Black Bird

This is a narrative that I had to write for my college writing class.

Joelle was sitting outside when she heard the thud of the heavy oak door slam. The noise frightened away the ravens she had been watching. Her eyes followed them as they effortlessly took to the sky. She wished she had been fortunate enough to be born a raven. If she had been, she would have flown away from this place long ago. The staggering steps of someone approaching interrupted her thoughts of freedom.

“What the hell you doin’ out here?” Jeff slurred. Joelle turned around to look at her mother’s boyfriend. He had stopped ten feet away; waiting for her to respond. His graying hair was a tangled mess and he was wearing the same clothes from the night before. It was one in the afternoon and she could tell he had already been drinking. She did not want to answer his question but she knew she had to.

“I finished my chores so I thought it would be okay. ” Joelle had not finished her sentence before Jeff had interrupted her.

“You ain’t finished with nothing ‘till I tell you so,” he blurted.

Joelle turned and looked back to the sapphire sky wondering what it would be like if she could fly away just as the ravens had. She closed her eyes and felt the afternoon sunshine on her porcelain skin. She was tired of being forced to call this place her home, and at that moment, she sighed. This slight outward exhale was automatic and before she could take it back Jeff had already started to close the distance between them.

“Do I bore you girl?” He said as he grabbed her hair and yanked her out of the chair. She hit the ground in seconds and could feel the rough texture of the pavement rip at her skin like a tigers claws does to its prey.Her hair was still wrapped in his tightly clenched fist as he began to stumble toward the house.

“I’m sorry!” She cried, as he drug her into the house. She struggled at first as he pulled her along but Jeff was a strong man and she was built slim. There was no point in fighting against him; it had never helped her in the past. He got her in the house and he threw her on the floor. She curled up into a ball as he began to take his belt off.

He doubled the belt in his hands as he said, “You’re as worthless as your mother.” The first hit of the belt was always the worst. It fell perfectly across her shoulders and she cried out in pain. She could feel her skin welting just seconds after. Tears began to sear her face as Jeff continued to whip her. She could hear the belt hissing through the air, like the faint whisper of a snake. When the beating finally stopped, he said nothing and walked away. Joelle lay in the corner waiting for the pain to stop. When it never did, she fell unconscious.

She laid there for hours before she finally awoke. The moment her eyes were open they were drawn to the window. She looked outside and saw that it was dark out; she could not believe she had been out for so long. At that moment, she heard something that would change her life forever. A single blackbird singing in the dead of night. It was as if every time he cawed he was telling her to fly. Fly far away from this place. So she did.

She bolted out the door. There were no second thoughts and all she could feel was the air whipping though her hair and the earth beneath her feet and nothing else mattered. She ran until she could not move. She sat down on a bench to regain her strength and while she was resting, she began to drift to sleep.

The next morning she woke to the warmth of the sun. A smile began to spread across her face but when she opened her eyes it vanished. Standing in front of her was a boy, who had to have been only a few years older than her. She bolted up and stared into his eyes, they were the most beautiful hue of mahogany she had ever seen. She looked deeper and noticed he had the same sadness in them as hers did. They stared at each other for what felt like days and as his eyes shifted to the bruises on her skin. The boy spoke the words she had been waiting to hear her whole life.

“Don’t worry, you’re free now.”