Who sits unseen watching over us in the shadowy branches of the forest of life? Perhaps nothing stirs the human soul more deeply than to be caught in the spell of a screech owl’s timeless trill. . .In Japan, the screech owl is known as a yōkai, a class of magical creature with paranormal powers known as iso sange kanji (“the deity who bestows success in hunting”). In Puerto Rico, the screech owl is known as múcaro (“eagle of the night”). This feathered and fabled creature shows up time and time again in folktales when the enchanted and the earthly are interwoven in an ineffable cosmic dance, begging the question: What is sacred? What needs to be remembered?