THE PROMISE

THE PROMISE

Petie the crow sat on the tree branch and basked in the late afternoon sun. It had been a beautiful day. He stretched his wings out and yawned. It was almost time for his siblings and his father to return back to the tree branch He had just finished a hearty dinner of earthworms and bugs. He glanced over at his mother who was sitting next to him, her head tucked under her wing and enjoying an afternoon nap. Petie had noticed lately mother crow was not looking well, she hadn’t left the tree branch that she was perched on for days. Her feathers looked very disheveled and tattered. Mother crow opened her eyes a bit and noticed that Petie was staring at her with concern. She lifted her head from under her wing and winked at Petie. Petie moved closer to his mother and nuzzled against her.
“Momma, what’s wrong? You didn’t eat anything today, you don’t look well, and you haven’t left this tree branch in days?” Petie asked.
“I’m glad you asked that Petie.” Momma crow said. “I want to talk to you. You’re right, I’m not feeling well, as a matter of fact I am not a well crow, that is why I have not left this tree branch in days and your father has had to go out and find food for me.”
“What’s wrong?” Petie asked.
“I’m a very sick crow.” Mamma crow answered.
“You are going to get better, aren’t you?” Petie asked with deep concern
“I don’t know Petie.” Mother crow answered.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Petie asked.
Mother crow thought for a moment for a way to try to tell her concerned son and prepare him for what might be coming soon.
“Well Petie, none of us really know how long we have on this earth. Some of us live a long time and others don’t get to live as long as others do.”
“I’m not sure what you’re saying momma.” Petie replied.
“Well, do you remember when we had a conversation about your journey, and I told you that everybody has a journey they must take in life?” Mother crow asked.
“Yes mamma.” Petie answered.
“Well everybody’s journey is made up of a beginning, they carry on with their life and eventually everybody’s journey comes to an end.” Mother crow said.
Petie cocked his head to one side and mother crow could tell that her son was having difficulty trying to figure out what she was saying. Mother crow continued on.
“What I mean to say is that you were born, you are carrying on with your life, and someday, someday a very long time from now, you will die.”
“I’m going to die?” Petie asked.
“Yes Petie, after you have lived a long full life and done many things, you will die.”
“How come?” Petie asked.
“Because dying is a part of life. We have a journey and many tasks to do, once our journey and the tasks that each must do is completed, we will die.”
Petie sat and pondered and thought for a moment then suddenly he realized what mother crow was trying to tell him.
“NO MOMMA! NO! Are you going to die momma?” Petie asked tearfully.
“Yes Petie, death is something that we all must go through, and yes, I believe that my time to leave this earth is getting near, that is why I am talking to you today and telling you all of this.” Mother crow answered.
“No momma! You can’t leave me!” Petie cried.
Now now, you must be strong and not feel sad. I have lived a good life Petie, I raised you and your four fledglings, and you and your fledglings have made me very proud.”
“But I can’t live without you momma.” Petie cried.
Mother crow wrapped her wing around her son to comfort him. “You think you can’t live without me, but you will find out that you can.”
“Why are you leaving me?” Petie wept.
“I’m not ever going to leave you Petie, yes, I will die, but you must always remember I will never leave you.”
Mother crow took her wing and pointed to Petie's heart.
“I will never leave you because I will always be right here in your heart.” All you have to do is think of me and I will be right here with you.”
“But I’ll never get to see you again if you die.” Petie cried.”Oh Petie, yes you will, you will see me again. You must live a good life, continue on with your journey that was meant for you and when it is your time to go, you will see me again.” Momma crow explained.
Petie hung his head as the tears continued to fall.
“I know this is hard for you to hear Petie, but none of us get to live forever. You must believe, you must believe of what I just told you and go on with your life and in the end, you will see me again.” Mother crow said.
“Where will you go after you die?” Petie asked.
“Well if we live a good life and we do what is right and we treat others well, when we die there is a special place for us.” Mother crow answered.
