Standing by “Giorgio’s bar” Betty swung her head left and right. She was waiting for John. “Why hello, darling, want a drink?” said a clumsy looking fat man. Betty took a few steps away. True, she was of slightly lower intelligence then average but she wasn’t that stupid! She jumped. “Oh, sorry John. You startled me!” He casually took her hand and walked her up the road. Betty continually tried to make conversation but it failed, as John was a no talking action man. In his opinion he was far too cool to make immature conversation. He only said what he must. After all aren’t looks everything? But tonight, there would be no way a dazzling smile could save him.
Eventually they reached the marshy land. “I suppose you want to be carried?” Said the dashing John. “Oh yes please!” Betty was extremely dippy. When the brains had been handed out she had obviously been the last one and therefore had to get the leftovers. John hoisted her up into his strong, gymnastic arms and tramped through the boggy mud. He lowered her to the ground when they had reached the edge of the water. “Thank you. How do you do it?” Sighed the girl. John ignored this question and untied an unsafe looking rowing boat.
It was made of wood and had nails jutting out of it. “Ooooh, how romantic! A boat ride, and look at the sky isn’t it beautiful? Baby John, you romantic you!” John held the boat and spoke clearly for the first time this evening, “Betty climb in.” Betty uttered some things about a movie she watched with a love boat then noticed John wasn’t listening so she stopped. John stepped in the boat, coolly picked up the oar from the ground and began to row them out into the middle of the lake.
When they got there he checked his pocket and drew the little box he was holding earlier. “Betty, I have a question. Close your eyes and put out your hands.” Betty did so straight away. He opened the clasp of the box and laid it in her hands. “Betty, will you marry me?” She opened her eyes and cried a little, “Of course I will,” and at that moment she held the box up high and quickly brought it down again. “Oh no, I must have dropped it, the ring, it’s gone!” John scowled and felt the bottom of the boat. “It must be in the water. I’ll jump in and find it.” Before John could say no she dived into the water and from the surface he could see no movement, all of a sudden a ripple of water developed and Betty surfaced, “Help!” and then she went under the water “John” and she came up to the surface. Betty was drowning. The weeds were entwined around her and were dragging her further down. She was never to be seen again.
John jumped in after the hand he saw that emerged from the surface, “Betty!” almost immediately the boat toppled upside down. A passer bye would see no movement from the water. That was when the crows appeared from the trees and swooped down from the swirling sky to the murky still waters and rested on top of the boat. The crows arranged themselves in a straight line and all seemed to be still and silent and waiting. Each crow faced north. The one that seemed to be in front made a shrill “Caw” noise. A slow mist crept from behind. If you squinted your eyes you would see a small boat moving, wrong way up, into the mists.
No one ever knew about the tragic tale of John and Betty. The crows wiped it from human minds with their brainwashing “Caw” sounds. But there was one man that remembered… maybe because he wasn’t really human or maybe because he clawed his way up to the top deceitfully and therefore could be classed as a devil. Peter Clark remembered every tiniest detail. But for his knowledge he was condemned here, in a home, to sit on his chair and to rock back and forth with his misery.
I, Francis Green have been where no one else has ever been before; I have interviewed a person who is classed as the world’s most insane man. Tonight I have brought justice to a small minority.
So before you go out I have just a few more things to say. When you leave your safe environment check the sky to see that it is not a spiralling vortex leading to the land of the crows and remember one more thing “No one is safe from the world of the crows! Never! Ever! Mwa haw haw haw haw haw haw caw!”
Beth Ridley
