"Special Delivery" is a science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 short story written by Damon Knight

Damon Knight

Damon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, critic and fan. His forte was short stories and he is widely acknowledged as having been a master of the genre.-Biography:...

. It first appeared in the April 1953 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction

Galaxy Science Fiction

Galaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...

and has been reprinted a number of times, in Operation Future (1955), Far Out

Far Out (book)

Far Out is a collection of 13 science fiction short stories by Damon Knight. The stories were originally published between 1949 and 1960 in Galaxy Magazine, If Science Fiction and other science fiction magazines...

(1961), and The Best of Damon Knight (1976).

Synopsis

Len and Moira Connington are expecting a baby; Len teaches high-school chemistry and hopes for a promotion. Moira begins to act strangely; it seems as if someone else, a child, is sometimes speaking through her mouth, and she develops aversions to alcohol and coffee. Eventually they realize that the unborn baby, Leo (who named himself for Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...

), is communicating with and through the mother. Leo's intellect develops quickly; soon he is demanding that Moira read German so that he can learn it. At a soiree with the school superintendent, Leo objects to Moira drinking tea, and causes her to spill it on the superintendent's wife's lap. Len's teaching contract is not renewed.

By his eighth month, Leo is requiring Moira to work her way through texts on biology, astrophysics, modern literature, etc. He decides he wants to write a novel; he dictates the first chapter - an historical novel, which Moira titles "The Virgin of Persepolis" - and Moira sends it to a publisher under a pen name. After two weeks the publisher sends a book contract and an advance for nine hundred dollars. Leo continues dictating, until several chapters are completed. Then he loses interest. Len asks the reason. Moira says

"He's got two. One is that he doesn't want to finish the book till he's certain he'll have complete control of the money it earns."

"Well," said Len, swallowing a lump of anger, "that makes a certain amount of sense. It's his book. If he wants guarantees..."

"You haven't heard the other one."

"All right, let's have it."

"He wants to teach us, so we'll never forget, who the boss is in this family."

Moira attempts to complete the novel on her own.

Finally Moira goes into labor. Leo realizes what is happening and objects, but in vain. He is born as a normal baby.

Background

About this story, Knight wrote

My sympathy in this story is divided, but goes mainly to the child - I'm sorry that the plot required him to be choked off.