This is an old tale of love and the way things came to be * * *

      Back in the old days, when the world was changing, Coyote had magical powers.

      It was his job to put things in order. This is what the Old Ones believed.

      But Coyote was always

      getting into trouble.

      One night, as we were tucked in bed under a big blanket of dreams, I asked Mama to tell me a story from before I was born. Her eyes got a faraway look while she remembered the time before me.

      Just then, a band of coyotes Sang outside our window. Mama smiled and began to speak in a voice as soft and magical as the twinkly edges of a star.