The Crow's Nest 2-4

4

            Not much came of all this.  There was …not much… in the mother’s rubbish; no valuable antiques.  I was asked by Margaret how much would I pay:  “Not much” I said.  She didn’t care, sold it to me, demanded I get this purchased lot out of there the next day and made me leave with her right away.  Alice watched and listened to everything.  I returned the next day bringing three young men purloined from a landscaper’s crew with two of the young men’s pickup trucks in addition to my own truck.  I paid the young men for their work and for the use of their trucks.  They liked that and performed perfectly.  We, as a motorized throng, arrived in the yard before Margaret.  I did not need directions for I had memorized the route.  Alice greeted us with a scowl, escorted us to the mother’s rubbish and stood guard.  I clearly directed the start of the removal of the …carefully defined… mother’s rubbish.  Alice said nothing at all once work began.  I stayed with the mother’s rubbish.  The young men loaded their trucks.  The only deviation was the instruction on selected objects …that I chose… to be put in “my truck” or even… “in the cab”.  They understood that these were better objects and did as they were told.  Alice didn’t seem to notice.  Quickly the mother’s rubbish was removed starting from the dark region to the right and … foot by foot… traveling toward the boundary of the tea table and its wooden tankard.  Window by window was fully exposed.  Alice stood guard and said nothing.

            Margaret arrived after we had what she titled “A good start”.  She… did not stand guard but …attended.  “I AM PAYING ATTENTION” she told me but went over to the first exposed window and stood staring out of it.  After a while she opened the window… lifting the bottom up.  It stayed open.  I noted to myself that the window had probably not been opened in at least a century.  I said nothing.  Alice watched Margaret do this and scowled.  After a while Margaret said “THERE’S A CROW DOWN THERE BY MOTHER’S CAR IN THE YARD.  FUNNY ABOUT MOTHER AND CROWS.  SHE WAS ALWAYS VERY FUNNY ABOUT THEM.  SEEMED TO CARE ABOUT CROWS.  THERE’S A CROW DOWN THERE PECKING THE GROUND JUST BEHIND HER CAR.  VERY FUNNY CROWS ARE YOU KNOW.  VERY SENSIBLE SHE’D SAY.  MORE SENIBLE THAN PEOPLE SHE’D SAY.  VERY FOND OF CROWS SHE WAS.  HAD ONE AS A PET YOU KNOW.  WHEN SHE WAS YOUNG.  SIMON SHE CALLED HIM.

            Both Alice and I walked over to the window, stood beside Margaret and looked out.  There was a crow on the ground behind the mother’s car.  It walked around and occasionally peck the ground.  Then it flew up into a large maple tree, one of a dozen bordering the yard.  The crow perched on a branch exactly even with the window and looked… at us.

            Or, at least, looked at the open window.  For us to see the crow we looked through the glass above the open window.  Beneath these window panes, the open window let in a rush of fresh air.  I could feel the air but my view through the opening was toward the yard below.  The crow sat on the branch with it’s head cocked so as to allow a direct gaze of one eye at the open window.  The distance was about twelve feet.  I could see the crow clearly through the window panes.  It was looking at the window. 

            After a minute both Alice and I left the window and returned to the rubbish removal.  Margaret stayed by the window.  She muttered to herself.  We… Alice and I didn’t pay attention for … WE… were working on the rubbish removal.  Of a sudden distraction, I heard Margaret say “SIMON?”.  I looked toward Margaret.  Alice was looking too.  We exchanged glances…. and got back to work.  Forty minutes later we were done: The mother’s rubbish was removed, the trucks were loaded, Margaret was in the yard by the mother’s car, Alice was in the doorway shadow and… the crow was gone.