Pet crow

You'll probably not believe me, but this happens to me all the time. Someone walks up to me and asks me to take care of his/her pet crow. (I told you you would probably not believe me.)

Both of us look at each other quizzically for a short while, he not understanding why I seem so confused, me thoroughly annoyed that this has happened once again, as it does approximately every three weeks or so. Finally the stranger just walks away.

Sometimes this won't happen for quite a while, but just when I think it will never happen again, it does. I have long since abandoned the idea that this statement is to be taken literally; there is no pet crow. I've concluded, without any evidence, that the statement is some kind of code from which I am supposed to derive a message and then take some action. But what?

There seem, so far, to be no repercussions from not carrying out whatever "command" the statement represents. My only actions to date have been, well, nothing. Indeed, this is the first time I've spoken of this to anyone.

So why now? Last week I was uncharacteristically approached with the request three times, leading me to conclude that there must be some urgency building which depends on my understanding what I am to do and getting it done. And yet I remain as much in the dark as ever.