The Crow Talker. Jacob Grey

hello you!” she said. Her eyes fell on Lydia and her eyebrows shot up. “And you’ve brought a friend, I see.”

      Caw nodded.

      “I’m Lydia Strickham,” said Lydia. “Pleased to meet you.”

      “You can call me Miss Wallace,” the librarian said. “Now, what can I do for you two?”

      Caw placed his books on the desk. “I … Can you …” he mumbled, blushing furiously. He felt like running right back through the door and into the cool air outside. “I need to find a book,” he said finally.

      Miss Wallace clapped her hands together in pleasure. “Well, it’s about time!” she said. “I never knew if you liked the ones I was picking out for you or not. Now, what is it you’re looking for?”

      Caw glanced around the huge room. “I want to know about spiders,” he said. “Unusual ones,” he added as an afterthought.

      He could sense Lydia frowning, but for once she didn’t say anything.

      Miss Wallace just smiled. “Follow me,” she said.

      Caw trailed after her between the stacks, trying not to catch the eye of any of the other readers. He was sure they were looking at him, in his dirty black coat and ragged shoes. The librarian glanced at the shelves, slowed, then paused halfway down. “You’ll find natural history here,” she said, gesturing to a section of the shelf. “Let’s see.” She peered closer, then pulled out a book. “This one is an encyclopaedia of spider species,” she said, handing it to Caw. “There are a few other books on arthropods too. Spiders are a kind of arthropod, you see? I’ll be at the desk if you need anything else.”

      Caw sat on the floor, glad to be out of sight, and Lydia flopped down beside him. “I thought we were coming so I could teach you to read,” she muttered. “But you’re thinking about the prisoner, aren’t you? The big guy in the alley with the creepy tattoo.”

      Caw nodded, opening the book. “I recognised it,” he said.

      “From where?”

      “From a dream I had,” said Caw. “A dream about my parents.”

      Lydia cocked her head. “I thought you didn’t remember anything about your parents.”

      Caw sighed. He hardly knew what to tell her. He hardly knew what he really knew. “I can’t explain,” he said. “It feels like a memory. I’ve dreamt it so many times. Except the last time was different. There was this man … an evil man … he wore a ring with a picture of that spider on it.”

      Lydia frowned, looking puzzled. “The same spider?”

      “Exactly the same,” said Caw. “Will you help me look?”

      They sat side by side, flicking through the images of spiders. None of them looked like the one they’d seen, with its looping body, its long, narrow legs, and the M design on its back.

      After half an hour, Lydia stood up and stretched. “It’s not there,” she said. “Let’s ask Miss Wallace if she can help.”

      “Find what you’re looking for?” asked the librarian cheerily, as they walked up to her desk.

      Caw shook his head.

      “We’re looking for a particular spider,” said Lydia, “But none of the books show it.”

      “Hmm,” said Miss Wallace. “Could you draw it?”

      “I think so,” said Lydia. Miss Wallace handed her a sheet of paper and a pencil. “The body was kind of like an S-shape,” Lydia muttered as she drew. She captured the shape almost perfectly. Just seeing it again made Caw shudder.

      “Don’t forget the M in the middle,” he said. He took the pencil and made the adjustments.

      Miss Wallace squinted at it through her glasses. “Are you sure this is a real spider?” she asked. “It looks more like a symbol or a logo.”

      “I just want to know where it comes from,” Caw said. “It’s important.”

      “Well, we get all sorts of experts and academics in the library,” said Miss Wallace. “Let me make a few calls. Could you come back tomorrow?”

      Caw nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

      “It’s no problem,” she said. “Would you like to take some more books out while you’re here?”

      “Yes, please,” said Lydia, before Caw had a chance to reply.

      When they left the library, Lydia’s bag was full of new books, and most of them had a lot more words than Caw was used to. Caw didn’t care though. He was still thinking about the spider. If he couldn’t find it among all those books, what hope did he have of discovering the truth about his dream?

      They found Screech and Glum perched on the steps outside, watching a man sitting on a bench across the street eat a hamburger.

      This guy’s not dropped a single crumb, said Screech, bitterly.

      Find anything interesting? said Glum.

      Caw shook his head. “Let’s go.”

      “Don’t be depressed,” said Lydia. “Miss Wallace might come up with something.”

      Caw kicked a stone down the pavement. “Maybe. Thanks for helping, anyway.”

      “Hey,” said Lydia, “do you think the spider could have something to do with a gang? It could be their symbol, like Miss Wallace said. Were your parents in any sort of trouble?”

      Best to forget about it, said Glum, landing ahead of them. Get back to normal.

      “I don’t think so,” said Caw. “I don’t know.” There was a lot he didn’t know about them.

      They reached the edge of the park at about midday.

      “Listen,” said Lydia. “I have to go now. But why don’t you come to our house for dinner tonight?”

      No way! said Screech.

      Bad, bad idea, Glum added.

      “Erm …” said Caw.

      This has gone far enough, Glum cut in. First this girl sneaks into our nest, then she drags you halfway across the city, and now this!

      “Come on!” said Lydia. “It’s the least we can do after you saved us from those prisoners. Think of it – a hot meal! You look like you could do with one.”

      We don’t need her, said Screech, flapping. Caw noticed the splint on Screech’s leg. The crow hadn’t complained once about the injury since Lydia had put it on.

      “Let me think about it,” said Caw.

      Lydia rolled her eyes. “All right, think about it. Then come at seven o’clock.” She gave him a wave and hurried off towards her house, pausing to call back. “Oh, and you might want to take a bath.”

      “I don’t have a …”

      But she was already gone.

      Caw climbed the park gates, breaking a spider web that glistened between two bars. The silk strands clung to his fingers. On his own again, he felt a little strange. He was used to being alone so if anything, he should feel relieved. But somehow he couldn’t get himself to be glad that Lydia was gone. He brushed away the webbing.

      Thank goodness we shook her off, said Glum. Let’s get back to the nest and have a nice nap, shall we?

      As Caw reached the bottom of his tree, his eyes caught a movement, something scurrying away into a bush.

      Was that a rat? said Screech.

      “I think it was a mouse,” said Caw.

      Same