“A special place?” Petie asked.
“Yes, many call that special place, heaven.” Mother crow said.
“What is heaven?” Petie asked.
“Heaven is a lovely place, very beautiful beyond anything you could ever imagine. There are many people as well as many crows there.”
Petie hung his head once again and continued to weep.
“How will I know that you’re in heaven after you die?” Petie asked.”I will send you a sign, I will send you a sign to let you know that I am very happy and cared for and not to worry about me.” Mother crow answered.
“Do you promise to send me a sign?” Petie asked.
“Yes I promise you. Mother crow answered.
“Oh momma, please, please don’t go away and leave me.” Petie begged.
“Petie sometimes we don’t get a choice, it is not for us to decide how long we have on this earth, that is for a higher power to decide.”
“Do you mean God?” Petie asked.
“Yes, that is exactly who I mean.” Mother crow answered.
“Do you get to see God when you die?” Petie asked.”Yes.” Mother crow answered.
“What’s God like?” Petie asked.
“Well, You know how I comfort you and your fledgling siblings when something upsets you? I put my wing around you and wipe away all your tears and tell you how much you mean to me and how much I love you?” Mother crow asked.
“Yes.” Petie answered.
“Well that is what God is like. When we get to see him, he comforts us, tells us how much we mean to him and he wipes away all our troubles and tears.” We’re never sad again or angry, we’re only happy.” Mother crow said.
“Can I talk to God?” Petie asked.
“Yes, you can always talk to God and pray, and he will listen.” Mother crow said.
“Do you think God will listen if I talk to him and pray and ask him to make you well?” Petie asked.
“Yes of course he’ll listen. God listens to all prayers Petie, and in time he answers them, but you must also be prepared, sometimes when we pray we don’t always get the answer that we want to happen.” Mother crow explained.
Petie wiped away his tears and took a deep breath then he looked around the yard at all the trees and searched for the biggest and tallest tree that he could find. He quickly hugged his mother and gave her a little peck with his beak then flew off to the big tall tree in the yard. Mother crow watched her son take off and land in the tallest tree in the yard, and then she tucked her head underneath her wing to continue on with her nap.
Petie landed in the tall tree and climbed up to the highest branch that he could perch himself on in the treetop. He sat in the tree and looked up at the sky. He thought about what mother crow had said to him. He was going to pray to God and ask him for a very special favor, he was going to ask God to make mother crow well again and keep her safe so that she could stay with her family.
“God, I know you hear me, I know you listen to all prayers because my momma said so. I chose this big tree because it’s the tallest tree that I could find that is closest to you. So now you can really hear my prayers and you can answer them. My momma is not well, she hasn’t left the tree branch in days, and poppa crow has to bring her food back to the tree branch for her, but sometimes she still won’t eat. Petie’s eyes filled with tears once again as he continued on with his prayer. “God, momma says everybody has to die someday, but I’m not ready for my momma to die and be taken away from all of us. Please God, please, I’m asking that you make her well so that she can stay with us a little while longer. She’s the best momma in the whole wide world and I need her. Please God, please answer my prayer, make my momma well again, I love my momma.”
Petie sat in silence at the top of the tree after he had finished his prayer and waited for an answer. He waited to hear any voice or any noise at all that would mean that God had heard his prayer. Darkness fell quickly and he decided to stay perched in the big tree to continue to talk to God and to see if he would answer his prayer.
Morning had come quickly and Petie stretched his wings out and yawned. He felt a chill in the air. His wings felt damp and wet. He looked up at the sky and dark gray clouds had moved in overnight, it had been raining. He shook the drops of rain off his wings. He lifted off the tree branch and flew down to the tree branch where he had left mother crow. He looked around but mother crow seemed to be nowhere in sight. He CAWED for his father and siblings but he could not hear a return CAW. Then suddenly the answer came to him. “God had answered his prayer. Mother crow was not on the tree branch, which meant that she was well enough to fly.”
