The Healer The Dreamer And Crow

Part 7

Dream 3

I stood again at the top of the cliff. Between my thumb and middle finger dangled a sleek black feather. Late afternoon sunlight glittered on the strands of the feather as I held it over the cliff.

"Crow, I thank you for your enlightening deception. I guess that sometimes trying to get the very thing we want can get us tricked into the wrong thing. I'm giving you this feather in thanks for the hard lesson." I flung the feather up into the air. A hardy updraft spun it upward then released it to float downward to the valley trees far below.

I pulled the second feather from my school bag and held it out over the cliff. "I hope you don't mind Crow, but this one is for the Healer. I thank you both for working against each other and with each other to get me ready. I think I'm ready to receive help and comfort for my grief. It won't bring mom back, but if it makes it easier for me to get out of bed in the morning and face another day without mom, then I'm for it." I released the feather and it sailed up then plummeted in gravity's pull to the waiting trees below.

The third feather I held high above my head and pointed it at the sky. "This feather means I am ready. Ready to move on without...without my mom. I guess it's time I forget her and live on." Tears spilled from my eyes, "Even though I loved her so much..."

Before I could release the third feather Crow appeared. In one swoop he clamped his beak onto the feather's tip and ripped it from my hands. He flew behind me to land on the Healer's shoulder. The Healer took the feather from Crow's beak.

Crow spoke, "Dreamer, you've answered my deception with truth. You've bargained well. Now concede to the Healer's way. She can now give you what she meant to give to you that day you met her on the cliff."

I looked from Crow to the Healer and remembered my anger at seeing the Healer worshiping on the cliff that day. "Healer, you were there to give me something?"

"I meant to give you three gestures or wishes to see your mother. But you bargained with Crow and jumped before I could offer them."

The Healer lifted the third feather before me. "And Dreamer you are wrong. The third feather doesn't mean moving on without your mother but with her."

"But how?" Tears still flowed from my eyes. "She's gone. All that's left for me is the pain of Crow's ghosts and shadows."

The Healer wiped my tears with the tip of the crow feather. "No, you still have three crow feathers."

I stepped away from the tickling feather. "But I threw two over the cliff, and you have the other one.."

"You have to just look for them," said the Healer. She then turned away from me. Crow lifted up off her shoulders and sailed away. As I watched the Healer descend the hiking trail, she commanded over her shoulder, "Dreamer wake!"

My eyes opened to my bedroom lit in white, morning light.

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After confirming with Vision to join his therapy group, I skipped down the school hallway. A familiar song caught my ear and drew me towards the choir room door. Two steps from the door, the sole of my right sneaker almost slid out from under me. Righting myself, I checked to see what I had slipped on. However, the only thing I saw was a black skid mark resembling a crow's feather.

"The first of Healer's gestures to see my mom." I thought as I put my ear to the choir room door.

The glee club was practicing a song. This song was a melody my Mom used to hum all the time. Tears soaked my eyes as I listened and experienced mom in a new way. Through my sense of hearing.

Later in seventh period English, Mr. Jackson droned on about our research papers. A classmate deftly folded and decorated a paper airplane. She covertly launched it while Mr. Jackson faced the whiteboard to write. The paper plane landed on the window sill. On the wings, black feathers decorated the tips. Just above the airplane in my line of vision, someone outside the window caught my eye. The back of a woman, or perhaps a parent casually strolling the campus ground. Then the woman turned, and I saw her face.

"Mom!" I yelled. I jumped up to the window to get a closer view. Despite the same build and hair, the face of a stranger, not mom, stared back at me in surprise. Despite my blunder, the woman gave me a big, bright smile, waved, then turned to continue on her way.

"Dreamer, can we get back to English, please?" asked Mr. Jackson.

"But Mr. Jackson, I just saw the second feath--never mind. Sorry." Despite the whispers and giggles over the state of my mental health, I sat down in my chair in joy. Each time I saw a feather, I experienced mom in a new way and with a different sense. This time it was the sense of sight. Although it was mistaken identity, I swear I still saw her in that woman's face. And now there was still one more feather to go.

I eagerly waited for the third feather, but by bedtime it hadn't appeared. "Dreamer, you are ready for this. Just trust the Healer and Crow." I reminded myself.

Later, after climbing into bed and lying down, a sound from the living room made me sit back up. I clambered out of bed and rushed downstairs to dad. He was crying again.

"I can't live without her, Dreamer. Why couldn't she be healed?" He sobbed to me.

"Oh Dad," I kneeled before him and took one of his hands. He smiled through his tears and patted my head with his other hand. He quickly swallowed a sob before he spoke. "Dreamer, there's a tiny, black feather stuck in your hair. We've got to get you a new pillow. The one you have is losing feathers. "A weak chuckle escaped dad's mouth as he untangled the feather from the strands of my hair. "What is this, a new hair trend?" He tried to sound funny as he wiped the tears from his face.

Tears suddenly rolled down my cheeks. I relieved dad of the feather. Clenching it in my fist. I grabbed dad and hugged him tight. Feeling Mom's love surrounding us, I silently thanked the Healer and Crow.