9 is a Secret (2002)

Renwick reflects on a difficult period when a friend was dying and she began noticing crows. These dark birds lead her to the practice of counting them, a game and a form of fortune-telling where the number of crows predicts future events. Eight crows mean death, nine signify a secret. Renwick weaves these observations with evocative images – a bed, crow silhouettes, a man’s distorted form – creating a poetic and deeply affecting essay that unfolds through layers of imagery rather than a straightforward story.