Unkindness

Children, this tale of unkindnesses was told to me by my father, who learned it from his mother, who herself was taught it by her ancestors. It is the reason for many of our now-common truths. So listen closely, children, to learn what is true and what is false, and so that you may avoid the errors of the past, and better yourself for the future.

“The plains town of Uturi had been suffering an unkindness. This unkindness of ravens had been hovering like the dark clouds that announce thunder. In the night, they would glide to the ground, feast on windfall of the town’s orchards, then take to the skies. The townsfolk could do nothing against these flying scoundrels, and their anger rose.

“Then, from the distant south, there came a tall stranger. They were at all times concealed under dark, flowing garments, and so very little of them was known at all. Without having been told by the townsfolk that there was a problem, they offered their aid.

“The stranger said that they had learned great arts in the misty south, and that they could beckon the birds by word alone. This power would quickly remove the pests from the groves and from the skies. For this invaluable service, the stranger demanded a fee.

“The townsfolk huddled amongst themselves, and discussed. Though the fee was just, the town had become less wealthy as a consequence of the nightly raids on their gardens. The money-minded townsfolk did not want to pay the stranger, and further empty their treasury. However, they could not deny that they deeply desired the stranger’s services.

“Having discussed the affair, they returned to the stranger. They would pay the fee in full once the ravens were gone, they said. Beneath their hood, the stranger smiled, and assured the folk that they would do their work that very evening. Soon, said the stranger, the ravens would be gone.

“They strode off, and knelt in the grove. There they seemed to meditate, awaiting the setting of the sun.

“At twilight, the stranger stood. The ravens circled overhead. Soon the birds would descend once more upon the orchards. The stranger began to call out, speaking in strange tongues. They seemed to whistle and sing and burble like a river, while occasionally shouting the harsh cries of the ravens. The watching townsfolk wondered what sorcery they had unwittingly brought into their home. The ravens drew near, crowding at the stranger’s feet. The stranger spoke softly to them. Then they stood, and threw open their arms, and gestured to the skies. The unkindness departed, as quickly as it had arrived, and as loud as a fading thunderstorm.

“The stranger walked back among the townsfolk, paused, and demanded their fee. The chattering crowd fell silent. They had planned to dupe the stranger, but the stranger’s power had made them wary. Their silence, though, could not hide the deception. The fee was unpaid. The stranger, too, was silent. Under the hood they glowered. They contemplated. Then they quietly spoke their judgement.

“The townsfolk had been greedy. The stranger knew the ravens did not take much. They were perhaps pests, but they were not a plague. The townsfolk could see only their own treasury. When the ravens had cast shadows on that treasure, they could only see the ravens.  Thus they were blinded. And so, said the stranger, they would continue to be blind. A cacophony of raucous cries split the quietude, and the townsfolk’s vision became clouded and dark. The ravens are gone, said the stranger, but still they would occupy every moment of the lives of these greedy people. With that, the stranger stood to leave.

“The town’s children watched from a distance, awed and cautious. They had no greed, and so could still see. They understood what had befallen their parents more than the grown folk did. As they saw the stranger start to leave, they ran forwards. Their parents would not pay, said the children, but they would, for they had yet no cupidity. They would gather the glinting things of the street, coins and buttons and needles, and offer them to the ravens and the stranger. With many small hands and sharp eyes they would pay back this debt. The stranger was intrigued, for the ravens, too, have sharp eyes and small claws, and like shiny things. The stranger would accept this bargain, on the additional condition that no ravens be harmed by the children, or the children’s children, forevermore. The curse on the townsfolk was lifted, and the children laughed, and the stranger smiled under their hood.

“They shed their cloak, revealing for a brief moment a beautiful human form. Then they grew black feathers, and red-onyx wings, and took to the skies. They rose quickly,  and soon were only a speck in the dark sky.

“The parents quickly came to believe the event was a mirage. The children never forgot. Their whole lives, they collected coins and buttons and needles, and the ravens came to call and caw and collect. The stranger was never seen in Uturi again. But as the children grew, they traveled, and they heard tales. These tales were from many places and from many times, and they were tales of the winged one who could speak to birds, and the stranger who never forgave a debt not honestly paid. Some say this person was a common person, who learned forbidden arts and runes. Yet others claim to have seen them as a child of Prometheus, or Ichor, or as a deity in their own right. In every tale, though, the stranger is called the Raven.

“The Raven is never seen more than once by the same person- or so it is said. But every child who sees them is forever changed. They grant them great respect throughout their life, through good times and bad. They pay their debts, they will never hurt a raven, and whenever they see something glittering on the ground, they take it and keep it in a hidden place. Legend says that sometimes, a whole collection can disappear, a sign that the Raven never forgets.”

So heed me, children, and do not forget this tale’s truths. Life is mighty fair when you treat all others right. Always pay your debts, and always be kind- especially to ravens, and to strangers.