2. Athan
Chapter Two
ATHAN
Caitlin turns and walks away.
I stand in the darkness, looking at her retreating form. And then I remember that it is unnatural to stand around staring at women in the dark, and possibly even sinister, so I walk back towards my house.
Her face was so beautiful, it stopped me in my tracks. She was like a siren with her long, silky hair cascading down her shoulders, even if she was dressed in a very modern style, in what I believe are called overalls.
I’m intrigued - why is she moving in next door? Why is she here, next door to me in Snowflake Falls? Is she alone? Has she not been warned about Sleekton Drive? But I also need to be cautious. I must always protect my Father from unnecessary questions and curious townspeople.
Mr. Ren swoops down ahead of me. He is large, even for a crow, and not always the most elegant when he’s in the air.
I found him after the big storm many years ago.
The same storm in which a bolt of lightning struck our house and killed Mother.
There was no saving her, although Father and I tried everything we could think of.
The following day, I could not sleep and walked around in a daze.
A huge crow’s nest had fallen onto the grass in our garden and two little beady eyes were peeking over the corner of the huge nest. The baby crow’s parents were nowhere to be seen, although I waited all day and night to see if they came back.
Perhaps they were lost in the storm. You could say Mr. Ren saved Father and I in our grief, just as much as we saved him.
He has developed into an interesting character with quite set views on what should and shouldn’t happen in our house.
He far prefers a regular routine and if I am late feeding him then chaos ensues.
I suppose you could call him the youngest member of our family, although Father attributes a great deal of importance to his opinions.
He is fondest of Father, but since I also raised him, when he is in need of comfort he will come and sit on my shoulder, or peck my hair with his extremely large and sharp beak.
It is painful, but I grit my teeth because it is apparently a sign of affection.
“Thank you for getting rid of the bat, Mr. Ren. The bat colonies will be disconcerted by Caitlin moving in next door to us,” I say as he perches on the long wooden porch that extends around the perimeter of the house.
The porch is shuttered during the day, so Father can walk around it if he wishes, but I open everything out at night so he can come and sit out here to look at the stars.
Mr. Ren bobs his head at me and then nods at the door. Clearly, I’m not going fast enough for him.
Caitlin had many suitcases. Where did she come from?
As I let myself in, I ponder on what a modern woman like her would make of our house.
It’s old-fashioned but we keep it clean.
Father enjoys watching cleaning videos on YouTube and he is often to be found mopping the floor with Mr. Ren trying to peck at the mop.
Mr. Ren flies ahead of me. I follow, ducking into the door of the library where a fire is blazing in the fireplace. Father sits at the low table with his cards spread out in front of him.
“Are you well, Athan? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Father strokes Mr. Ren’s feathers gently as he alights on the table in front of him. His skin is pale as the moon and his fingers are thin.
“Caw.” Mr. Ren turns his glossy head to one side.
“Really? Goodness.” Father looks up at me and smiles before turning his attention back to Mr. Ren. “Shall we see what Mother has to say about it?”
Mr. Ren jumps from one foot to another, which is his corvid way of replying in the affirmative. Father spreads the cards, each of which contains a letter of the alphabet, in front of him and Mr. Ren begins to peck at each one, while father writes the letters down.
Father chortles. “Your mother thinks this is very funny, Athan.”
I roll my eyes.
This whole pecking the letters process can take some time, so I head upstairs to fetch my sketch pad. Drawing and painting is my passion, and I have had plenty of time to indulge it. I usually capture the wildlife and scenery around Snowflake Falls, and the magnificent mountains.
But when I sit down to draw, I can’t help sketching Caitlin’s perfect face.
Her wide eyes, glossy long hair and high cheekbones come alive on the page.
I take my time, wanting to truly capture her beauty.
When I’m done I stare down at the page. A woman has never had this instantaneous effect on me and it makes me uncomfortable.
I am bewitched by her.