“That’s it!” He said aloud to himself. “She’s better and she’s out eating breakfast and finding food for herself this morning.” Petie looked up at the sky. “Oh thank you God! Thank you for answering my prayer!” He shouted. Petie watched the rain continue to fall as looked he around, and waited for mother crow to return to the tree branch. Everything seemed to be very silent, he could only hear the sound of the rain hitting the tree leaves. Then he got a strange feeling inside, he didn’t feel right and it was not the happy tree branch that he and his family were used to. He CAWED once again for his family. Then he listened carefully and he heard a very faint CAW, it seemed to be coming from down below. He quickly flew down and landed on the ground below the tree branch and looked around. Suddenly he saw mother crow. She was laying on the ground trying to stand up.
“MOMMA!” Petie screamed. He hopped over to where his mother was laying, and nudged her with his beak.
“MOMMA!” “PLEASE GET UP MOMMA!” Petie pleaded.
“I can’t Petie, I’m much too weak.” Momma crow whispered.
“WHERE IS POPPA? WHERE IS HE?” Petie screamed.
“Your poppa is out trying to find your siblings to tell them what has happened to me.” Mother crow whispered.
Petie wrapped his wings around his mother tightly to try to keep her warm and dry as the rain continued to pour down. “Oh momma no! This can’t happen to you! I said a prayer and talked to God for you to be well. I even perched myself in the highest tree around here so he would hear me. Why didn’t he answer my prayer?” Petie cried.
“Petie. Remember I told you that God does listen to our prayers but sometimes he does not answer them the way that we would like them to be answered?” Mother crow whispered.
“I also told you that it is my time to go, you must not be sad for me. I have been sick for days now. I won’t be suffering anymore. Remember the promise that I made to you.
“Please don’t go momma.” Petie wept.
“ Petie, you must be strong, not only for yourself but for me as well. Your poppa and your siblings are going to need you. I know you can do it. I’m counting on you.” Momma crow said.
“I love you so much momma.” Petie cried
“I love you too my Petie boy, don’t forget that I will always love you and remember what I told you, I will always be in your heart. Momma crow said.
Petie continued to cling on to momma crow tightly, then he heard a CAW and looked up at the sky, he could see papa crow and his siblings approaching. He looked down at momma crow, her eyes were closing halfway, she had opened her beak up to get a few more breaths and her wings were extended out to the side of her body. Poppa crow landed with Petie’s siblings and they all huddled around and nuzzled close to momma crow. Poppa crow wept as he gave momma crow beak kisses. The rain continued to pour down as Petie’s family hovered over momma crow and said their final goodbyes to her. Then momma crow looked over at Petie, she winked at him and closed her eyes, then she lay very still.
Poppa crow nudged momma crow her with his beak, but momma crow did not move, she lay very still.
“Papa! Oh poppa is she dead?” Petie asked.
Poppa crow could not find the strength or the words to answer Petie. He shook his head yes then continued to stare down at the ground and weep.

Hours later Poppa crow and the other fledglings returned back to the tree branch. Petie continued to sit next to momma crow and he refused to move. He could hear Poppa crow approaching. Poppa landed on the ground and hopped up to Petie. Poppa crow put his wing around him and gave him a hug.
“Petie, you must come back to the tree branch now.” Poppa crow said.
“No! I don’t want to come back to the tree branch! I don’t want to leave momma! I can’t leave her here poppa, I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“Petie, your mother is gone, there is nothing you can do, there’s nothing any of us can do.” Poppa crow tried to explain.
“I don’t want to leave her poppa! Just give me some more time with momma alone, please? I need to say a prayer.” Petie asked.
“Well all right, but you must return to the tree branch soon, you’re already soaking wet. I don’t want you getting sick.” Poppa crow said.
Poppa crow flew off and left Petie standing next to momma crow, Petie looked over at his mother then down at the ground. Then he lifted his head and looked up at the sky.
