The Key Chased the Blade

I kept the key in its plastic bag in my pocket as we walked home. Simon had to catch up on his homework, so after we ate the ice cream, we had to part ways. He didn't hug me though, and I was grateful for that. I was pretty disturbed from this day already.

I went back to my own house and sat on my bed. Then I took the key out of the bag and toyed with it in my hand. Logan bothered me to play the Xbox with him again, but I told him to go build a mud-pie in the backyard and if it was good enough, I'd eat it. That sent him off. I just sat on my bed and looked over the key for a while. I just felt perturbed and uneasy.

It was bronze and pretty simple. There wasn't a lot special about it; it could've been a mailbox key or a house key. It looked pretty new despite being in those bird guts. I almost wanted to try it on our own door, but it probably wouldn't be the one for it. Dad was super anal about losing keys. He had to have every single key in order of usefulness on his key chain, and if one went missing, he'd freak the heck out. And he wouldn't just go drop it off for a bird to eat. That bird would have to fight Dad to the death for one of his keys.

I put the key back in the plastic bag and shoved back in the pocket of my hippie jacket. I heard some pattering on my window and I sighed. It was starting to rain again. I rolled off my bed and started toward my window to close it, but then I stopped dead in my tracks.

There was a dead bird, a noose around its neck, hanging right in front of the glass.