"Then what did you do after he was dead?"

"I went outside the house with the baby. The raven sat on the pillar of the garden wall and watched us sitting in the grass. He watched us for hours. I knew why. He wanted something. What do they think he wanted from me?"

"Will you tell me?"

"He wanted to peck my eyes out. But I didn't give them to him. Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I didn't notice? Who put the broken glass in the porridge? Why did I trip on the stairs with the baby? Who opened the window? It was all the raven. He killed my baby. He takes body parts for every life and ruins it over and over until he has it all of them. I won't give him my eyes. I gouged them out with the shard, then he cawed and flew away in sourness."

"You took the shard outside the house?"

"Not on purpose. I'd forgotten I still had it in my hand. At some point it got warmer. The sun was coming up. Overnight I had had an idea. If I kill the raven, my baby will stay alive, so I cut my arm with the shard. But it didn't work. I should have closed the front door. The neighbors called the city guard and I got to the hospital before I could die. Since then I've tried to kill myself many times, but they won't let me and no one believes me."

"You were arrested for the murder of your husband. Because of the suicide attempt, you are here. Explain to me what the raven looked like."

"Do you not beleive me either? Do you also think I'm crazy?"

"No, at least not more than others. I'm just asking on principle. Maybe you've noticed something I don't know about yet."

"It looks like a raven with horns and three feet."

Three feet and horns, was the description always heard from those affected. It differed from scientific reports, however, significant treatises there was also only one. According to this one, the horns were not real horns, but an erectable feather hood. Three feet or any capabilities were not mentioned. According to the paper, it was almost an ordinary raven. That's what made it so hard to find. Still, even researchers were only human. This one in particular was a hardly known ornithologist. Maybe it was just for attention.

"Before, you said it was just a raven and that you quickly forgot about the encounter. Didn't you consider the horns and the three feet a bit unusual?

"The first time I saw him, I only saw him briefly. I didn't see the third claw until he took my fingers."

"He took them with him in the third claw?"

"Yes."

"I see. Anything else noticeable?"

"The cawing. It's like it stings you, like a knife. It stings. It burns."

"Every time?"

"Yes."

"It makes you flinch?"

"Yes, exactly." she replied almost with an enthusiasm.

" It was just a guess." She had said that she had gone to her knees. "When they say it burns, where does it burn?"

"In the neck."

The answer came without thinking, as if she was absolutely sure. At that point, I actually didn't expect a clear answer.

"I'm thinking of a lightning-like muscle contraction. That would explain the burning sensation, and in the neck it could trigger you to go forward, fleeing to your knees."

If the cawing triggered something like that, that would be a real problem.

"What do you plan to do about it? You want to kill the raven, don't you? You're a hunter. That's why you're here. You want the reward."

"Let's see what I'm going to do about it. It's not your problem."

"You can't kill the raven, then I won't get my baby back."

The raven was not accurate. It was a species. There were several of them. That was a fact. But it was certainly better if she didn't know that.

"Does it really matter to you what I'm going to do? Think about it."

"I'm admitted here, but you are insane."

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"You said your husband hit you and you lost a tooth, but according to your file, you still have all your teeth."

"You even got to read my file?"

"One of the disadvantages of not having private insurance."

"My husband had one of those, but it didn't help him."

The two of them had a child, but they still hadn't been married. I already knew that from the file as well.

"Don't you think it's strange that you kept some injuries and others not?"

"Do you have an explanation for that?"

"Do you like to answer with counter-questions? I was hoping you had one."

"I do. Everything heals. Only scars remain. But a tooth can't have a scar."

"What about your fingers?"

"That's an exception. The raven took them."

"And your eyes?"

"I will have eyes again. Do you have any other questions?"

"Do you know anything else I should know?"

"No. Are we having sex now?"

The question was completely dry. It didn't sound like she was necessarily looking forward to it. It sounded more like it was mandatory duty to get what she thought was coming afterwards.

"I can only let you smoke a cigarette, but I'm not really allowed to touch you more than I have to. I'm sorry, I lied to you to get you to talk to me."

"All you have to do is ask the man behind the mirror and you can touch me wherever you want," she explained unemotionally.

"How many people have visited you?"

"For this? I don't know."

"Approximately?"

"Do you mean different people? I don't know. That's hard to remember what they feel like."

"What would you guess?"

"Maybe a little more than 50?"

"More than 50 for sex?"

