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a. Payal’s Mom disliked to bring meat into the house.

b. Why was the day memorable ?

c. Payal got the number from her friend and called the meat shop to ask them to deliver half a kilogram of minced meat to the house.

1. eat 

2. bring meat 

3. owls and their habits 

4. night birds 

5. garden 

6. beautiful pieces of pottery 

7. sleeping 

8. the cage was empty 

9. to read some book 

10. curio

Payal’s mom ordered the meat to feed the owl As Owlie was a baby, it didn’t know to eat. Mom decided to squish the meat until it was soft and forced the food into Owlie’s mouth. In a second, Owlie fell down on the floor of the cage She lay on her back with her feet up in the air. Payal and his Mom thought that they had killed the owl and started talking about burying the bird. Suddenly, Owlie opened one eye and got on to her feet. Payal learnt later that falling on her back and pretending to be dead was Owlie’s way of defending herself against danger. So that was Owlie’s first day at home

a. The two doors were never to be left open – not at night, not in the day. Every ‘ night, Payal would leave the cage door open and put a place of mincemeat on top of the cage.

b. The meat was placed on the top of the cage so that Owlie would fly out of the cage and leam to find her food.

c. Owlie was moved into the library.

a. Everyday Payal would peep into the library and find Owlie fast asleep on her perch inside the cage.

b. Today, the cage was empty and there was no sign of Owlie when Payal returned from School.

c. Payal and Mom shut the garden door and looked in every comer of the room. They searched behind the doors, on top of the tall bookshelves and in every nook and cranny.

• Payal’s house was a home for abandoned animals.
• One day they got a carton. 
• Payal’s mother opened the carton. 
• She found an owlet in one comer. 
• It was a small ball of brown and grey. 
• Payal’s mother picked her up gently

1. brown and grey 

2. vegetarian 

3. library

2, 1, 3, 5, 4 

2. She noticed a curio on a shelf that she had never noticed before. Hello? 

1. Where did this one come from, she wondered. 

3. Where did her mother get the owl from? 

5. She was about to pick it up when the curio opened one eye. 

4. It was Owlie pretending to be a curio! ‘Mom! ’ bawled Payal.

Payal and her mom are fond of birds and animals. Their house was a home to all kinds of abandoned animals, lost dogs, injured cats and lost baby birds. Though not a large house, Payal’s mom had a BIG heart. One day Shefali didi had brought a carton. Inside the carton, there was a small Owlet. Payal’s Mom picked it up carefully and placed her inside the cage. They named it Owlie.

They had to figure out a way to feed the owlet. As Owls eat rats, snakes and frogs, Payal’s mom was hesitant to bring meat inside the house. Finally, Mom ordered the meat and put the meat before Owlie. As Owlie was a baby, it didn’t know to eat. Mom decided to squish (smash) the meat until it was soft and shoved (forced) the food into Owlie’s mouth. In a second, Owlie fell down on the floor of the cage. They thought they had killed Owlie and started talking about burying Owlie. Suddenly, Owlie opened one eye and got onto her feet. That’s when Payal and her Mom learnt that it was Owlie’s way of defending danger.

Payal’s Mom started reading a lot about owls and their habits. Payal took the job of looking after Owlie. Once Owlie leamt to eat on its own, Payal loved it when she offered the meat on her hand and Owlie took the piece. Owls were night birds, so they slept all day and were active during the night. So Payal decided to let Owlie fly when she was bigger. To train her to fly, they had to keep Owlie in closed room. So they chose the library with two doors.

One door led to the rest of the house and another into the garden. Payal used to read all kinds of books in her favorite library room. The book shelves also displayed beautiful pieces of pottery, dolls and wooden and clay animals and birds from all around the world.

