The Magpie's Death

Ellie (2)

It took even less time than he expected for everything to go wrong. Not even a block away from the loft, Ellie began making a strange combination of whimper and squeal and cry. Both hands immediately went to the Magpie, gripping tight to his wrist. Then they clawed up his forearm, trying to climb him like a frightened animal. He reacted in an instant, lifting her and letting her fold into his chest. Her face buried into the crook of his neck while her hands clutched at his shirt. She trembled and her breaths were scattered, so he rubbed her back, trying his best to soothe her the way he did when she had a nightmare.

The panic attack lasted only a minute and her heart rate returned to normal. Her lungs filled and her breathing calmed. Finally, she lifted her head and stared, a familiar, vacant expression back on her face and her eyes wide with that hidden curiosity.

The Magpie couldn't return to normal. "I never should have agreed to this. I knew it was a terrible idea. There is no reason she needs to be out here. We can just buy shoes for her." A panicking child would only draw attention. That was the last thing they needed and he was almost certain that was the source of his worry.

"Mags," Squirrel started, putting their hands out to stop any rash, in-the-moment decisions. Unlike him, the concern clouding their usually bright eyes was obvious. "I don't know what caused this, but what are you going to do later? Keep her in the room and never go outside? Hide her away? People will call child services." Reaching out to grab Ellie's ankle, they gave her a little frown. "How long do you think she lived in that dingy, dump of an apartment? How often did she hide under that bed in the dark?"

He blew out a sigh and met the girl's giant eyes. They pierced into him. There was nothing showing on her face, but there was something hiding in that grey-blue. Squirrel was right. If this was going to work, he had to act like a father. A real father who loved his daughter, not someone taking care of a stray animal. She needed protection, but she didn't need a cage.

Without a word, he started walking again. Squirrel giggled and rushed after him. Two more blocks from the loft, they called a cab. Everything was fine as the trio waited. Ellie's apathetic gaze stayed fixed on her surroundings, but the moment the car pulled up and the driver spoke through the window, she began to whine. Her arms tightened around the Magpie's neck and her feet kicked at him, trying to scramble up and over his shoulder.

There was no choice but to wave the cab away. She wouldn't go near it and they weren't about to force her inside. Instead, they walked. Street after street, neighborhood after neighborhood, the Magpie held Ellie in his arms and Squirrel complained at his side. Sometimes, catching sight of a passerby made Ellie panic again. Sometimes, it only took a voice.

"It's the men," Squirrel finally groaned out, dabbing the dots of sweat threatening to ruin their makeup. They hated this kind of exertion. After over an hour of walking like this, they were done with Ellie's trauma and more worried about themself.

The Magpie only glanced in their direction. He was strong, but his arm was growing sore and cramped. All he could think was how he never should have given in to Squirrel and gone back to the loft when he planned.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he attempted to shift Ellie to a more comfortable position. He had to take this opportunity while she was calm and staring and not trying to choke him.

With a delicate but forceful finger, Squirrel pointed to a man in his thirties heading toward them from across the street. Ellie followed the finger and let out a loud yelp. Yet again, she tore up the chest in front of her, trying to curl herself around the Magpie's neck.

"Whenever she sees a man, she freaks out." The stranger gawked at the group as he passed, so Squirrel gave him a mocking grin and the middle finger. Once he was out of Ellie's sight, her breathing slowed and she loosened her grip. "See? Every time a man comes near us, she reacts. When he's gone, she's fine."

"Well, that's not particularly convenient." Scratching at his scruff, the Magpie watched Ellie return to her normal, indifferent self. Her head lifted and her wide eyes shined.

"No shit. What are you going to do? Avoid every guy over twenty? Honey, that's almost half the damn population." Putting their hands in the air, too tired to rant about it right now, Squirrel let out a heavy sigh. "We're here. Let's just buy some damn shoes."

Peeking into the store window, Squirrel spotted a female at the register and another walking around the women's sneakers. They gestured for the Magpie to stay put, then hurried inside. A few wide grins, laughs, and graceful hand gestures later, they waved for him to enter.

"Celine here is going to help our little girl find some shoes. Isn't she sweet?"

As if the entire past hour hadn't happened, Squirrel was cheerful and smiling at their new best friend. They took Ellie from the Magpie's arms, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, then set her on the floor and took her hand.

"Want to pick out some shoes?" they asked her and happily nodded at her non-response.

Pulling her from aisle to aisle, Squirrel pointed out every pair of shoes. As always, Ellie showed no interest.

"You don't like any of them? There must be one you want."

Slipping free from their hold, Ellie tottered to the end of the row and halted in front of a wide selection of rain boots. Squirrel hurried to her side and crouched, following her gaze to a pair of pink ones shining in the light.

"You like these?" they asked.

Ellie only stared in return, her eyes moving between Squirrel and the tall, rubber shoes.

"Are these the ones you want? You can have whatever you want."

The Magpie joined them, squatting beside Squirrel. Ellie pointed at the pink boots and her grey-blue eyes widened as they met his.

"You want to get those?"

Her chin dipped and he huffed. It would have been nothing to someone else, hardly a nod, but Squirrel grabbed her waist in excitement. Leaping from the ground, they spun her in the air until she began to whine.

Placing her back on her feet, they kept their hands gripped to her sides. "Did you just answer a question, my little Ellie mouse? You're so precious!"

Ellie ignored them, her eyes moving back to the Magpie. She pointed again at the boots and he nodded.

"Yes, you can have those," he promised.

That one gesture, that one reaction, was so satisfying. Any other three-year-old would have chosen ten pairs of shoes. The fact that Ellie showed interest in anything at all was amazing.

It didn't solve any of the other problems – the trauma, the nightmares, her fear of men – but maybe there was some hope for her and this ridiculous plan after all.

Squirrel shifted over to him and whispered, "Big softie," as Celine knelt on the floor with Ellie. He ignored it, too fixed on this stranger.

"Good choice," the woman said sweetly, smiling at Ellie but getting nothing in return. Instead, Ellie snatched the boot and shuffled over to the Magpie. "Oh, no, dear. We have to measure your feet and get you the right size."

She reached out to take it away, but Ellie recoiled, clinging tight.

The Magpie took the boot from her hands and set it on the floor. She only stared. "It has to match your foot."

Giving her a gentle shove, he moved her back toward the woman. Without any fight, Celine measured her size, then pulled a box from the shelf and checked the fit. A quick payment later, throwing Ellie's old shoes into the box since she refused to remove the boots, they were standing back outside on the sidewalk.

"Did you know-" Squirrel flashed a playful grin, watching the traffic drive by. "-only one percent of this city's cab drivers are female?" The Magpie eyed them as they raised a hand to the nearest vacant taxi, calling it over to the curb. "Have fun walking home!"

Before he could say anything, his friend was giggling and waving through the window while the cab sped away. With a low groan, he glanced down at Ellie, who was too busy looking at the new boots on her feet to care about anything else.