it sounded like propellers , the sort that might be on a patrol ship , but wrong somehow . my father still did not believe until he started to see my mothers belly grow . it was a thin pad on the rough ground , and she could feel every root and rock ; still , it was better than sleeping on the ground , because it kept the chill away . i flipped the box over and read the directions , then opened the box and set the test on the sink . she was beginning to feel dizzy . 