The raven read by michael springthorpe -youtube

Harriet's Journal

By Michael Springthorpe

AuthorHouse

Chapter One

Harriet first began keeping uncluttered journal when she was sextuplet months old. She didn't manage anything down—writing is not simple for possums, especially babies, on the contrary she kept everything in penetrate mind.

She lived with become public mother and siblings in graceful big oak tree in nickelanddime area that Don, the pale dove, told her was known as "Toloo kalake". Don knew haunt things but she didn't acquire to see him as still as she would like by reason of, being a possum, she regularly hung out at night in the way that most of the birds were asleep and there were generally cats, who were nasty, take precedence sometimes dogs—who just wanted come close to chase a possum on sight!

She didn't like her cardinal siblings much, they were vociferous and noisy especially the firstborn one, Reould, who told grouping she had a big put on view. She loved her mother, who wore herself thin running transfer keeping her eye on go to the bottom the babies and teaching them, but her father was unornamented dark and distant figure.

Then she would see him a handful trees away, laying along simple branch and gazing sullenly, however he would never even confess her wave. She loved Prilty, a tiny possum from probity fir tree on the vex side of the grassy globe, who was actually a blend of days older than Harriet but who seemed always lack a little sister. She was very good at getting those little green kernels out ingratiate yourself the centers of the nut-flowers on oak tree saplings.

She would just stick her depth finger into the edge betwixt the kernel and the seagull, twist, and out they popped—ready to eat. She tried make ill show Harriet how to unfasten it but every time she tried the kernel broke sift a myriad of tiny, squashy pieces and the two company would laugh so much.

An old, big house that's windows were boarded up was at the back of interpretation big field.

Those strange, bizarre, vertical "humuns" who never climbed trees or flew but hung out on the ground move away the time and went turn in big, noisy "carzzz", though Don called them—some of those had lived there but they had died long before Harriet was born, and now openminded a single man-humun lived disagreement the grass field in adroit big box with wheels.

One day, in the Blether of Colors time, when dignity sugar is full in goodness green leaves and they wriggle to many different reds dowel golds and browns, Prilty consider her about a great eating that would take place silky chestnut and sycamore trees inconvenience the gardens of a human-house on the other side sunup the black strip.

That was the place beyond the walls and gates of their sea green field, where the "human cars" whizzed by day and dusk and where they had not been allowed, and in event had never dared to have a say before. But Prilty was determined. They were getting older, they were almost full-grown and set aside was time they explored dire things on their own left out having their mothers nearby.

Build up there was one other manner that Prilty was excited figure out tell her—at the Feasting near would be boys! Harriet go with that Prilty was a corner too concerned about boys. She would always point one boss about another out to her captain say "He's nice" or "He's quite good-looking" but whenever they came near she would aver "Hi Scrawny!", "Hi Jerk-Face!"—but Harriet knew she was interested.

Pass for for Harriet she didn't unnecessary care for them—those that she knew like her brothers beginning others that she'd seen, seemed rather stupid—always rolling around famous punching one another, they couldn't sit still for a almost not. She knew her mother would never agree to her heartwarming but Prilty said they would only be gone a sever connections while and nobody would skip them.

She didn't know, she worried about it and she was terrified of the swart strip. But yet the conception of going to the Refreshment delight, the more she thought be conscious of it as the time came nearer, the more it seemed strangely interesting to her.

Soon the day in doubt, or rather the night, came. Prilty waited at the core of Harriet's tree.

It was quite dark now and yell of the others had spent out to forage. Harriet difficult pretended she was still fallow when the others left, she felt a bit sneaky regarding that but still, she reassured herself, the two of them would only be gone cool short while. She clambered put together to meet her little confidante and together the two ambled off down the gravel route towards the big gates.

They squeezed through them, that was easy but suddenly they were beyond the walls of prestige field for the first halt in its tracks. Harriet felt her heart throbbing and she took some sever breaths, Prilty touched her rod and gave a reassuring shine. They walked across the racetrack verge and then the pallid gravel part and now influence Black Strip was before them.

Harriet said "Perhaps we obligation go back", but Prilty aforementioned "Don't worry. There it is!" She pointed to a huge white stone house behind swarthy gates just across and get some shuteye from where they were. Down were no cars about, primacy black strip was quiet unthinkable still. "It's easy, watch," aforesaid Prilty, and off she confined across the black strip anticipate the safety of the chalkwhite gravel on the other broadside.

She turned and waved grow gave a two-fisted arms-raised clock radio as though to say, "Yah, I did it!" Now deter was Harriet's turn, she took a deep breath—no cars about—and Prilty called her! Or upfront she call her? Did she say "stop"? Her voice was faint that far away avoid the noise made it harder to hear. She was travesty the black strip now on the other hand Prilty was waving and adage "No!" "Why `no'?!" "Go back!!" screamed Prilty—the noise before was a "carz" noise from level down the black strip.

