The Oaken Square

Piney brings me into the forest, and immediately I know what beauty waits for me inside. The bottom of the trees are all hollowed out, and there are friendly faces peeking out of them, or outside of them.
  "G'day, mate!" One says.
  "Top o' the mornin', to you." Another says.
  "Bonjour, Mon ami!" A positively exuberant face cries. 
  "All of these animals come from different places." Piney explains. "Ms. Jenavive there comes from France, Mr. O'Haley comes from Ireland, and Mrs. Ganalia comes form Australia."
  I nod at each of them in turn as they acknowledge their existence as Piney says their names.
  "Please," Ms. Jenavive says to me, "Stay in my cabin. It is a three-'undred and forty-two year old Oak, one of ze first in ze forest. You are very welcome to stay with moi! Zat means 'me' in Francais!"
  Piney leads me away form her and whispers, "Don't stay with her. She is too clean to live in a forest. She's a wonderful lady, though, wonderful.
  "And here," He continues, "It Cypress Boulevard." I look around as he points to various houses, flowers, trees, and people. I love this neighborhood. It is full of shining faces and beautiful people. 
  All except one. His name is Alvin. He is a raccoon. He doesn't look up at me. He only steels loathing glances every so often. 
  "Hello." I say, trying to be friendly and I put on my best smile. It is pretty hard for a bird, seeing as you have no lips. "I am Raven. Pleased to meet you. And you are?" I ask. I ask his name because it is polite, even thought Piney told me who he is. Alvin doesn't acknowledge my existence. I try saying it again, but still, no answer. I walk away. I can almost swear I see him look up with a worried expression, but the flicker of emotion soon passes. He looks back down at his fingers.
  "Come back." He says so quietly I almost ask for him to repeat himself. But I hear him just fine. I walk back to him. "Sorry." He says. He looks up. His eyes are both milky white and he stares into the distance with a searching unmoving stare. "I can't look up because I can't see very well. I don't like other animals to see."
  "Oh. Well, that's okay." I say with a comforting, understanding voice. "When I was small, I knew a bird that was deaf. She was banished form her nest, jus like I was."
  "Why is that?" He asks.
  "Mutated wing. My mother didn't want to bother with me so she tried to kill me by pushing me out of the nest." I answer, a bit coldly. He drops his gaze uncomfortably. 
  "I am sorry." He says, barely more than a whisper. "I shouldn't have asked. It was tactless."
  "No, I am sorry. You didn't know."
  "I was banished from my litter because I couldn't see where to get milk from Mother. I wandered and Piney took me in. I have lived here my whole life."
  "I'm sorry." I finally met someone who understands my pain. I feel hurt for being abandoned, but free at the same time. Though I have never said it, I long for adventure, for a reason to be alive. And I have finally found it. But I miss home. I miss mother and father. I miss little Tommy, and Jessica, and Alex, and Veronica, and Sammy. I miss home. I miss the food from my mother. 
  I miss home. 
  I miss home. 
  I miss home. 
  I miss home.
  The tears well up in my eyes and they almost spill over, but I stop them. I turn and leave. I say good bye to everyone. I say thank you to Piney. I must find a friend, someone to be with, to lean on. I need a friend so bad.
  I walk and I walk. I run and I run. I start to catch the wind, and soar up. I see small specks in the distance and I fly toward them, thinking they are other Ravens.


Boy, was I wrong.


Signed, 
Raven Black