Drop

Mahraeel Tadros (11) | CREATIVE WRITING

I stared at the strange little bird. For the first time, I noticed the faint gray smoke floating from its tail, the peculiar shine of its eyes, and the soft whir of turning gears. A minute passed before I recovered.

“Uh, sure. What would you like to eat?” My shaky voice sounded small in the cramped dorm. I crossed my arms, trying to appear more confident than I truly was. Click, caw.

“You”, came the steady reply.

“Excuse me?” Certain I had misheard, yet startled by the implications of that single word, I took a step back and tried to remember where I had last left the broom, maybe this thing was not as sturdy as it seemed. Click, caw.

One careful hop at a time, the clockwork bird continued to toddle on its set path – headed straight for me. Frozen with disbelief, I stood as still as a statue. Abruptly, the bundle of trundling colored metal scraps stopped in its tracks and emitted an unholy screech as its head turned full-circle. Just as suddenly, the noise ceased and the bird wheeled back to the window. In seconds, there was no trace of its existence but my wildly beating heart.