The crow follows the thin, pale woman through the winter night. It
swoops occasionally reminding her it is there. For the most part,
she has ignored it after the brutal act she just committed. Now, she
stops whistling as she enters the city park. She looks around. Of
course, at this hour it is deserted. She almost smiles at the
beautiful decorations for the season. Instead, she picks out a bench
and sits down. She turns her head to look at the black bird as it
lands idly beside her on the back of the bench. It stares at her
with those vacant eyes. She stares back for a moment with the same
vacancy until a defiant look comes into her eyes. She takes her bare
hand and raises it in front of the bird.

"I wouldn’t. You’ll only regret it. I promise you." The haunting
voice warns her.

"I regret a lot of things and I’m sure I will have more soon." She
answers as she touches her hand to the bench.

Her eyes roll up into her head as she sees a warm, fall day and her
mother. In the park, she sees herself walking and laughing with her
mother. She sees Erica reach out and push a lock of her hair out her
eyes. She can almost feel the warm touch of her hand. She sees them
sit together on this bench as they open their lunches. She sees
Erica look disdainfully at her hotdog and fries as she opens up a
salad.

"I don’t know how you can eat that, Bianca." Erica smiles, "It would
simply go to my hips."

"I know mom, but I don’t worry about it. I have to have junk food.
It’s imperative." Bianca giggles.

She watches as her mother dabs a napkin to the corner of her mouth.
Always the proper decorum at all times she remembers. She sees as
they walk away arm in arm happy.

Her eyes open wide as the memory fades but her heart begins to ache.
She looks around the park looking for what to touch next. She feels
the bird watching her. She stands abruptly striding over to another
bench. She puts both hands on it as she stands behind it.
Immediately, she goes rigid as another memory dominates her mind.

"Bianca, what shall we do tonight?" Maggie says pulling her coat
close around her.

"I don’t know. It’s almost Christmas…everywhere will be truly
crowded. I hate this time of year in public places sometimes."
Bianca puts her arm around Maggie trying to conserve their body heat.

"Oh…did Bean just tell me she hates Christmas time in public…not
Bianca the humanitarian." Maggie teases.

"Well, even Bianca the humanitarian has to be grumpy sometimes."
Bianca smiles.

"How `bout we just rent a movie then?" Maggie shivers against her
friend.

"Yeah, something funny….and some pizza." Bianca rubs Maggie’s arm.

"Sounds like a plan….now let’s hurry so you can warm me up…I mean…I
can get warm."

Bianca sees the happy smiles on their faces as the memory begins to
fade. She forces herself to let go of the bench as she slumps to the
cold ground shaking. The crow glides to the bench above her and
looks down on her.

"I told you. You don’t listen to me."

"I do when it matters." She reminds it.

"It all matters. All of it."

"You’re right. It all matters. All of it, everything that was
taken matters. Much to do." Bianca stands she leans over and then
flips back up her tangled, wet hair following.

Bianca starts walking out of the park. Automatically, her feet take
her the front way to Myrtle’s old boarding house. It might have
occurred to her to wonder about Myrtle before, but not now. It all
seems so meaningless except why she’s here, now. She stops and looks
at the old building. It doesn’t look like it should be empty. She
hears this voiced in her head.

"It hasn’t had people in it since." The bird supplies.

"Since?" comes the question.

"You know."

"Oh." Bianca realizes the night is young yet for her. She should
locate the others.

"Yes, much to do, but you distracted yourself. You should have
gotten information from the dead man."

"They are all dead…" she whispers.

"So much to do and so much to slow you down." The bird takes flight.

"Yes. Back to the scene…" Bianca turns following the bird back to
the boathouse.