Henry lived in the infamous tree wrought with fighters, screamers, mockers and the silent spectators of whom, he was one. He was so silent that some crows thought he was mute. But there was a time when Henry spoke. That morning Henry went out with the oldies as usual, early and chirpy. He found the grub and was quickly full. But when the others returned, Henry wanted to explore and stayed out till evening, came home to a destroyed nest, and scattered feathers of his friends. A quick glance at the lot who took their place told him that their middle name could have been 'anarchy'. He too would have gone away in search of a new home, but he found Albert, the oldest crow voiceless, and hardly breathing. His right wing seemed trampled upon and he was about to let go of his perch. Henry supported him and with difficulty managed to find a warm place for the wounded crow. Since then, Henry hadn't spoken.
The new order came into effect soon as Mervin and gang nested themselves in the best spots in the tree. That meant no singing at daybreak, no rustling feathers till noon. "if you can help it don't even breathe" quipped sidekick Sully. And so it had been. No one stirred. But Henry got up as usual and went about his business.
As Henry flew by the shore, he saw a strange sight- a man who smelled of whale -vomit, talking to himself. He seemed to be in a hurry. Henry followed him. His message was simple, but harsh. "if you don't repent, your city will be destroyed. You have only forty days." He went about into the streets of the city and said the same thing. He went to a mountain and sat there by a cave. Henry hovered about the place for a bit and returned to the city. The city seemed bustling, but not as usual. Something was amiss. They were talking of that angry man's message.
Then the three days happened. The first day was incredible. every crow had its fill. Even at night, it felt like they were all overstuffed. But the dawn of the next day told a different story. There was no food in the city. No fire burned in the kitchen of the palace. Nothing left for the animals. The market looked forlorn. They called it "National Fast Day." The third day opened with a cacophony. The screamers screamed as angry Mervin yelled at Sully and the others for their ineptitude. There was blaming and name-calling and in the noise one usually silent crow thought she wouldn't be heard as she said, "we could ask Henry where to find grub." Mervin flashed a scowl at Sophie who had spoken. "Who or what is Henry?"
"Oh the mute crow by the nasty quaint nest" said Sully.
"You know what to do. Why are you still here?" Mervin's special glare said it all.
Into that momentary lull, Henry strode in. "Tomorrow people will cook I guess. But it may be till the day after when we will get out leftovers. So if you want to, we can fly out of the city and feed ourselves and the young ones."
"There wasn't any food even in the outskirts yesterday, so why would there be any today? Sully and Brute went all out and came back hungry as ever," said wide-eyed little Campbell.
An eerie silence followed. From the corner of his eye Henry could tell Sully and the other crow with the nasty scar were squirming, trying to hide. Mervin thundered, "so you two had a party when the whole tree was starving. Well done! Now get out of my sight before I serve you to the rats."
Henry led the way and the flock followed. They had never been so far away from the city. The thought of food, kept them going in spite of weary wings. Henry led them to a farm and they all had their fill.
An almost pleasant Mervin, trotted up to Henry. "Do you come here often?"
"No, I found this place one day when I went out to explore, leaving my friends behind. I have always regretted that decision until today"
"So where do go normally?"
"The place by the shore where there's worm in the morning."
"Oh! so you are an early bird. take us there tomorrow. I think a change of lifestyle will do us all some good"
Henry did not think a change like that was possible. But it happened. the next morning as Henry quietly left his nest, he heard the whir and the flap and saw the flock leave the tree behind him. without a word, they ate the worms and flew back a happy lot. The city had changed too. The market place was without fights. No one snatched anything from anyone. no beating, no yelling, not even crying. All was well and all seemed surreal, except for one place that still seemed to hold some tension. The man from the other day seemed angry and disturbed. But that did not concern Henry.
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