raven's song {chris motionless}

three • like the bird?

Raven's POV; 1993

I'm a quiet kid. Momma says I'm the strangest six year old she's ever met. Daddy says I need therapy. I think I'm okay. I'm just quiet. I like to observe. Sometimes, when I do try to speak, my words get tangled up and form an unbreakable ball in the back of my throat.

Momma sent me away to the park that we live by. We just moved to a new place in Pennsylvania. She wanted me to make friends, so I walked myself to the park like she wanted. I sat alone on a swing, knowing I wasn't going to make any friends.

The chain on my swing was rusty and it smelled like metal. The swing creaked under the slightest movement, and it was uncomfortable for my skinny body to be perched on. My old teacher, Ms. Crosby, told me that I should add adjectives to my observations. She told me it was easier to observe things if I placed adjectives with them.

"My mom said you looked lonely."

A voice that I'd never heard before made me look up. A young boy with brown, short hair and honey colored eyes stood infront of me. Ms. Crosby would be proud of all the words I'm using now.

"I'm not," I replied quietly, looking at my nails. Momma had painted them , no matter how much I refused. I wanted them purple, not blue. Blue is an ugly color.

"Can I sit by you?" I wanted to tell him no, and tell him to go back to his mom and never come back. I didn't want to seem rude, though, or disappoint momma. She wants me to make friends.

Instead, I said, "sure."

He plopped down onto the swing next to mine, making it creak. He had a smile plastered on his face. "I'm Chris."

"I'm Raven," I replied.

"Like the bird?"

I nodded. "Momma says it's because my hair has been as black as a raven ever since I was born. I don't know if that's true, but that's my name, and I can't change it."

"I don't like my name. It's so bland. I wish I had a name like yours."

A young woman walked up to Chris. She had a boy that looked about three sitting in her arms. Her tummy was big, like my aunt's was when she was going to have a baby.

"This is my mom, and my little brother Nick!" Chris explained to me happily. "Soon, I'm going to have a little sister. Her name is gonna be Jenny."

I didn't say anything, in fear Chris's mother wouldn't like my voice, or something like that. My words became balled up and I couldn't talk. I peeked up and Chris's mom smiled at me, so I gave a weak smile back to seem nice.

"What's your name?" She asked. "I'm Leigh Ann."

"I'm Raven." My voice came out nearly as a whisper, and I wanted to hit myself for it. She probably didn't even hear me.

"That's a very pretty name."

"Thank you."

She turned to Chris. "We have to go home. Grandpa is coming to visit."

"I don't want to see grandpa! He's gonna try to teach me guitar again! I want to stay and play with Raven," he protested. I felt bad for his grandpa. He probably only wanted to bond with Chris.

"I have to go home, too," I said. I didn't have too, but I wanted Chris to listen to his mom.

"Well, can you come back tomorrow?" He asked me.

I shrugged. "Maybe."

I think he took that as a yes, because he grinned and said, "see you tomorrow, then."

Chris was a nice kid. I get to go home and tell momma I made a friend. Maybe daddy would be home, and he could hear it too. That way, he would stop calling me a lonely child. I'm not lonely if I have a friend.

It makes me sad when kids have relationships like this with their parents. It's sad writing about it.
     - salem ♡

Edited and revised
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