St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves

The first story in the collection involves two sisters, Ava and Osceola “Ossie” Bigtree, who live with their father at Swamplandia!, “the island’s #1 Gator Theme Park and Swamp Café” (6). The story, narrated by younger sister Ava, begins with the girls staying at their Grandpa Sawtooth’s house while their father, Chief Bigtree, is away on the Mainland.

There is a storm, which Ava uses as an opportunity to speak to her sister because Ossie “has entire kingdoms inside of her, and some of them are only accessible at certain seasons, in certain kinds of weather. One such melting occurs in summer rain, at midnight” (4). Ava checks to make sure they are alone—referencing the fact that Ossie goes through spiritual possessions which she calls her boyfriends. One of these is Luscious, but Ossie claims that she is “dating” someone else now. She becomes possessed, which Ava knows “because I can see my sister disappearing, can feel the body next to me emptying of Ossie, and leaving me alone in the room” (5).

While Ossie is primarily concerned with her boyfriends and interpreting every gust of wind as a message from one of them, Ava takes most of the responsibility for the upkeep of Swamplandia! She is jealous of the way their father calls Ossie special and exempts her from chores.