The scent of damp concrete fills the air. Everybody bustles between buildings, never stopping to look up. I watch as colorful umbrellas mingle in the crowded streets, like warping rainbows. I perch atop my owner’s apartment complex, observing, remembering her words: “If you see a silver umbrella, warn me.” Why Ruby despised the color silver was beyond me, but I sensed her nervousness.
I flap my wings, trying to shake rainwater from my feathers. “I’m so bored! Why’s this so important to you, anyway?” I call down to the open window below me. Only the sound of rain replies. The people are silent, no cars, no bird cries, nothing, just rainfall. Thoughts drift through my head, but none of them are interesting enough to linger on. The sky stays a boring white canvas, the clouds too thick to see shapes in.
I hear a soft thump — somebody landing on the roof with me — and “Hey! Are you Ruby’s familiar? I didn’t know witches really had raven familiars!”
I stiffen, and slowly turn my head. A young boy stands there, an emerald umbrella by his side. He drops his umbrella, racing toward me.
“Nope!” I launch myself from my perch, squawking. The boy chases after me as I fly in circles. “Your parents won’t be happy about this!” I quibble, as he races about the rooftop. He just laughs.
Somebody grabs me by my tail feathers. “You mentioned me?”
I flail about and see a thin-faced lady gripping my precious feathers. The boy runs over to us. He pokes and ruffles my feathers, letting rainwater trickle through. I shiver.
“Go pick up your umbrella, Toby; you’ll catch a cold,” the lady instructs, shaking open her umbrella.
“Mom! I won’t get sick,” the boy whines, as he trudges away. She holds her umbrella high over her head, too high to stop the onslaught of water, the silvery material blending into the skyscape.
* * * * *
Silvery . . .
* * * * *
“Ruby! She’s here!” I screech. The lady leaps gently, floating in the air. She grips my tail feathers tightly, ascending deeper and deeper into the clouds. Toby races after her, opening his umbrella and leaping upward. As we glide away, I spot my owner stick her head out the window, her sleek black hair flapping in the wind and rain. I tremble as the rainbow on the street fades away.
The lady laughs as we break through the other side of the downpour. The sun glitters on the clouds below us. My head starts to throb, the thin air making me dizzy. I close my eyes, praying she doesn’t let me go now, for I would surely fall to my death.
* * * * *
She lets go of my tail feathers and I fall, smacking on a cool surface. I blink my eyes open. I must have passed out while we were in the air. I look around; sleek black marble walls greet me. I look up and see the lady and her son staring down at me.
“Can’t birds fly?” the boy asks, his blank stare irritating me. I flap my wings and launch myself at his face. His mother grabs me by the torso.
“Toby, don’t be rude to Ruby’s familiar. You were the one who wanted to watch the trial process,” she snaps.
They walk down marbled hallways, into a small room. Monitors and wires are splayed about. I look closely at the screens. They all depict one girl from many angles. One camera zooms in on her face.
“Ruby!” I screech. My owner jumps, looking around frantically. The lady in the room with me sighs and clamps my beak.
“Ruby. We’ve taken your familiar. For the first part of the trial, you’ll have to track her yourself,” she says calmly. The boy tries to stifle giggles as I attempt to wriggle out of her grasp. The lady flips a switch, most likely to the microphone, then releases me. I flap about, then settle on one of the monitors.
“You don’t have to worry about her,” the lady tells me. “When she passes this test, you’ll be free to go to her. In order to become a legalized witch, she has to complete five trials. This is her third one.”
I turn my attention to the other screens, watching Ruby draw spells on her bedroom walls. The realization that these people could have been watching us all the time irks me, but I try to shake it off. I get cozy and let the heat of the technology soothe my nerves.
* * * * *
I open my eyes and look about. The screen illuminates my owner flying over the clouds on her old rug. It’s a relief to see her going in the right direction. I turn my attention from the screen to the doorway. The lady and her son murmur outside the room, but I can’t catch anything. I ruffle my feathers and fly out of the room. They just watch as I glide down the hallways. Out of their reach of influence, I start to channel my magic. I imagine a beacon of energy shining up into the sky. I chant under my breath and watch the marble room erupt into blue light.
