The Habitation (story, concluding Part)

That I was now walking down the path toward the habitation came as no surprise to me, especially since the raven had dropped the dirt covered coin at my feet, the coin had been the sealing of my winning bid for the habitation.

My hand wrapped around it now as it lay in my pocket, the key to my now being able to walk up toward the door, a feeling of euphoria flowing through my very being, I felt truly alive.

As I stood before the door, my eyes traveled the length of the tall brick chimney, reaching to the top I expected to see the raven... he was nowhere to be seen. I looked back down the garden path, half expecting to have the raven following me as if in some ancient, welcoming ritual... nothing!

My eye found the old boot scraper, just visible amongst the overgrown stinging nettles. low and behold, balanced on the top of the scraper sat the raven, his reflection mirrored in a puddle of rainwater. He sat motionless... I moved nearer, he hopped off the boot scraper and watched me as I stepped up to put the key in the door.

Is it true? could this really be my home? a place where I felt I would be able to find that elusive peace I had been searching for so long.
I walked up the staircase, running my hands lovingly over the beautiful gleaming wood. I reached the bare window on the landing, pausing to breathe in the very essence of all I could see before me.

Looking down through the window, I saw once again the hand water-pump at the bottom of the garden, also,the stone bird bath... there bathing itself in the rainwater was the raven, it's wings thrashing in the water, its mouth opening and closing as it drank the refreshing liquid.

I turned my head as movement caught my eye... into view, right beside the bathing raven came the figure of the young woman I had seen on my previous visit! she looked up to where I stood, smiled the most beautiful smile I had ever seen, waved and was gone!

Had I been dreaming? the raven sat on the side of the birdbath, shook it's wings and flew in the direction the young woman had disappeared. I stood for some moments deep in thought, I felt somehow, she had come to give me her approval.

I walked down the staircase, closed the stout door... I knew I was home!

The End