Red Feather

He nervously awaits for his partner to return from the woods, Lewis Hiller has known Clay Canton for most of his life, and he has also known him to always be of the criminal sort. In and out of jail his whole life, and Canton’s latest venture has had them on the run from the law for the past two months now. They had found themselves here at Crows Crossing Road only three short hours ago. Only three short hours for Clay Canton to make the biggest mistake of his worthless life. Lewis had watched stunned as Canton has carried the cold limp body of the beautiful young girl they had picked up only 90 minutes ago, into the woods.

He still hasn’t returned yet and it is nearing nightfall. He tries to light a cigarette as the rain begins to fall, and finally Clay Canton appears from out of the woods, he gives him a dirty look as he appears to be smiling from ear to ear.
“Geezus Clay! Are you crazy?? Raping a girl is one thing.. But strangling her in the back seat afterwards? What are you trying to get us the death penalty?”
He pushes past Lewis Hiller and lowers himself into the drivers seat, motioning for his accomplice to get in as he lights a cigarette of his own. they pull back onto Crows Crossing Road and begin to head east.
“She could’ve Identified both of us Lewis. And besides she shouldn’t have been hitch hiking on Crows Crossing that close to nightfall anyways.”
“We didn’t have to stop Clay.. Damn it man we could’ve kept on driving!!”

He stops the car and turns to face Lewis Hiller.
“Number one.. I was horny.. Number two.. She was cute.. Number three end of story.. Got it?? Look. We have to ditch this car before we hit Cantorville. The cops are probably looking for it right now, after that store we hit in Pleasantville. Now.. You know this place better than me. So where’s the safest place to stop and get something to eat before we boost a new set of wheels?”
Lewis Hiller stares straight ahead.
“Junction 31.. Three mile ahead.”

It is almost seven pm when they enter the roadside diner, and right away Clay Canton is scoping out the locals. There is only the cook and the waitress as they take their seats at the counter. The older gray hair woman with the warm smile takes their orders and hustles over to the cook to place it. Clay Canton becomes startled when he looks to his left and sees the old Indian looking gentleman seated right next to him. He hadn’t heard him enter or even sit down, as he begins to take notes on his appearance, he isn’t a particularly large man, but has these dark cold crystal like eyes, and in his long jet black hair hangs a single red feather.






Clay Canton tries to shake off the vibes that he seems to be getting from the elder Indian, who is sitting calmly next to him drinking a hot dark liquid that Canton takes to be black coffee. Out of the blue the old Indian strikes up a conversation.
“You know.. In the olden times, the law and justice were much closer to one another than now. And when you trespassed upon the dignity and humanity of another human being, you often paid for such intrusions with your own life. But now. There is a great distance between law and true justice, now the law would like to understand why such trespasses are committed, and justice has become blinded to the truth. In the olden times such crimes as rape and murder were dealt with severely, most times the guilty were punished for their crimes accordingly.”

Clay Canton tries desperately to ignore the old Indian but the coincidence of his statement is too much for him to ignore for long. The Indian has turned to face Clay Canton.
“You see. You are in a very special place now. And here there is true justice, the land sees all here, knows all here, and it’s justice here, you will never escape.
Tread your path with great caution here young one. Justice is watching you now.”
He gets up and walks out the door, leaving behind him a pale looking Clay Canton who is urging Lewis to return to the vehicle. They turn the vehicle around and head west the way they came, as he nervously shares his suspicions with Lewis Hiller.
“I don’t know how Lewis.. But he knows what we did.. He knows about the girl. That creepy old fuck knows everything. And we have to catch up with him. Keep your eyes open!”

Through the rain soaked windshield they can make out the form of the old Indian making his way across the grassy field moving towards the woods. Clay Canton removes the snub nosed .38 caliber pistol from under the seat and pulls the car to the side of the shoulder of Crows Crossing. The two men jump out and begin to follow him into the woods, as the headlights of their vehicle have attracted the attention of two highway patrolman, who are now examining the abandoned car.
“I’ll run the plates.. You take the spotlight and check by those trees, but don’t get too close.” The senior patrolman tells his rookie partner. He gets thirty feet from the edge of the woods when he makes out a couple of strange shapes. He cautiously moves in for a closer look when he realizes that what he is seeing are two pairs of feet swinging just below the tree line. He yells through the rain for his partner to come.
“Call for Medical transport! we have two bodies hanging from the trees!!”
As they push their way through the woods they soon find themselves looking up into the lifeless stares of Clay Canton and Lewis Hiller.” the senior Patrolman sees that it is too late and cancels the emergency.
“Take your time.” he tells the dispatcher. “The dead are in no hurry.”



It is the first time in his ten years of patrolling the beautiful landscape of Crows Crossing Road that officer Jonathon Cline has found himself alone in his cruiser. He has always loved the peace here and has learned to trust his instincts where the land and nature here are concerned.
Something this rainy night pulls him eastward, he cannot explain it to himself and doesn’t begin to try, he just drives, and when the silent black streak flashes out across the front of his headlights he calmly pulls to the shoulder of Crows Crossing Road, and calmly steps out of the vehicle. He shines his light out into the field and an image slowly takes shape somewhere out at the very edge of his view.



He walks slowly towards the vision through the rainy night and comes upon the sight of a single black crow perched on a broken fence post, it does not move as he draws closer it is then that he notices the odd red streak across its head.
“Well hello there little fella.. Why am I not surprised to see You here?”
He shines the light across the landscape, and the light travels across the form of a shivering young woman who lye naked in the wet grass. He hurriedly sees to her immediate aid before requesting an ambulance of his own. She has been severely beaten and more than likely raped but she’s alive. He wraps his coat around her and carry’s her to his cruiser, he lays her down in the seat, and when he looks up he finds himself staring into the eyes of the crow with the peculiar red streak traveling along the top of its head.
“So.. How do you guys always seem to know?”
As the comforting sound of sirens begin to pierce the night time skyline, the Crow once again returns to the air, leaving mortal men on this earth to wonder what justice has been served this night here on Crows Crossing Road.

~Scratch A.B.T. copyright © 2008.~