“Ray! I know you’re here!” I hear my owner’s voice ring through the chambers.
“That was quick.” The lady walks past me. “Welcome to your third trial, Ruby. We’ve been expecting you.”
I flap my wings, trying to shake rainwater from my feathers. “I’m so bored! Why’s this so important to you, anyway?” I call down to the open window below me. Only the sound of rain replies. The people are silent, no cars, no bird cries, nothing, just rainfall. Thoughts drift through my head, but none of them are interesting enough to linger on. The sky stays a boring white canvas, the clouds too thick to see shapes in.
I hear a soft thump — somebody landing on the roof with me — and “Hey! Are you Ruby’s familiar? I didn’t know witches really had raven familiars!”
I stiffen, and slowly turn my head. A young boy stands there, an emerald umbrella by his side. He drops his umbrella, racing toward me.
“Nope!” I launch myself from my perch, squawking. The boy chases after me as I fly in circles. “Your parents won’t be happy about this!” I quibble, as he races about the rooftop. He just laughs.
Somebody grabs me by my tail feathers. “You mentioned me?”
I flail about and see a thin-faced lady gripping my precious feathers. The boy runs over to us. He pokes and ruffles my feathers, letting rainwater trickle through. I shiver.
“Go pick up your umbrella, Toby; you’ll catch a cold,” the lady instructs, shaking open her umbrella.
“Mom! I won’t get sick,” the boy whines, as he trudges away. She holds her umbrella high over her head, too high to stop the onslaught of water, the silvery material blending into the skyscape.
* * * * *
Silvery . . .
* * * * *
“Ruby! She’s here!” I screech. The lady leaps gently, floating in the air. She grips my tail feathers tightly, ascending deeper and deeper into the clouds. Toby races after her, opening his umbrella and leaping upward. As we glide away, I spot my owner stick her head out the window, her sleek black hair flapping in the wind and rain. I tremble as the rainbow on the street fades away.
The lady laughs as we break through the other side of the downpour. The sun glitters on the clouds below us. My head starts to throb, the thin air making me dizzy. I close my eyes, praying she doesn’t let me go now, for I would surely fall to my death.
* * * * *
She lets go of my tail feathers and I fall, smacking on a cool surface. I blink my eyes open. I must have passed out while we were in the air. I look around; sleek black marble walls greet me. I look up and see the lady and her son staring down at me.
“Can’t birds fly?” the boy asks, his blank stare irritating me. I flap my wings and launch myself at his face. His mother grabs me by the torso.
“Toby, don’t be rude to Ruby’s familiar. You were the one who wanted to watch the trial process,” she snaps.
They walk down marbled hallways, into a small room. Monitors and wires are splayed about. I look closely at the screens. They all depict one girl from many angles. One camera zooms in on her face.
“Ruby!” I screech. My owner jumps, looking around frantically. The lady in the room with me sighs and clamps my beak.
“Ruby. We’ve taken your familiar. For the first part of the trial, you’ll have to track her yourself,” she says calmly. The boy tries to stifle giggles as I attempt to wriggle out of her grasp. The lady flips a switch, most likely to the microphone, then releases me. I flap about, then settle on one of the monitors.
“You don’t have to worry about her,” the lady tells me. “When she passes this test, you’ll be free to go to her. In order to become a legalized witch, she has to complete five trials. This is her third one.”
I turn my attention to the other screens, watching Ruby draw spells on her bedroom walls. The realization that these people could have been watching us all the time irks me, but I try to shake it off. I get cozy and let the heat of the technology soothe my nerves.
* * * * *
I open my eyes and look about. The screen illuminates my owner flying over the clouds on her old rug. It’s a relief to see her going in the right direction. I turn my attention from the screen to the doorway. The lady and her son murmur outside the room, but I can’t catch anything. I ruffle my feathers and fly out of the room. They just watch as I glide down the hallways. Out of their reach of influence, I start to channel my magic. I imagine a beacon of energy shining up into the sky. I chant under my breath and watch the marble room erupt into blue light.
“Ray! I know you’re here!” I hear my owner’s voice ring through the chambers.
“That was quick.” The lady walks past me. “Welcome to your third trial, Ruby. We’ve been expecting you.”