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The Old Crow

 Once upon a time there was a crow who knelt down in the middle of the road attempting to salvage the final bits of final remains. She was hungry, thirsty, weary. Perpetually, she would arrive at the end of a feast, with little to offer her craving belly.

    It was a struggle, she would admit, to keep up with the roost. She was last to arrive in the evening, but also first to try and leave in the morning. Her wings, however, had a tendency to seize; instead of battling to reach carrion, she battled her stiff wings. And so the day continued, the same form as all the other days.

    Until the day when she saw a small crow.

    The little crow must have been the smallest in all the nests that season. Her wings were no more than fluff, yet she had been pushed from her nest already. She had nothing to eat, and would, of course, die soon. Or worse, spend her whole life flying last.

    The old crow laid down. She felt the heat of the road, warmed by the sun. She thought of the trees. Of meals eaten. She thought of the little bird, smiled, and died.

    The little bird ate the crow.

    But that was as it should be. 

Three Thoughts on Power

 Once upon a time a man, flooded with power, did everything he could to keep it.      And so the world exploded. Once upon a time a woman, flooded with power, changed her mind and tossed it aside.      And so the world burned. Once upon a time a girl, flooded with power, let it fall slowly through her hands, like water over delicate seeds.      And so the world remained.
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Well-Mothered

 Once upon a time there were two young women who entered into an enchanted wood.     Upon their arrival, a fairy approached. She offered them all that their hearts could ever desire in exchange for a mere moment - it would feel like a moment - of their time.      'No thanks,' they said, and walked on.     Then  they came to a cave, in which a dragon lay sleeping deeply atop a hoard of gold. It slept on all kinds of objects, from the smallest golden tea cup to the largest necklace, much of it encrusted with the finest gemstones. The women continued on their way, and let the dragon sleep.      Lastly, they came to a witch's cottage. They knocked on the door and offered the witch their help in harvesting her ready supply of herbs. In exchange, she gave them a cup of very fine tea.      Is it needless to say that their mother slept well that night when the young women returned and told her their story? Possibly. But ...
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The Witch's Power

 There was once a witch whose magic took the shape of power.       It could make queens and kings, form tempests, level mountains.      And so, the witch put it away.      Who knows if the world was better for it or not.      But when she died, she did not regret having done it. 
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If Women Captained Ships in the Nineteenth Century...

 On a fresh summer's day, a ship set sail from shore. It was an average ship, with only a crew, sailing to discover unknowns, as ships are wont to do. The crew had hopes that the ship would get them all the way around the world. And so, it was unfortunate that several days into their journey, they were set upon by pirates.       The pirates held up the crew, in their usual pirate way.      But the crew did something, then, that was most unusual. When the pirates had nearly all boarded the ship, holding the crew at sword point, the crew, as one, jumped overboard, and landed on the back of a sea monster.      The sea monster proceeded to crush the ship with its giant tail.      The sea monster, ever so gently and ever so kindly, placed the crew onto the pirate vessel. The crew tossed the remaining pirates overboard. They saluted the sea monster. Then, they set sail.     As the pirates tread water, they tried n...
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