The Girl Who Drank the Moon

The flock of paper birds flies the madwoman to Xan’s homestead. The madwoman already knows what she will see: Xan’s workshop and tree home, Glerk’s swamp, an observatory, the garden, and a home for the goats and chickens. The madwoman knows that her vision is true and that her child, Luna, is there. Her own mother had visions of the baby boy she sacrificed to the Witch and saw events in his life as he grew. Similarly, the madwoman can envision what her own child looks like. Suddenly she doesn’t remember what she named her child, or even her own name, but she knows they exist.

The madwoman understands that the Sisters tried to drive her deeper into madness and sorrow. They were all “venom and slither and hiss” (249), whispering lies to make her doubt herself. They told her she never had a baby, that no one cared about or missed her. The madwoman knows that they were “only doing as they were told” (250).

At Xan’ house, the madwoman calls out to see if anyone is home, but everything is silent. She sees that the animals haven’t been cared for recently: The goats need milking, and the chickens are hungry.