Oh, Marcel!

Raven

~Marcel~

A groan escaped my lips when I turned into the kitchen to find the floor a mess of glass. Ember and Emily both looked up at me with horrified expressions and then back down to the broken dish.

"Marcel it's not.." Ember says but I cut her off.

"No. It's okay sweetheart. It wasn't from a dead relative or anything its okay." I walk over and tenderly wrap my arms around her, but she pulls away.

"No...it's not that." She says and I look at her face. She is still terrified. "I dropped it because, that came crashing through the kitchen window."

She points to a black lump on the ground by the sink. There is broken glass from the window surrounding it as it crunches under my shoes. Specks of dark blood surround the black mass and I get closer to it.

It's a bird. A raven actually.

"What..." I say before reaching up to grab a paper towel or something. I wasn't going to touch it with my bare hands.

"Marcel, what is it?" Emily questions, a little braver than Ember right now.

"It's a Raven. It must have flew into the window on it's own. They tend to be pretty stupid." I assure her as I pick up the bird and wrap some more towels around him. "Why don't you two go see Harry and I'll clean up and fix some tea."

"But..." Ember says as Emily grabs her arm and pulls her away from the scene.

"It's okay." I know she is referring to the dish she broke. At least I think she is.

The bird is limp in my hands so I know the thing is dead. I can't help but thinking about giving it a proper burial. It is the right thing to do, especially with all the superstitions around black birds and ravens. The back yard seems like a calm place to bury it, however it is still dark out and I honestly am a little afraid.

I know that I am supposed to man up and I have been trying to, but I keep reverting to my old habits.The way that Ember looks to me to save her now, it really has helped though. Make me into a new Marcel, that is.

The porch light glows as I step outside. Maybe I'll just leave it here on the table and hope its there so I can bury it tomorrow. I set it gently down on the table making sure that the towels stay wrapped around it. I take one last look at the back yard that slopes downhill towards the river. The bright full moon illuminating the many trees and the cool water that flows below it. I shiver and turn to go inside quickly shutting the door behind me.

I have no idea how I ever came here alone. Then again, I was never here at night time so that would be why and if I was it was because I had fallen asleep and hadn't woken until morning.

When I get back inside, Ember and Emily are no where to be found so I assume they are in the bedroom with my twin. Jimmy is standing in the kitchen looking at the mess. He looks a mess himself.

"Uh.." I begin making him jump.

"Sorry. I just didn't know if I should clean it up and where the broom is at...what happened?" He asks looking to me now. It feels weird to have him in my house after all he has done to Ember and me.

"A bird flew through the window and scared the girls causing them to drop the plate." I shrug and go to the small closet to grab the broom and dustpan.

"Oh." He says and stays put. I hand him the dustpan as I begin to sweep up the glass. It's quiet for awhile until I hear Harry's booming laughter. I smile to myself.

"Sounds like he feels better." Jimmy nods and looks up at me.

"Yeah. It's probably Ember. I bet she is in there telling him jokes or something." I smile at the thought of her an hour earlier trying to tell jokes after she herself had been sick. It surprised me that she was sick one minute and then concerned about me the next. I'm really lucky.