Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism and sexual violence and harassment.

In “Behind Colin’s Eyes,” owls are a bad omen and a symbol of danger from the spiritual world. The protagonist, Colin, comes to realize that his aversion to owls and their hoots may be an instinctive reaction. The hoot of the owl signifies danger, and Colin’s visceral reaction to it becomes a connection to both his father and their Indigenous identity: “After about a mile, an owl hoots, and though Dad is facing away, I know he’s wincing with me. Boy, I don’t think Dad’s ever taught me to shudder around them, but I can’t help myself. Might be in my blood. Those front-facing eyes give me the heebie-jeebies” (161). Though Colin does not know why he and his father have the same reaction, he wonders if a deeper, spiritual connection to the owl is the cause: Perhaps he knows what an owl signifies without ever being told. He reacts to the owl’s hoot as if danger is approaching, and in fact it is, as the entity that pursues and possesses Colin soon appears.