The Raven (Part 1)

They say that on the day of her funeral, a raven was seen perching on the windowsill of her room. 

It had sat there unmoving, while the grieving family prepared to take her body away to the cemetery. The raven, they say, upon seeing the hearse and the number of people parading behind it, sang a beautiful song of lament that echoed throughout the town. 

Eloise had always been a quiet child. She was rarely seen outside her house, let alone outside her room. Her tiny gray-colored room which was plastered with images of magnificent black birds consisted only of a single bed, a wooden dresser, and a small reading nook. It had been the only place where she felt safe. 

People found Eloise strange. She was different from her family who were very much liked in the neighborhood for being friendly and warm. She was cold and quiet, and stayed as far away from people as possible. She was also different from the children in her class, who were energetic and raucous. She was reserved and distant, so she didn't have lots of friends. 

Eloise only had one friend - Aria. They had been friends since pre-school, and she was the only person who Eloise could confide in. 

Once, Aria told her that she was like those strange birds that she had been obsessed with - beautiful yet misunderstood.

Eloise had a peculiar obsession with black birds. Crows, Grackles, Vultures, she loved them all but her favorite was the common raven. She found them so beautiful that she had prayed every night to be one. 

"When I die, I want to be reincarnated as a raven," she would tell Aria during one of their sleepovers. 

"Well, I think you have a good chance to be one. Though I don't know why you like them, they're extremely strange and scary" Aria would say and Eloise would give her a tiny smile. 

On the day of Eloise's funeral, it was Aria who had seen the raven. She had sneaked in to Eloise's room, hoping to feel her presence for the last time when a beautiful black bird swooped in and perched on the windowsill. The raven stared at Aria with a strange familiarity and she knew then that Eloise had finally gotten her wish. 

Aria felt a sudden surge of remorse for the death of her friend. She knew Eloise was happier now, but she regretted that Eloise could not have felt as happy as when she was still alive.