The Call of The Ravens

II

May 5th, 1986

A few months ago, when Colette was still here, she made my entire world light up. We often read together. Not because we both liked reading. Whenever I picked up a book, I only read a few pages before I got bored. Colette, on the other hand, worshipped books. She had a shelf full of her favourite pieces of literature, which were mostly murder mysteries, urban legends, and stories about the paranormal. And whenever Colette finished reading a new book, she came to me to talk about it. When she started talking, she couldn't stop. She'd go on and on about the genius of the author, the brilliant characters, and the thrilling plot. Even though I hated reading, I loved listening to Colette. The way her eyes twinkled while she spoke made me smile.

But that all changed when her brother, Lance, died. Now, when I returned home from work, Colette was wrapped up in several blankets while she sat on the living room couch. In her hands was always the same book: The Call of The Ravens. Every time I called her name or asked her if she wanted to eat dinner, she never looked up from her book. And she didn't go to bed until the moon was about to dip into the horizon.

One day, I got home later than I usually do because I had to run an errand for my boss. Once I stepped into the living room, I saw Colette. However, this time, she wasn't wrapped in several blankets. She also wasn't holding that book. Instead, that book laid beside her on the couch. She stared at me with wide eyes.

"Colette...?" I took a step closer. Colette's skin was pale, and her bones were pressing up against her skin.

"On the day I found Lance's body, a raven came and sat on our window sill. It talked to me." Colette's entire body remained still, except for her mouth.

"What do you-"

"Did you know what it said? It said 'Nevermore.' And it said it again and again, and it would never leave me alone."

A deafening silence then fell between us. I didn't recall ever seeing a raven on the window sill before. I took a step forward, and then another one until I was close enough to lay my hand on her wrist. She didn't acknowledge my hand was on her.

"You know, I think that Lance went into the forest himself," Colette's head turned towards the window, "He wasn't kidnapped by some murderer like the cops said."

I paused, cleared my throat, and then whispered, "What makes you think that?"

"Lance told me a raven talked to him before he died."

I shook my head, "Don't tell me you want to go into the forest."

"But the police have it all wrong. He wasn't abducted. He was taken by the ravens." She then turned to look back at me, "You can't stop me."

"Please, don't!" I took a seat beside her, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. "It's dangerous. You might get yourself hurt!"

"Who cares at this point?"

"Who cares!?" A fire was lit within me. "I care! How could you say that!?"

She broke eye contact before she got up and walked away to our bedroom. I buried my head into my hands. A raw, cold emptiness chewed me up on the inside. "There's still hope," I whispered, but the emptiness only chewed on faster. I waited for Colette to return with a shiny grin on her face. I waited for her to come back, ready to rave about a new book she just read. I waited for her to come back to apologize to me with her face covered in tears.

But she never came back.