A friend’s new avatar picture + Ghost Hunters gang visiting an abandoned prison where a man was said to tame crows = new #FridayFlash for you to enjoy, good people.
The Birdman
So carefully he let go of the last crow, its wings flapping in a fury of feathers until it reached the October sky. So high the bars at the window he’d never reach, the rain and snow and hail always finding ways to remind him you need wind to fly.
Every limb disjointed and broken, the guards bruised and wounded him with their fists until he fell apart. His soul, the birds beaked and scratched into a secret escape.
Each carrying a part of the man, free at last.
With the morning came promises of torture, but the guards found an echo of emptiness, no crooked bars at the window, no tricks pulled at the lock. In the fog around the prison, birds flew high and above, each carrying a part of the man, free at last.
Anne Michaud 
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:08 am
Ooh, wunderbar, Anne 🙂 I like this very much.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:31 am
Very VERY cool.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:32 am
Lovely, Anne. 🙂
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:36 am
Ethereal. There is something hauntingly beautiful about Crows and Ravens. I don’t think writers (horror writers) are the only ones that see the fine line these birds can weave into prose. (Hugs) Indigo
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:54 am
Like poetry, Anne. I even hear some optimism in the darkness. Love it!
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:57 am
Great little tale!
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Wonderfully done. The photo adds another eerie layer to the story. Love your work.
November 4th, 2011 at 2:10 am
Man. I need to start watching Ghost Hunters again. Nice short work, Anne! Keeping it very tight space-wise.
November 4th, 2011 at 4:03 am
I really enjoyed this. Were you inspired by the story of Robert Stroud? Nicely done and a wonderful piece of short fiction.
November 4th, 2011 at 9:04 am
Technically good, as always, but it’s your vivid and novel imaginings that make me look forward to more. Keep ’em coming Ms. Michaud. Nicely done.
November 4th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Yes, poetic and beautiful. I think, full of hope. Reminds me a little of the librarian in ‘Shawshank’. I think he had a bird.
November 4th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Wonderfully eerie! Thank you Anne!
November 4th, 2011 at 4:37 pm
This is beautifully written. It gives a sense of sadness but also a sense of peace. I like it very much.
November 4th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Beautiful imagery, darkly poetic. deliciously deep.
November 5th, 2011 at 9:51 am
That’s quite sad yet liberating at the same time. Beautifully balanced.
November 5th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Lovely is the best description I can come up with.
November 5th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
Gorgeous. I liked how quickly the setting was sketched in, with just a few words to tell you what kind of prison it was, what kind of prisoner the man was.
I also liked that the action starts with the *last* crow.
November 5th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Oh wonderful! Beautifully written.
November 6th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
Hauntingly beautiful.
November 7th, 2011 at 11:27 pm
Lovely tale, you should enter it into a flash fiction contest of some description. (I say this despite being overlooked for the grand prize of the vampire gonk. Humph.)
November 9th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Thanks for your compliment, I know it must have hurt… 😉
October 23rd, 2012 at 7:02 pm
[…] extra entries, you may need to visit Hypnophobia, The Birdman and Heather. And in case you haven’t read these creepy anthologies, maybe you should: […]
October 26th, 2012 at 6:37 pm
This is truly beautiful!
October 26th, 2012 at 6:38 pm
Thank you so much:)