The crow recognized the cat, lying at the edge of the cornfield, through the flies wriggling on its lips and eyes. Tire marks and a collar with sparkling thread broke the tabby pattern of its wheaten pelt. Yesterday, the cat chased the crow from the corn and flounced after the farmer’s daughter.

The crows cawed as they swooped from the fencepost, flies scattering like thrown grain.

“Meal,” sang one.

“Full belly,” crooned another.

The crow plucked a shiny strand from the cat’s collar and flew off.

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Anna K. Pellerin is an LGBTQ+, neurodivergent writer from Saint Martinville, Louisiana. She holds bachelor’s degrees in creative writing and English from Spring Hill College. Her short story “Broken Wing” received the college’s Richard S. Lynch award in the 2021-2022 academic year. Currently, Anna is an MFA student at Wichita State University studying fiction. She is the Editor-in-Chief of her school’s magazines, Mikrokosmos and mojo. Her fiction can be found in Inscape Journal and Canyon Voices Literary Magazine.