"I've been here a long time..."

"How many have there been in the last six days?"

"Maybe eight? I don't understand the question."

"How many visitors did they have in the last six days?"

"For sex?"

"Have you had any who were here for other reasons?""

"Yes, I did. I've had three visitors. I know two of them. They come here often. They live in the village. One of them used to be a caretaker here. He's allowed in for free because he knows about it. But I've had more sex than that. Some come several times a week. Some work here. The difference to a brothel are the pills."

" That is not really a difference. Who was the third visitor? That's what I want to know."

"Yes, I'm sure that interests you. It was certainly competition..."

"So it was someone who asked about the raven?"

"Yes. It was."

"Tell me about him."

"It was a woman."

"A woman?", I wondered in irritation.

"It was a harpy."

"Now you have my interest. Tell me about her."

"First the cigarette."

It was a mistake to be too honest. That kind of thing will always backfire. I would be more careful next time.

Now that I had no choice, I stood up, walked over to her and lit a cigarette for her.

"You-you're really doing it?" she asked, hardly able to believe it.

I held the cigarette out to her. With trembling lips, she took a deep drag.

"Come down. It's just a cigarette."

She blew out the smoke and almost coughed.

"I-I don't smoke. How long until it starts working?"

"Not that long."

I didn't know what she was thinking, but it really was just a cigarette.

"Secondhand smoke can be deadly, too. Doesn't that bother you? If I die from smoking, then your life could end as well."

"You won't die because of a cigarette. I've been smoking since I was 14 and I'm still alive."

"Still..."

The glow lit up and the smoke rose into the sleeve of my jacket. Excited, she took the next long drag.

"Are you going to tell me about the Harypie?"

"You have a wart on your finger."

I had to look for myself. But it wasn't a wart. They were little burn blisters. I had probably burned myself on the cigarette in the hallway. That's what happens when you misuse drugs. Even the small abrasion was already strong enough that I hadn't even noticed the burn.

"Answer my question."

"Not until I've finished smoking."

"No. Now. Otherwise, I'm leaving. The fact that I have competition doesn't really matter to me."

"I-I can't tell you much at all. As you can see, I'm blind. I didn't hear her voice either. The questions were read out by the overseer. Because I only answered briefly, she got angry. That's why I didn't say anything anymore. But before she could hurt me, she was already thrown out."

"She didn't say anything, not a word?"

"No. I don't think she knew the language."

"When was she here?"

"It was the day before yesterday."

"The day before yesterday? Does she live here in the village?"

"She stank of earth, moss, and wet leaves. I think she came from the woods. Her pants also reeked of piss."

"How long was she here?"

"Not long. Maybe five minutes."

"And then the overseer helped her out?"

"No. It was a different man. Maybe you know him. He lives here in the village. It's a short man with a mustache and he always wears dungarees."

I already knew who she meant. He looked like a brat. It was hardly a mustache.

"It's the cable car mechanic. Why was he here? Was he fucking you too?"

"No. Never. He was here to put on new shackles. The new ones are softer."

"I'm glad for you. Why did he throw out the harpy and not the overseer?"

"Because he's a man and the other one is not. Then again, she didn't fight back. She let herself be dragged away."

"Even if she had fought back, it wouldn't have done her much good. Harpies are small and weak and have fragile bones."

"What do you mean by small?"

"At the most 1.50, at the most 1.70, but that's already the men."

*TL-Note: 4'11" and 5'7"

"I can tell you this harpy was at least as tall as you, maybe taller."

"Unlikely. How would you know?"

"She came up to me to intimidate me, there was her crotch at the level of my upper arm. I also heard her breathing above me. She was like an animal. Ahh, and there was something hard and elongated in her crotch."

"It wasn't a wood, I suppose?"

"It was more like a pipe."

"You like dry humor?"

"No, I mean, I think it was a weapon."

*TL:-Note: I don't know if that joke still works.

"If it was a weapon, surely they would have taken it from her?"

"Do you really trust them?"

"I at least trust them not to want to die. That means not letting anyone in here with a weapon."

I said that, but it would not be completely unthinkable. After all, I myself had a gun and a knife with me. On the other hand, they knew me... ~Perhaps a telescopic baton or something similar?~ The guards surely knew more, but it could be expensive and perhaps it was irrelevant to me. In any case, it would be easy to find out who the harpy was. Harpies of that size were pretty rare.

.../ End Part