smiled at him.

He bowed and spoke in a most polite tone, “Pardon me child, for barging in like so. A most delicious aroma from this very kitchen had drawn me in, and I simply could not resist.”

The boy asked, “W-what are you?”

The raven answered, “I’m just a poor soul wanting something to eat.”

His eyes stared into the child, and he asked, “May I have a bite?”

“Well, mama always makes too much food. Let me heat some up for you.” the boy answered.

He gave the raven man a plate, and down his gullet it went. Still, the creature’s stomach growled.

“I’m terribly sorry, but it appears the food didn’t quite hit the spot. Please try to understand, for I have an appetite like no other.” the raven said, “May I have a bite?”

The boy made another, and the raven asked for more. On and on it went, until there was no food left. When the child told him this, he flashed an eerie smile.

“There is something else.” the creature crept forth, “May I have a bite?”

The lights flashed on, and the feathered man vanished. Discovering the mess and empty shelves, the boy’s mother screamed out his name.

Shaking her finger at the boy she yelled, “My kitchen! You’ll be punished for this!”

It was decided his weekend would be spent doing work around the house. The boy nodded, and off to bed he went.

Morning came and the list of chores were stacked so high. Around and around the house he went to the point where he got dizzy. Before he could catch his breath, his mother called out to him once more from where the trouble started.

To his surprise, she greeted him with homemade cookies for all his hard work, and yet he was still not done. A loud buzz sounded from the basement, preventing him from savoring a single bite. He was asked to check on laundry, and so he went down those rickety stairs, still clutching onto the gooey cookies.

He approached the dryer and stopped. A whisper sounding closer than before then asked, “May I have a bite?”

The boy spotted the raven man standing in the corner. Anger welled up inside him. That dumb bird! He’s the reason I’m in this mess!

He turned to leave but was stopped in his tracks by an apology most sincere, “Please, do forgive me child. I did not wish to cause you trouble, but please try to understand. I have an appetite like no other.”

The raven’s stomach growled. With the fresh cookie still in hand, the boy looked back at him.

“I’m just a poor soul wanting something to eat.” the raven man said, “May I have a bite?”

Silence.

Eyeing the cookies in the child’s hand, the raven said, “How about I sweeten the deal then?”

A small stash of delicious looking candy appeared in the palm of the raven man’s hand.

“I’ll let you have a bite of my candy, but only on one condition.” he paused before continuing, “May I have a bite?”

The boy’s mouth watered. Hypnotized by the brightly colored sweets, he nodded and held out his hand. The lights flickered. All that could be seen was the raven man’s eerie smile as he towered over the boy.

-CHOMP-