"How the Magpie Lost His Voice" by Henrik ´Poet Hater´ K. Larsson

The sparrows chittered, the doves they cooed, while the owl turned its head and wisely hooted. High above, the hawk called, screeching out how it longed for Lady Spring. As it soared through the air it spotted a right fine rascal; it was the magpie, busy strutting his stuff, as always. With a gentle crane of his neck, he looked up and sang at the hawk in an angelic voice. It was more beautiful and enchanting than ever before, and to her great demise the hawk could not help herself, but began to drift and sharply veer, until she dove and landed nearby. It was not the first time he had stolen her heart, and it seemed he enjoyed it more and more with each time.

She snapped her beak at the prancing one. “Each day you lure me in, each day you sing to me.” She stopped, looked down, and her eyes shone with sudden sadness. ”Each day you break my heart…”

The magpie carefully rearranged his collected shiny ones until his nest gleamed in the morning sunlight. “Yet you come here each and every day, like an ant drawn to honey. No one forbids you to fly elsewhere. Surely a lady of the sky can’t be so spellbound by the mere voice of magpie!” He gazed thoughtfully at her with his dark eyes. “Or can she?”

He was smug, arrogant, and she wanted to pick his eyes out! But she couldn’t… She could do nothing but sit and listen to his enthralling voice as it once again softly sang to her.

And there she stayed, for hour upon hour, until darkness came and stole the light away. Only then did he let her go.

With a heavy heart and a mind dulled from fatigue, she flew off on tired wings. The journey home was long and exhausting, but she finally reached her nest high up in the mountain range. There she laid herself down, tucked her head close to her feathered body, and fell asleep.

She woke the next morning, barely able to lift her eyelids, let alone greet the world with kindness in her eyes. Groggily she stretched her wings. Almost immediately searing pain shot through her entire being!

With a whimper she sank down, crying bitter tears, but soon rose again, having no choice but to fly down into the vale and find malice’s name; the Magpie.

And so it continued, day after day, till the days turned to weeks and the weeks into months. Until one day when the magpie fell ill and had to rest his voice and body both. He did not notice as she swept past high above…

The feeling the hawk felt as she returned home that night was one of mixed feelings, bewilderment raging wild in both spirit and flesh. There was no song in her mind.

“He forgot,” she whispered. “For but a moment, he left me be.”

She sank down, closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep. Happiness had touched her heart.

As morning broke the following day, the hawk opened her eyes to a world she had thought lost. She felt revived, the colors were bright and the scent in her nostrils was sweet.

Eager to meet the world anew, she launched herself into the air and once again sailed on wings of unbridled joy.

Her call was strong as she spoke to the winds. They saluted her wellbeing and wished her well as they lifted her higher, up to the very roof of the world, or so it seemed.

But then came the sweet tones from below.

The magpie sang, the magpie grinned, and she came to him as she always did.

“Welcome back, my dear,” he chuckled. “I missed you the other day.”

The world turned grey and tasteless, her vision fading, ‘til all she could hear was the sweet, lovely song. The claws dug in deep and she was caught in his grip again!

The day passed as every other and the hawk returned home, the magpie’s lullaby cunningly lulling her to sleep.

The next morning she awoke fully rested, but with a piece of her missing. The magpie had done it again! With each day that passed he stole more and more of her. If this continued there would soon be nothing but her shadow, and then not even that.

The once magnificent hawk sighed.

“Piece by piece I fall apart… Why? To still the cravings of a sadistic, heartless son of a demon?!”

An unnatural hiss rose from her throat. “I shall eat your heart, feathered mage!” The brightly burning fire in her heart would never be stilled, not by anyone!

Swiftly she let her talons carve a light wound upon her leg. The blood ran freely, and as she pushed herself over the ledge, her eyes glowed red.

No detours this day, the hawk shot through the air, heading straight for the heart of the forest. There waited the magpie, surrounded by his treasures. Somehow they didn’t glitter as brightly as before…

A shadow briefly shutting out the sun made the magpie look up. There was nothing, but just as he was about to ignore it, there it came again. He stared, long and patiently, but the sky was as clear as ever. Something must be playing tricks with his mind.

Then vengeance came knocking on his door.

Crashing through the branches as if they were nothing but twigs, there she came. The magpie gave a frightened noise as the talons of the hawk closed in around him and tore him up into the air.

Higher and higher did the hawk fly, so high that the magpie soon lost track of where they were or where they might be headed. But as the rocky hills grew into cliffs and ravines dread began to fill his heart.

And then she let go.

The magpie’s wings had been pinned so tight that they no longer obeyed him. He fell, and in panic he cried, realizing that his wings were broken.

She circled him then, screaming out all her fury.

“A prisoner to your empty song I am no more!”

Tears welled from the magpie’s eyes. “Please! I betrayed you, but I do not deserve to die like this!”

Quickly, she caught him by the neck. She turned to the east, returning to whence they came, and dropped the terrified magpie into his nest once more.

“No, you do not… But neither do you deserve such a blessed voice! You are nothing but a foul splotch upon such a wonder. I relieve it of you.”

Before the magpie could respond, the hawk struck with her sharp beak and ripped a glistening gem from his throat.

She left him then, dark blood dripping from her face.

Long did the magpie gaze, until his lady of the sky flew into the horizon and was forever gone from his life. Pathetically, he coughed, but the song was gone from his voice. All he could muster was a broken caw.