Summary

In Chapter 1, Tiny has a dream of “making tender love with an owl” (3). In the morning, she has “talon marks” on her body (3). Two weeks later, she is pregnant with an owl-baby. Tiny tells owl-baby her “owlness is with [her] from the beginning” (3).

Sitting in their messy “Sacramento home,” Tiny tells her husband she is pregnant (4). He hugs her and swirls her around. Although she says she is unsure she wants the baby, her husband “isn’t listening” (5). Her mind spins. He says everything will be fine. Tiny feels “cherished and protected” (5).

Tiny and her husband have sex. He falls asleep, leaving her “alone and wide awake” (6). She thinks about the pregnancy, her owl-lover, her music, and her life (6). She is a professional cellist and is unsure the owl-baby will let her work. She feels the owl-baby object. She wants to ask for help...