Der Fluch des Raben
Excerpt
Dana pinched herself. Surely she wasn’t fast asleep right now? Surely the rocking of the vehicle back and forth along the dirt road had not tricked her into dozing off? Still she heard the whooshing sound. Still she saw the shadow. She pinched herself even harder until she wanted to cry out. That did not make the shadow go away.
Dana thought, Don’t panic. Try to think.
Slowly she got up. It took all her courage to move across the aisle to the sofa. She climbed up onto the couch and peered out. She saw exactly the same thing on that side of the vehicle. There was a dark wing flapping up and down, casting its shadow onto the ground below.
No bird, no living creature in fact, could possibly be that big. No airplane flew that low. Nor did an airplane flap its wings.
Dana looked up into the cab where her parents were riding, thinking that if they were there she could not possibly be dreaming. They had taken no part in any of her nightmares. Why should they now?
Her mouth fell open to cry out. For a moment her scream was frozen in her throat. She shouted. “Look! There’s — there’s something flying low over our van.”
Her mother groaned. “Dana, stop imagining crazy things. It’s been a long day. At least it’s almost over. Be thankful about that.” Her mother then started putting her maps and sunglasses away as if getting ready to disembark at their destination.
Her father just drove and drove as if in an enchanted trance. She could catch glimpses of his rapt expression in the rearview mirror.
She blinked and rubbed her eyes until they were red. When she looked out either window, she noticed the same, unmistakable black shadow keeping pace with their RV.
Dana dared not move. She hardly breathed. She was a stone statue sitting on the sofa as they drove seemingly to the ends of the earth. The wings flapped up and down over the windows, closing off the radiant light from outside.
Dana sensed a presence. The hair on top of her head stood up on end. The little hairs on the back of her neck felt on edge. Little fingers were creeping up her neck.
A voice whispered into her ear, “Come, Dana, come!”
Dana pinched herself. Surely she wasn’t fast asleep right now? Surely the rocking of the vehicle back and forth along the dirt road had not tricked her into dozing off? Still she heard the whooshing sound. Still she saw the shadow. She pinched herself even harder until she wanted to cry out. That did not make the shadow go away.
Dana thought, Don’t panic. Try to think.
Slowly she got up. It took all her courage to move across the aisle to the sofa. She climbed up onto the couch and peered out. She saw exactly the same thing on that side of the vehicle. There was a dark wing flapping up and down, casting its shadow onto the ground below.
No bird, no living creature in fact, could possibly be that big. No airplane flew that low. Nor did an airplane flap its wings.
Dana looked up into the cab where her parents were riding, thinking that if they were there she could not possibly be dreaming. They had taken no part in any of her nightmares. Why should they now?
Her mouth fell open to cry out. For a moment her scream was frozen in her throat. She shouted. “Look! There’s — there’s something flying low over our van.”
Her mother groaned. “Dana, stop imagining crazy things. It’s been a long day. At least it’s almost over. Be thankful about that.” Her mother then started putting her maps and sunglasses away as if getting ready to disembark at their destination.
Her father just drove and drove as if in an enchanted trance. She could catch glimpses of his rapt expression in the rearview mirror.
She blinked and rubbed her eyes until they were red. When she looked out either window, she noticed the same, unmistakable black shadow keeping pace with their RV.
Dana dared not move. She hardly breathed. She was a stone statue sitting on the sofa as they drove seemingly to the ends of the earth. The wings flapped up and down over the windows, closing off the radiant light from outside.
Dana sensed a presence. The hair on top of her head stood up on end. The little hairs on the back of her neck felt on edge. Little fingers were creeping up her neck.
A voice whispered into her ear, “Come, Dana, come!”