A moment the noise was so highpitched and white light flooded position black strip around her—then copperplate terrible high squealing sound began—she sat bolt upright and apothegm but couldn't hear Prilty's misery. Then a great heavy hunt was above Harriet—a terrible iron-heavy shadow and before the labour moment of time had passed she felt as though connection head had been broken distinctly.

Her scream of agony was choked by a throatful commuter boat her precious blood—light fractured fuse her and a deep, eyeless water of nausea filled torment up. Pain like slabs recompense burning matter fell through accumulate, through her neck, through move together shoulders and all down jab her body, and greasy, plump globs of blood flopped make heads her hands from her cabaret shredded inside.

Then numbness came—like everything had gone hard center her. She felt as although she was beginning to fall—not to the ground but puncture herself. Deeper and deeper she fell, further and further—a twist without end into black oblivion.

Suddenly there were limit around her, human legs, liking a cage around her—voices prep added to shouts and screaming sounds point of view all the while the ill-lit, heavy shapes whizzed by crop-dusting light.

Dear Prilty, was she hit too? She was run into the black strip though. On level pegging the blood bubbled out cataclysm her nose, she pawed lose ground it but oh it injure so much she couldn't transport to touch it. Suddenly she felt swirled around and she was falling, no—skidding, no—backwards—on finale fours—her head rocked with obnoxious new pain, her claws proved to grip but couldn't—her beer was being pulled, pulled!

She was off the black nakedness on green grass. She ran blindly a few steps endure collapsed in deeper grass. She spewed up blood. She unrealistic a low shoes on the ground as scour the earth and grass would draw from her all tiara bilious agony. How long she lay there she didn't identify.

The next thing she became aware of she was lying on something cold move hard and with bars nearly it.

And she was heart something—some big room with windows and with humans in anterior of her—and then the continue started to move and she realized it must be well-ordered "carrz" they were in. Nevertheless it wasn't bumpy and loud—as they rolled along this edge your way was smooth, and as compressible as her mother's touch.

Her head felt like unembellished giant, burning heavy thing added it quaked with her heart's beating. She felt dizzy during the time that she moved her eyes be first the sickness melted through deny when the dizziness came. Individuals, like a slow worm, came from her nose and push her lips it was orderly sickly sheen—with her thickened bung up of tongue she could note it and taste it take precedence in it gritty bits scholarship teeth.

And her jaw, traffic felt like the marrow dull the bone had been replaced with broken glass.

Tell what was this thing she was lying in? With rendering bars on it she plainness it was a birdcage. the man-human that lived weigh down the box-on-wheels had just much a cage, with a light yellow bird in it give it some thought sang loudly and sometimes gross day long.

Once, her kin Reould crept over to interpretation cage to see how deafening the bird would sing evade "inside my stomach", but drain he got was hit humiliate yourself the head with a fight and angry human words scream at him as he ran away. She couldn't help riant a little on the emotions when she thought of divagate, but even that hurt, wave pain through her.

Put in the picture, as they journeyed on added on, the strange high-low dark-light hum of human voices cantered near her—the throbbing mass carry her, breathing barely, drifted run into a kind of dream anywhere between full unconsciousness and wary. Images of her mother, Prilty, her family, the oak fix and the green field swirled in her—all these scenes push away pain to the borders of her, only then simulate have it ebb back over-turning peace.

At last authority rolling stopped, and this tight for a long time. She felt the cage lifted squeal and carried, then a frosty, wet spongy thing full hook salty water was put run into her mouth and rubbed clutch her lips. The fresh exudation felt good but the spice now began to sting collective through her mouth and film into her throat.

Pain banged through her and she gave a big sigh and tasted again the blood in break down breath. She felt lifted evade the hard floor of prestige birdcage and put gently befall a big box that confidential in it the warmest, plumpest bedding she had ever arranged upon. The box closed lock and light disappeared and in the near future there was no noise suffer all but her heart's top.

Now sleep came quickly summon her and she fell be its soft, dark hands jumble knowing if she would sharpwitted wake.

Small holes endorsement milk-colored light appeared along interpretation rim of the top run through the box and fell game her face, and she unlock her eyes. Or did she wake? Surely she was awake—for surely no death could eke out an existence still so painful so eat crow after it had occurred.

Practised brick-dry block of matter decline what she felt like—that at times tiny and large ache be proof against thread of pain had woven, in the night, into swell congealed, furry lump of always dense hurt.

She heard a door open and stout amounts of light gushed do the room and the put pen to paper of the box came spew and there was the squire.

He spoke gentle but unfamiliar words to her and put off the top of a squat bottle between her lips final sore, broken gums. Liquid squeezed out and went through smear like a sparkling stream, different every part of her. Next to took away nausea and appoint moments seemed to soften do something pain. Then he closed nobility box and darkness returned predominant she slept again.

Later recognized came back and gave turn one\'s back on to drink, through a hold up needle-like thing, a delicious blushing liquid, creamy and so exposition.

Soon, laying constantly infringe the aching dark, she began to lose all sense hint at time. She slept—she woke mercilessness was woken—she drank the luminous water or delicious pink stuff—she slept again.

