A big black rat scurried through the thick layer of dust under the pews as Amy woke up on the floor of the small prayer room in the convent. She was grateful for the refuge from the torrential downpour that rolled in unexpectedly from the west as she was hiking through the valley.
Far from being a zealous church-goer Amy thanked the nun profusely when she answered the door and offered her shelter and made a promise to herself to attend church more regularly when she got home.
She sat up and looked around in the morning light, sure she recognized the sound of the rustling of feathers behind her. As she turned to look, a large raven swooped down from a rafter and perched on the head of a chipped and dusty statue in the far corner of the room. The bird made a low cackling sound as it settled its wings against its body.
Hoisting her backpack up and onto her back, she brushed the dust off of her clothes and tried to ignore the film of morning mouth, dreaming of a hot cup of coffee. She peeked out a window to make sure the rain had stopped before venturing out to hike back home.
"Hey, birdie," Amy called to the raven, "do you know where the nun is from last night? I'd like to thank her again before I leave." Then she giggled for asking a bird a question as she headed toward the door. The sunrise was a lovely shade of pomegranate. "Maybe you can page her for me."
"Hey, birdie," Amy called again, enjoying the slight echo of her voice in the near-empty room, "Do you know where I can get some coffee and a glazed doughnut to lick?"
When Amy opened the door to exit, the raven swooped out ahead of her, and as she watched it glide toward the rising sun, she realized the raven was leading her gaze to a Tim Horton's a short distance away.
"Thank you, birdie!" Amy called. She heard the raven's caw as he landed on the Tim Horton's sign.
No comments:
Post a Comment