Raven song

A Story by TriMara

It does it itself.

An old man stood next to a park bench in a lonely friday evening his ragged appearance labeling him one of the city's undesirables. I had just come from a nearby bar and headed back home when he pulled out an old guitar. I stumbled for just a moment not hiding my obvious curiosity. As he launched into his song my heart skipped a beat. He sang a melody so entrancing i didn't feel the time slipping past, the sound from his guitar rendered me so awestruck i don't think i blinked. It was the most beautiful thing i have ever heard in my short life here on earth. I searched my pockets for change and gave him everything i had."wow. That must have been the greatest song i have ever heard." I slurred, the vodka on my breath must have been brazen.

"thanks kid." he casually remarked. "But i am not surprised you like it. That one is a tried and true classic." He tipped his baseball cap revealing his grizzled beard and cross pendant.

I wracked my booze addled mind as to where else i could have heard it. When i couldn't reach an answer i questioned him. "I don't think i have heard that one before, how old is it?"

"i dont know." He admitted."But if i had to guess i would say as old as the earth."

I took a moment to process it not sure if it was the booze."What do you mean by that?" I asked incredulously.

"I can explain it to you if you have the time, or care to listen. I learned this song from a bird." He stated quite matter of factly.

"Yeah right." I scoffed.

"Just give me a second to explain it to ya kid. I sang two melodies, one on my guitar and one i sang. The bird sings one of these melodies every night when the sun goes down and one when the sun comes up. Combine them and you get in my opinion one of the greatest songs ever."

"I am sorry but you aren't making this any more believable."

"Oh it still gets better." He said with a grin."Play the first melody backwards and you get the second one. Play the second one backwards and you get the first. In other words the bird sings its own song backwards every night and together they form a masterpiece. I've never heard of even a fellow human being doing that."

The cool night air settled on me like a blanket as the as the setting sun cast silhouettes across the street. "Thats some fairy tale." i remarked. "But it still doesn't explain why you think the bird is eternal."

"If what i said was true, there would be something almost supernatural about this particular bird, right?"

"I guess so." Unsure of anything at that point.

"I have been living on this park bench nearly my entire life." Which was one of the most saddest things i have ever heard in my life."And every single night and morning the bird has been singing virtually the same song." My eyes drifted to the cold metal fence and to the streetlight overhead."To me that bird is a part of the day just as much as the sun itself is. But what if the bird ain't singing because the sun is going up or down but that the bird is making it go up or down? I believe if god is among us he is that bird."

I stared blankly at the hobo before starting laughing at the ridiculousness of such a statement."I dont know if you are just crazy or like messing with random people in the dead of night. But either way i am headed home." I laughed."see you crazy old man!"

"if you wait a minute you wont have to believe my words. The sun is setting." he directed my attention to the nearby streetlight where a single unassuming bird sat perched atop it.

The bird began to sing just as the old man said but surpassed the old man's by far. It simply could not be reproduced to the full effect through human means. The melody flowed through my being like a river. Tears brimmed at the edges of my eyes as i thought this most be the single beautiful sound... "wow that is amazing." I remarked as i began to realize the truth behind his words."That truly must be the most beautiful thing i have ever heard in my life."

The old man tried to say something but his words were cut off by a cough. It was raspy and was awful. His fingers slid down the strings of his guitar making an horrible screaming sound. He clutched at his chest in some useless attempt to make the pain stop. "help! someone HELP!" i yelled in vain.

Snow dusted the landscape. The park bench was white and there were no more signs of habitation on it as there were two months earlier. I looked up to the streetlight."No bird today either." Just like every other day since."I guess you were wrong old man." i spoke to the empty space where he used to be."The bird didn't sing to bring up the sun... It sang only for you." I left the rose on the bench and departed for the last time.