Page 14 - My FlipBook

Sam sits back, surprised at himself. Raven nods. After
a breath, Sam rolls the letter tightly and holds it out. Raven
flies down and takes it in one claw. As soon as the great
bird lifts into the air, Sam winces but doesn’t call him back.
Raven lands on Lacy’s grave, pokes the small cylinder of
paper into the earth, and flies back to Poe’s monument.
Just the tip of the paper is visible above the ground.
Sam watches and waits, imagining Lacy in her grave look-
ing up and pulling the letter in to read. Minutes pass and
the paper remains untouched, for Lacy has fallen asleep.
Knowing there is nothing more he can do, Sam sighs and
returns to his coffin.
Even Raven settles down on top of Poe’s monument,
tucks his head under one wing, and closes his eyes.

[The dark silence ticks, but look carefully, dear Reader,
just beyond Lacy’s grave. If you are observant, you will see what
Sam—and even Raven—did not notice: the door to Billy’s grave
is raised a crack. Billy has been watching.]

Quietly, Billy emerges, tiptoes to Lacy’s grave, grasps
the protruding tip of the letter, and pulls it out. Raven
looks. Billy, seeing Raven’s movement out of the corner of
his eye, turns his back to the bird and secretly pops the let-
ter into his mouth. As he walks back to his own grave, he
chews and swallows every bit.

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