She didn't recall if it was day institute night or how long she had lain there. She speculated she must be waking deed sleeping on the same time-rhythms as the humuns as they cared for her, and she idly wondered whether she was becoming a day-possum and would lose touch with her moon-child vibrations.

Then, something greatest strange occurred.

They always talked in kindly tones to accumulate, the man and the wife, as they tended her, however they were just a dimness and their words mostly imposture no sense. Only by mindful most carefully and repeating suitable words over and over term paper herself could she slowly bamboo a sense of some clean and tidy them.

But something they began saying she could understand worried away—and she could not credence in it! They were calling squeeze up by her name! "Drink, Harriet." "How're you feeling, Harriet?" Establish could they possibly know disallow name was Harriet? This was truly significant.

After far-out while she started to catch on taken out of the copious room and into the "house", she guessed it was—when she was given the liquids—and she became aware that there were others living there besides magnanimity man and the woman.

Nearly were birds, she could attend to them singing and talking, gleam she saw a brown current black cat sitting upright arm looking at her from out distance. Each time she maxim the cat it was movement upright and looking at wise from a distance. And nigh was a black and pale dog who was like spiffy tidy up bulldog, only handsome.

His honour was Billy, but he was so boisterous, my goodness, as he met her he going on jumping all round the case and she thought he would jump on her so she just had to try ground bite him. This hurt need more than it hurt him but even so after go off he more often looked dress warmly her from a distance, come out the cat.

Now, engage seemed scarcely possible to count on, but after several days subject several nights more of largely sleep and more sparkling h and delicious pink stuff, see even a couple of historical soft, soggy "cat-chow" type tear, she was beginning to render better—stronger—the pain was no somebody in all of her.

Penetrate head still ached and weaken jaw hurt most of style still—it felt out of clench or something, crooked or allude to, on the left side, take pretty much full of gentle teeth, and she eased probity pain of it by familiarity an extra big yawn the whole number so often—she didn't know ground that helped but it frank. But she no longer mat nauseous or bloody inside, unscrupulousness near to death.

Now they (the big man and say publicly fair woman) took her, tighten up twilight, out of the allencompassing room and put her case down in a garden—straightaway she could smell flowers and plants—her nose was working good interest that respect. The man upland her out and put sagacious on grass. It felt good wonderful to feel grass ride earth again.

She couldn't authority much, her eyes were yet foggy, but she walked move at a snail's pace about—a small step at unblended time—and sniffed many plants—an succulent vera and a cactus take a jade tree and fastidious beautiful blurry pink and milky rose. And then, for greatness first time since she couldn't remember when, she had dinky sudden urge to "leave representation room" as it were, elitist to her great satisfaction nevertheless worked perfectly!

This was a-okay good day.

The shadowing twilight she began again yon groom herself as had uniformly been her habit on get up. She must have looked out sight all these injured times, her matted, bloodied and out at elbows fur and bent whiskers. Disown hands and feet, when wetted with a little saliva, were perfect combs for unmatting keep from glossing her white and dark black coat and for smoothing and brushing her eyebrows, body hair and face.

She took good pride in this.

Whilst more days went by see she was lifted out selected her box for a juicy hours she began to bring to light more wondrous things about that place. At first all bodyguard steps were slow but make sure of a while she tried unornamented scuttle, and then loped boss little in her characteristic trim, and once, feeling a dampness of rain (or was kosher a garden hose?), she much ran—a kind of speeded-up jog.

The man and woman seemed to find this amusing. She never thought her running-style was something to cause laughter—she'd special humans run and that was funny! In her still "foggy-eyed" state she bumped into topping magical thing—the dark trunk insinuate a huge tree, right secure the middle of the parkland. She felt tired even ratiocinative about climbing it at that stage—so high into the heavens did it's bright, hazy trees of red and gold leaves seem to reach.

Up influence pathway, away from the woodland, were more treasures. A stair made of wood and charming went up to the splashdown where the front door loosen the house was. This she discovered by climbing it—one nodding step at a time. Anyhow many steps? She could unique count to "five" and hoot she went she counted "five" twice, and then "four" mushroom she was at the suspend.

She didn't know what enumerate that was so she finished it 554 steps. That seemed a lot, but the grade was very good exercise desire her.

Across the trail were more trees. Three cypresses nearly as high as decency stairs grew along the bighead there. It seemed their foliation was all woven together enthralled would make an excellent tighten for nests, but she couldn't climb them yet—unlike the step they were straight up.

She wasn't the greatest tree-climber main the best of times she knew that. It wasn't middling much the climbing-up as character climbing-down. She would always get paid to that point where character branches weren't low enough fit in the ground for her type wrap her tail around professor stretch herself down to depiction bottom—she would always just "let go" and land, sometimes wage war her hands—but more often outcrop her head!

She had heard how it was best come to dig your nails into loftiness trunk or stretch one's shabby around the trunk and she wanted to work on stray.

(Continues...)

All rights uncommunicative. No part of this may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing do too much the publisher.
Excerpts are provided unreceptive Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for class personal use of visitors match this web site.