Once again, this is an old act of fiction that has been
simmering in my drawer for years.
I dusted it off and began to think of these characters during my writing
workshop in my second grade class.
I am nearing the end of the final chapter – it being written way out of order. I have drafts of about 3 others
including this first one where we meet our protagonists. Here is the final small chunk of the
first chapter. If you want to read
it from the beginning, click here or simply scroll down to my last post.
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“Wanna race?” he dared.
“Sure. To the
tall pine down in the valley and back to this old stump. I’ll give you a head start, Brother.”
This was too much.
“Oh, no. I insist. Ladies first.” This was all she needed. Like a streak she was off.
“What… Who is
this bird?” he asked himself. With
that he took off as fast as his wings could pull.
She had a good lead on him. Why had he let her get that head start? Now there was a good chance he would
lose – and to a smartbeaked female.
His pride would take a beating if he lost. But he was a strong flyer as well as agile and, after
straining with all his might, gained on her steadily. The muscles in his shoulders and chest heaved. His legs and feet were pinned back to make his form more
aerodynamic. He wasted as little
energy as possible to get maximum speed.
Snowcapped pines sped by along with scrubby oaks still clinging to their crinkled, golden leaves. It began to snow lightly
and Arthur had to squint his eyes.
Gaining. He
could see her well now. Slowly he
got closer. He couldn’t believe
how fast she was. No female he had
ever known came close to his flying ability. The distance between the birds decreased and Arthur could
see the muscles through the female’s feathers; flexing, extending, bulging,
smoothing. She was a magnificent
creature. But the closer he got,
the more he sensed that she might actually be holding back.
She was playing him.
While she should have taken the straightest line to the tall
pine, she darted between limbs and rocky ledges, taunting him to follow at incredible speed. There was a break in the clouds where a shaft of sun
shone. Playfully, she headed for
it. When the sun shone on her
sleekness, on her muscular body, Arthur was lost.
He caught up after a tremendous burst of speed. For the first time during the race he
could see her face. She didn’t
even look as though she were straining.
“Oh, there you are,” she spoke calmly, not at all like one flying in a
race. “I was wondering if you
would ever catch up. So much for
ladies first, am I right?”
With that she began pulling ahead, even though Arthur was
flying flat out. “Who is this
bird?” Arthur repeated to himself as he viewed her again from behind. Once again the sun slipped behind a low
gray cloud. The gently falling snow
increased. Arthur no longer looked
ahead at the tree around which they would fly. He had eyes only for this bird. This magnificent black creature. The tall pine was about 100 meters ahead and the winner of
the race was a foregone conclusion.
Knowing full well that she would arrive first at the stump, Arthur only
gazed at his new acquaintance, his rival in this race. He was mesmerized by her bulging
shoulders, her streamlined form, how effortlessly she pulled herself through
the air.
As she reached the topmost bough of the tall pine, instead
of circling it and heading back up the ridge to the stump where they agreed the
race would end (this was no race,
Arthur thought), she quickly fanned her tail and spread back her powerful
wings. It was a near perfect
landing, almost unbelievable considering her speed. And yet she made it seem effortless.
Arthur swooped around her awkwardly and lit beside her on
the branch, snow drifting down lazily as the bough bounced from his ungainly
landing. “I thought the race was
to be around this tree and back to the stump in the snowfield,” he puffed. The female examined him calmly. Once again she cocked her head to the
left, then to the right and back.
Her beak was smooth and shiny, the tiny hair like feathers at its base
were just… perfect.
“I didn’t want to embarrass you any more than was
necessary.” She spoke calmly. She was not out of breath from the strenuous
flight. Again Arthur was
impressed. His own heart was
beating mightily. He tried to
suppress his respiration so as not to give away his weariness. “No need to hold your breath
Brother. You flew hard,” she said
matter-of-factly. “You are not half
bad.” Again, she eyed him up and
down.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” was Arthur’s weak reply. He could not take his eyes off of
her. “The name’s Arthur, by the
way.”
“Mine’s Matilda.
Pleased to make your acquaintance, Brother Arthur.” He hoped that she wouldn’t see him as
‘Brother Arthur’ for long.
Arthur felt a sea change. He knew that there would be no turning back. He doubted that he would ever again
encounter a crow such as this.
Looking into Matilda’s sparkling black eyes he saw his own tiny
reflections. She must have seen
hers too. She bent forward. Slowly, delicately, until their beaks almost touched. Arthur was holding his breath
again. But this time he was not
trying in any way to impress for he was lost to her. He just didn’t know what this lovely, unpredictable creature
would do. There was a pause when
the two seemed to exchange breath.
She cocked her head to the left very slowly as though she were
considering something very important.
“Beat you to the stump!” she cried in a burst of speed and
black feathers. The clouds parted
and a sky of deepest blue was revealed.
“Oh no you won’t,” Arthur was after Matilda in a flash. But of course, Matilda won.
3 comments:
Outstanding! And your pics are perfect for your story. You're a skilled writer. I like the way you describe flight, and the workings of the crow's bodies. Have you seen the PBS documentary on crows? It's a marvelous production, and does a great job illustrating the amazing intelligence of crows. Keep your eyes open for it. It's a great way to spend an hour.
~ james
Thanks so much. Your writing is wonderful.
Hey, we need a follow-up to your Skymall thoughts, now that it is gone forever.
Still asking for the death of Skymall sequel. Thanks so much for this great story of Arthur and Matilda.
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