“God, my momma died today. I love her so much. If you can hear me, please help my momma to be put in a safe place, I don’t want to leave her here on the ground, please let somebody find her and put her in a safe place.” Petie asked. He bent over momma crow and kissed her with his beak. Suddenly a dark shadow hovered over him and he looked up very startled and scared. He looked up and a young woman was standing over him and momma crow, she could see that Petie was frightened of her and she stood very still looking at the two of them.
Petie flew a few feet over to the side of the young woman not letting momma crow out of his sight. Then the lady bent down and gently picked up momma crow and carried her off. Petie followed after her. He sat and watched as the lady placed momma crow in a box. Then he flew up to the tree branch and told papa crow and the siblings. They all flew down and landed in the yard and watched from a distance as the lady placed momma crow and the box on the ground. They watched as she dug a small grave, then she placed the box with momma crow in it into the ground then she gently tossed the dirt over the box.
Petie watched the young woman walk away and he flew over and landed next to momma crow’s grave and stared down at it. “Goodbye momma.” He whispered. “I love you.”
Poppa crow flew over and landed next to Petie.
“Mamma is in a safe place now Petie, you no longer have to worry about her.”
“I’m going to miss her so much poppa, what are we going to do without her?” Petie asked.
“It’s going to take some time Petie, but we’ll all be okay.” “Your momma was a very sick crow, she tried to get well but she could not, it was her time to go.”
“I don’t know poppa, I don’t know if I can go on without my momma.” Petie said tearfully.
“Yes you can and you will, it will hurt and you will think of her often but you must also realize that momma wouldn’t want you to stop living your life. She would not be happy to know that you are sad and that you have stopped doing the things that you love because she is not longer with us. We all loved her very much and we will all miss her.” Poppa said.
“God didn’t answer my prayer poppa. Why didn’t God answer my prayer?” Petie asked
“What did you ask God for?” Poppa asked.
“I asked him to make momma well again but she died. Why didn’t he answer my prayer and make her well?” Petie asked.
“Well maybe that is because God loved momma crow also and he was calling her home.” Poppa answered.
“Calling her home? But her home is here, with us.” Petie said.
“No Petie, this was not momma crow’s home, this is not our home either, we are all on loan here on earth. If we live a good life and treat others well, our home is up there.” Poppa said pointing to the sky.
“God loved your momma so much that he felt it was her time to leave here and he wanted her to be with him.” Poppa crow added.
Petie stared at mamma crow’s grave and thought for a moment. Then he looked up at poppa crow. “Well, God did answer my second prayer. I asked him to help us find somebody to find momma crow and put her in a safe place and they did.”
“That’s right they did, and he did answer your prayer, you must always remember that momma crow is in the safest place she could possibly be in.” Poppa crow said.
“Do you think momma is in heaven?” Petie asked.
Just as Petie had asked the question suddenly the gray clouds parted in the sky and the sun came out. The sun shone so brightly it warmed everything up instantly. Petie looked up at the sky in amazement. Then he noticed something else in the sky, in the sky was the most beautiful rainbow that he’d ever seen.
“Look poppa, look!” Petie shouted pointing up to the sky with his wing.
Poppa crow looked up in the sky. “Yes, I see it, it is beautiful.” Poppa crow said.
“Oh Wow! This is the brightest most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen! Just look at all of the pretty colors!” Petie said.
Petie stared at the beautiful rainbow and then he remembered what momma crow had told him and the promise she had made to him about sending him a sign that she was safe and happy in heaven.
Petie looked over at poppa crow. “Poppa I think I’m ready to go back to the tree branch now.”
Poppa crow looked over at Petie curiously wondering why he had changed his mind so quickly.
Petie stared at poppa crow with tears in his eyes. “You’re right papa, momma is happy and she is in heaven.”

JWeepingcrow

This story is dedicated to my beautiful parents, I miss them every day.