Category Archives: raven

Of course Violet couldn’t sleep that night either. She lay awake listening to her brother snore and stared up at the darkness. She was so excited about getting into the veterinary college. Everything she had dreamed for her life was coming true, everything she had promised her father at his graveside that she would do:Continue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 15”

Violet couldn’t sleep that night; she tossed and turned under her quilt, and whenever she heard the hoot of an owl or the cry of a fox out in the still night somewhere, she shoved her head under her pillow to block it out. In the morning her mother scolded her for burning the potatoContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 14”

Clive flew across the fields after the owl, his broad hooves kicking up snow like dust behind him. Danforth yelped excitedly from inside Violet’s coat, his ears flying back along with Violet’s red hair and the gelding’s white mane. When the owl vanished into the west wood, Clive slowed without Violet even pulling on theContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 13”

On Saturday after she was done with her chores, there was about an hour of daylight left, so Violet saddled up Clive and rode out to the north wood. She was thinking about the little squirrel and wondering how she was doing. It was winter, so maybe she’d be asleep–at least, Violet was hoping sheContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 12”

There were two times of year that it was easy for a fox to burn down a village, if it wanted to: first, midsummer, when all the bonfires were lit, though that was trickier because the men were out and about all night. The other time was the weeks leading up to Yule, or ChristmasContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 11”

Violet sat on the top rail of the horse paddock looking out across the snow toward where the men were working on laying the train track. They had the railbed laid to the outskirts of the village now—a tumble of sharp limestone on the black earth and then smaller cobble filling in the gaps. TheyContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 10”

The horse’s name was Clive, and Abigail knew him, so at twilight she swept down to the paddock where the horses were munching their timothy hay and grain and drinking out of the trough that Bertie had broken the ice off for them; he was a good boy, Abigail thought, and took good care ofContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day Nine”

“Oh, I beg your pardon. I didn’t know this burrow was occupied!” Eustace blinked in sleepy amazement at the long nose and ears in front of him. When he realized it was a dachshund, and furthermore, that this dachshund was not only not biting the scruff of his neck and dragging him out of theContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day Eight”

Abigail perched all that night in the ancient, craggy Scots Pine in the village square watching the dull light in Violet’s cottage window while Armand hunted and brought her food. The tree was beautiful, but sitting in it while Abigail gulped down her mice made Armand’s feathers stand on end as if lightning were inContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day Seven”

Armand hadn’t directly told Elsie any of what he had learned about the train from Hamish the bull, but she must have overheard him telling Abigail because when the owls awoke at sunset, the squirrel was gone from their nest, and Eustace the badger said he’d seen her heading across the open field toward theContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day Six”