The Black Birds of Leaving

The best stories always have the characters thrust into the life they're suppose to lead. Whether it's a ring, a girl or a dream that leads them there they take charge knowing exactly what to do. Those stories are full of adventures that bring the character a piece of mind or love something to take away from the experience of a lifetime. I wonder if they yearn for their old life back when it's over. Maybe when the quest is done it's a relief, a heavy burden lifted off their shoulders. I have no such life. No drama, no terror only corn field after corn field.
Some days I feel like my life would be easier if I was one of these characters. If I were Frodo I would walk to Mt. Doom, if I were Lucy I'd pop through the wardrobe, decisions like this take no more then a thought. Instead I sit filling out papers for college, papers for work and papers to take my families farm when my Father dies. The will states I get the whole kit-and-kaboodle since my brother ended up in jail. If I had the choice I'd run away to some small town in Maine far away from Arkansas. I'd eat clam chowder all day while watching the sea bring in fishermen. I'd marry a crabber or something, open up my own restaurant and die happy.
Here I feel like I'm Choking on all the dead black birds that fall from the sky. The river fills with the dead fish I used to throw a line out for on a warm day. I remember seeing the birds and the fish, eyes shining black with a white film over top. Dead eyes staring up like whatever killed them came from above. My Mother says it's God's Will. The nerds in my class say it's an omen of 2012. I feel like it's a message. Alice if you stay here you will be smothered by the air and the river. Your heart will dry up like the beds of the stream, your eyes with black out like the red shouldered black birds. There will be nothing left.
I want to collect my hearts, climb in my beat up station wagon and leave.
But not today.
Not while the black birds are still screaming behind my house. When they fall silently over my town I'll fly from here.