I awoke from a deep slumber. The white sun’s radiance scorched my heavy eyes. Century old dust and rubble burrowed through my watery sockets. Every blink stinged, irritating my already sensitive sight. All these years alive just to be cursed with a frail body. As the burning sensation and hazy vision faded, I fixated my stare on a crow standing in the distance. Its slender body dashed its way towards me. Instinctively, I tried to block it but my body remained still as the ground trapped me within layers of earth. The black bird managed to plop itself onto my chest, with its slim charcoal wings blocking my vision. The forceful sun steadied through the gaps of its night sky feathers. Without hesitation, it leapt onto my head. The crows' dainty feet ran through my coarse, white hair, feeling around my scalp. In seconds, I felt a throb of pain emanate from my head. The crow had clawed its thick talons into my skin. Its firm grip cut and jerked into me, leaving nothing but cold blood to drape down my face. I grit my teeth and bore the pain, trying not to show the discomfort I felt. At my age, pain meant nothing. The crow then faced me. There was something esoteric about its unbreakable glare. as if it looked satisfied with testing me. I was neither shocked nor frightened, I stared back with coldness. With a sudden break of the woodland wind, it spoke.

  “Destroy the empire” left its narrow beak.

  Suddenly, I found hundreds of crows gathered around me. Feathers embedded with darkness danced in the air all around my constrained body. Their sequined eyes would flash and catch glimpses of me. They were anticipating my faintest movements. By this point I couldn’t even recognize the crow that had spoken to me. I was in a murder. Yet, they weren’t going to murder me. I continued to lay still in my shallow grave with pandemonium attacking my eardrums.

  All the birds went from cawing to chanting in an inhumane hoarse voice, “Destroy the empire.”

  After a while the smell of death vanished. They were gone, finishing their mission and pleasing their masters. I was being summoned again. No matter how hard I try to hide, conceal and barricade myself from the frivolous lives of humans, they always seem to come crawling to me one way or another. The world needs me to destroy the empire. The same way they needed me to massacre their gods and ravish their nations. Those instructions are both self explanatory and conspicuous. Humans always make things so broad. They think sparing me the details will appease me. With some struggle, I rose from my resting spot. The one I swore I’d stay in forever, and brought a piece of my pitch-black, fur jacket to my nose. I cuddled my face into the filthy garment, taking a few deep breaths. Then I took a long sigh, soaking in the moment. I started walking away.

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  I built a prison in the shape of a garden for myself, but now that the crows have found a way in. It feels like eyes are watching everything I do. As I strolled through the garden, I dusted my disheveled clothes off. The smell of soil tortured my nostrils. The beauty of the harmonious nature was nauseating, but I persisted. In the distance was the skyline, where the forestry got denser and a gray sky met a gray field. Despite its elegance, it was a fake. I lifted my right hand in a slow and gentle motion. I neared the fictitious horizon. With a swift swing a rush of ecstasy filled my veins and a hole appeared in the sky. Within it were millions of maggot-like creatures. They were whirling around the crevices of the hole I had made. Without a second thought, I leapt into the opening and left the maggots to leech and engulf me. With a blink of an eye I had crossed over, the creatures were gone. All that remained was me.

  I landed in a wheat field. The wheat was a rich gold and was soaring above me. When I looked up, all I saw was blue skies contrasting the hues of the towering, wispy, wheat. When I did catch glimpses of what was beyond the stocks, I saw abundances of blond land. It was like the wheat was never ending from all directions. With my arm out to defend my face from swaying pieces, I started to navigate through the vast field. After a short time of trying to find my way out I gave up and laid down. This was an unnatural amount of wheat. I picked a wad of it and put the end in my mouth. As I chewed I reminisced about tobacco, nature's finest creation.

  In all my years of being alive, this might be the first time I’ve ever laid eyes on such an enormous wheat farm. I sat up and adjusted my body to take off my fur jacket. Then I draped it over my pale body and curled myself within its warmth. From afar it must look like a giant furry creature that dawned a human girl’s head. It was in peace as it rested in a bountiful wheat field. Any horrified bystander would turn me into folklore right away. Actually, if I recall I am already in encyclopedias documented as a mythical legend. How could I forget? I was the Ferocious Chimera of the Western Hemisphere. That was my universal name, but I went by many. The Great Calamity, The Winter Beast, my favorites were the names that drunken men must’ve made up. Lass from forbidden Grass had to be the kitschiest of them all. Humans, in spite of all the bloodshed and carnage I created during my reign, always turned my vile legacy into art. I could shred towns to pieces, leaving no survivors and there would still be a folk song about my power and beauty. That’s where the name Lass from forbidden Grass comes from. Lass from forbidden Grass. Lass goes out to pick lilacs. Lass takes home a big bouquet… That's all I can remember. It’s a foolish song anyways only kids would recite it. I stared up at the blue sky and closed my eyelids. Trouble tends to come to me so there was no rush. With that in mind, I went to sleep.