I always fed the birds at my window. I don't remember when it started, but I fed them all year round. The sparrows came first, loud and bold. One particular fat one I could feed from hand. His nickname was Charlie. But as soon as the crows noticed the feeding, the sparrows didn't dare to come back. Against the big, cawing crows they were powerless.I don't know what happened to Charlie, but I think he is fine. He is a sparrow after all.
The crows were less gentle with the food, they were very messy eaters. Sometimes they sat at my window and cried for food, when I had not been fast enough to refill their bowl. The three of them were really loud. They woke me up often. But I liked the crows. They were very curious and very intelligent. I named them Huey, Dewey and Louie.
One night, I was out late. We had been to tge cinema andI walked home alone. I just wanted to get home, I was cold and wanted to eat dinner. Without any warning, something grabbed my wrist and pulled me around hard. I was facing a man, who smelled of alcohol. His hand was of rough texture and gripped me so tightly it hurt. The black jacket hung loosely on his shoulders. I saw him pull a swiss knife from one of the pockets.
"Wallet" he said. Cold sweat ran down my spine. Running away was no possibility, as I wore high heeled pumps and a dress. I knew he was stronger than me. I shuddered and slowly reached into my handbag. I took my wallet and opened it.
"My ID", I said, as I pulled a small plastic card from it. Then I handed it to him. Quickly he grabbed it, let me go and staggered away. I nearly had a breakdown on the street, but I made it home. My hand was shaking as I unlocked the door. Then I took a long shower and texted my friends about the robbery. They were shocked, but calmed down as nothing had happened to me. I went to bed late, without eating much. Huey tapped on the window and cawed. Louie joined him and made a lot of noise. I rolled over, opened the window and took their bowl to refill it. Dewey landed by the window and dropped something in the bowl. It was my wallet.
Since then my crow-community has grown. Every day no less than thirteen crows come to my window. They bring me presents, too. And I always feed them their favourite food.