The Scald Crow - Grace Daly

Aug 2, 2026

A lyrical, darkly comic narrative follows a protagonist on an unsettled “Day 1,” beginning with an eerie scald-black bird perched on the front porch and refusing to leave her thoughts. As she searches online for facts about crows, her uncertainty sharpens into self-reproach, then shifts into anger toward her body and the house that forces her return. The story turns toward childhood memories and Irish-themed household relics, blending pain, humor, and devotion into a tense, introspective start.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages226

Reading Time5 h 48 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

DAY 4

DAY 5

DAY 6

DAY 7

DAY 8

DAY 9

DAY 10

DAY 11

DAY 12

DAY 13

DAY WHATEVER

AUTHOR'S NOTE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Creature Publishing Charlottesville, VA [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) This is a work of Gction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used Gctitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Copyright © 2025 by Grace Daly All rights reserved. ISBN 9781951971397 LCCN 2025935122 Cover design by Luísa Dias with scald-crow illustration by Jaya Nicely Spine illustration by Rachel Kelli z􀂈|x􀂊􀂋􀂈|􀁿􀂆􀂈􀂈􀂆􀂈 .z􀂆􀂄 i @creaturepublishing [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Zis book is dedicated to: Claudia Dr. DeMeo Dr. Luthringshausen Lisa Paige Dr. Syed Dr. Noone Dr. Mahajan Dr. Chou Megan Sue Dr. Holm And every other healthcare provider who believed meand refused to give up on me. [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Contents DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY 4 DAY 5 DAY 6 DAY 7 DAY 8 DAY 9 DAY 10 DAY 11 DAY 12 DAY 13 DAY WHATEVER ’ AUTHOR S NOTE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) “I’m so proud of you. I love you just the way you are.” —Your mom, probably . . . Zat’s the sort of thing good mothers say, right? Don’t ask me. I wouldn’t know. [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Day 1 The bird is on her front porch. My front porch. How is the bird still alive this many years later? How long do birds live? I suppose di􀂁erent types of birds live di􀂁erent lengths of time. I know some parrots live longer than their owners and have to be written into wills to be left to grandchildren. Zis isn’t a parrot, though. Its feathers are ashy grey, apart from the head, wings, tail, and legs, which are a deep, scalded black. Black with a somewhat-blue sheen visible in the setting summer sun. Ze black also scorches from the large beak down its chin, choking out the lighter grey, overtaking it. It also seems to be wearing jaunty feathered pantaloons, which detract from the otherwise ominous e􀂁ect. I squint at it from the cracked asphalt driveway, through the windshield of my car. It cocks its head and returns my consideration with one globular eye. It looks like a crow to me, but maybe I just think all black birds are crows. Zere are other types of black birds, aren’t there? Clearly, I don’t know what I’m talking about. It does look like a crow, though. I grab my phone from the cup holder it was propped up in so I could see the directions and type “how long do crows live?” into the search bar. I know, I know. I could just type“crow lifespan,” but I like to phrase it as a question. It’s good to be polite. According to the World Wide Web, there are lots of di􀂁erent types of crows, which live di􀂁erent lengths of time. Of course there are. I try again. “What types of crows live in Chicagoland?” Ze internet helpfully provides me with an article about native Illinois wildlife, displaying a photo of the aptly named American Crow. Zat can’t be right, though; the American Crow is solid black, not mostly grey with a scorched stain threatening to devour it. Besides, the lifespan of the American Crow is only seven or eight years, and this bird has been following me since I was six years old. Since I became unlovable. Ze logical explanation is that the bird hasn’t been following me for two decades, that I have just happened to see di􀂁erent black birds very frequently and I am a crazy person who imagines a bird is following them. In my defense, I do acknowledge that the bird wasn’t following me when I lived in Wisconsin. Not that I never saw black birds in Wisconsin, of course. I’d seen my fair share of shiny purple-teal-black grackles bullying 􀂂nches away from the feeders 􀂂lled by the downstairs lady in my old apartment building. But I didn’t see this bird in Wisconsin. Ze one that follows me. I hate this bird. I scold myself, dropping my phone into my lap and taking o􀂁 my sunglasses to rub my eyes. Ze bird isn’t foll

FAQs

What happens at the start of the book on Day 1?

A scald-black bird appears on the protagonist’s front porch and seems tied to her personal history. She watches it, tries to identify it, and her search quickly spirals into deeper feelings.

Why does the protagonist keep searching for bird information?

She tries to distract herself from entering the house, using phone searches and questions about crows to avoid confronting her situation and mood.

How does the setting shift after she enters the childhood home?

Once she opens the front door, the scene and her attention shift to vivid reminders of her past, including Irish-themed items and religious imagery.

Aug 2, 2026

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