Once Owlie was moved to the library, it was decided by Mom and Payal not to leave the doors open. Every night, Payal left the cage door open and put a piece of meat on the cage. Owlie would fly out of the cage and find her food. Every morning, Payal used to close the cage door and find minced meats all over the room. So she thought Owlie was flying around in night and returning back to the cage in the morning to sleep. After some days, Payal left the cage door open as Owlie was sleeping during the day. But one day, when Payal returned, the cage was empty and the garden door was left open. Payal panicked and called for her Mom. Mom asked Payal to be calm and search for Owlie. They couldn’t find Owlie . Finally they decided that Owlie had gone and left the doors open.

Payal was very upset and was looking sadly at the cage . Mom advised Payal to read a book to cheer herself up. Payal started looking for a book to read. Suddenly she noticed a curio (unusual object) on the shelf. Payal was happy to find out that it was Owlie. Payal scolded the owl and put her back in her cage.

1. Payal to Mom

2. Owlie.

3. Mom to Payal.

Payal was upset after the Owlie left their house. She was sitting, gazing mournfully at the Owlie’s cage. Mom advised Payal to read a good book to cheer herself up. Payal started looking for a book to read. Suddenly, she noticed, a curio on the shelf. She was about to pick it up, when the curio opened an eye. It was Owlie pretending to be a curio. Payal was happy to find out that it,was Owlie. Payal scolded the owl not to give her a fright like that again and put her back in her cage.

One day, when Payal returned home, the cage was empty and the garden door was left open. Payal panicked and called for her mother. Payal’s mother ran into the room and searched for the owl. There was no sign of Owlie. Mom asked Payal to be calm and to search once again all over. They shut the garden door and looked ‘ in every comer of the room – Behind doors, on top of the tall book shelves and in every nook and cranny. They couldn’t find Owlie. Finally, they decided that the Owlie had gone and left the doors open. But Payal hoped secretly that Owlie would come in, if the doors were kept open.

It is a night long trek/walk along the beaches of Chennai between December to April. It is a breeding season of the Olive Ridley turtles. One has to volunteer with the students’conservation society and walk along the beaches, fishing hamlets looking out for turtle nests. The eggs are collected from these nests and kept at an artificial environment until the eggs hatch. After 21 days, the hatchlings are let back into the sea water safely. This is done in order to protect these eggs which otherwise have a very high threat of getting killed by many external factors. The volunteering is open to general public who is genuinely concerned about conserving this endangered reptile species

1. They thought that Owlie had died.

2. Owlie opened one eye and then the other

3. Owlie leamt the way of defending herself.

1.  Mom to Payal

2. Mom to Payal

3. Mom to Payal

4. Mom to Payal

5. Mom to Payal

6. Mom to Payal

7. Mom to Payal

8. Mom to Payal

9. Payal to Mom

10. The author

11. Payal to the ow

Payal was a kind hearted girl. She liked pets. She behaved with love and care.

Yes, Owlie was very happy to be with Payal. It did not leave the house. It adapted the home well.

5, 4, 2, 3,-1

5. Initially, Payal would shut the cage door every morning when she popped in to say hello to Owlie before going to school. 

4. She would always find Owlie on her perch inside the cage, though the cage door was still open. 

2. But Payal knew Owlie was flying because she found bits of meat all over the room. 

3. After some time, Payal stopped shutting the cage door even during the day. 

1. After all, people seldom went into that room all day, and Owlie was always asleep, so there seemed little point.

2, 5, 4, 1, 3

2. When Payal’s mother opened the carton, there was the smallest of owlets sitting in one comer, a small ball of brown and grey. 

5. Payal’s mother picked her up gently and placed her in her lap, talking to her just as she would to the dogs. 

4. She had never handled owls before, so she was very careful not to get pecked. 

1. When the owl got used to her, and seemed relaxed enough, Payal’s mother placed her inside a cage.

3. There were always empty cages in Payal’s house – just in case a bird dropped in!

a. Payal’s Mom discovered that the Owlie was a Spotted Owlet.

b. Owlie had a typical grey-brown coat, heavily spotted with white, the pale face, yellow eyes and a white neckband.

c. Payal cleaned the cage and filled the water bowl everyday.