[€uroMeinke]

Elizabeth lived close to work so they got to her place in no time. Elizabeth excused herself to change and grab the cat carrier. Her cat, Charlie jumped into Rey’s lap as soon as he took a seat and started to purr loudly.”
“he’s a friendly guy,” Rey called.
Charlie rolled onto his side, looked him in the eye and said, “The bird’s got to go”

Now by this time Rey was used to having the Crow talk to him, but Elizabeth’s cat was a different story. He practically jumped off his seat when Charlie spoke up.
“Not you too?”
“Sorry, but I don’t want to waste any time”
“What do you mean?”
“The bird – you need to get rid of it”
“But, I can’t – or I don’t think I can – see he’s part of me, my subconscious…Hey, you must be me too, another manifestation of my subconscious”
“Elizabeth just calls me Charlie”
“Do you talk to her, are you part of her subconscious?”
“No, I’m her cat. She takes good care of me, feeds me all the ocean fish I want and takes me regularly to the vet to make sure I’m healthy”
“Then why are you talking to me?”
“I don’t know, I could be your totem, your familiar, or maybe you’re just delusional. I really don’t have time to discuss metaphysics at the moment. Right now it’s about the Bird. You don’t need him any more. Elizabeth likes you, and he’s likely to just make you do something stupid. So, loose the bird, okay?”
“How?”
“Tell it to go away?”
Just then he spotted the crow in Elizabeth’s patio. He was strutting around on the outside table. Rey moved Charlie off his lap and opened the door to the backyard. In a hushed voice he demanded, “Just what the Hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Bub – you’d be no where without me. Who do you think arranged your meeting this morning? Who do think made sure you now here in her house? Without me, you’d be home emptying another bottle of bourbon.”
“That maybe so, but your done now, I don’t need your help, which frankly is now bordering on being creepy”
“Don’t blow it now bub – you drove her home – she owes you now and I’m not going to let you leave this place before she pays up.”

Before another word passed between them, Charlie sprang from behind the door and with a well placed blow with his paw, sent the crow stunned to the ground. Time stood still as Charlie bit into the crow and threw him backwards into the air, his one wing bent into an unnatural position. Charlie pounced again, this time biting into the crows neck, shaking him vigorously until the frantic flapping slowed and turned into the limp ragdoll flopping of death. Charlie dropped the crow at Rey’s feet. Black feathers still floated about the backyard.
“Charlie! No!, Elizabeth called as she stepped out into the backyard. By then Charlie was rubbing up against Rey’s leg once again purring loudly.
“You shouldn’t have”
“I’m sure the crow deserved it,” Rey responded in a resigned tone.
“Honestly he’s such a docile cat. I don’t know what got into him – but I guess he likes you. He left you a present.”

And so this one bird would never rise again. But something else emerged that day. Self confidence? A new romance? That would all have to be seen. But something new is always made from the destruction and passing of something old.