In The Beginning
A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…..
Wait, that wasn’t right, let’s try that again…..
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth….
Nope, that’s not right either…..
The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legends fade to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again…
Better, but that’s still not quit the right beginning to my story, let’s try this one last time.
Sweat pouring from every poor, hair plastered to her forehead; she strained with the effort, trying to hold back the tears, yet fully aware of the pain, the tearing of flesh, the pulling of muscles, the aching joints, the spilling of bodily fluids. She knew it was normal; she had done this 3 times before. This was no different. But it was still a very unpleasant experience.
Not for the first time she tried to figure out how she got into this situation. She knew the how of it, but not the why. She was told very clearly that this could never happen again. That it just was not possible. But here she was, tired, sore, and very eager for the whole thing to be over with.
Suddenly the pain spiked to a sharp crescendo, and a very loud silence filled the stark, sterile room. The silence seamed to last forever, her heart pounding in her ears the only sound in the tiny space. Then, SMACK! Followed by the most beautiful sound she had heard in sometime, a baby crying.
Things happened very fast after that. The doctors and nurses moved quickly, cleaning the baby and removing the residue from the birth. Checking the little human for imperfections, weighting it, and measuring it; and taking it’s temperature. Doing all the little things that need doing whenever a new baby is born. Finally after what seamed and eternity to the woman lying in the bed they laid me in her arms.
She looked down at the small child and the look on her face was a conglomeration of love, joy, exhaustion, and fear. Fear because there was something not quite right about her new baby boy. Sure, he felt right, he had 10, fingers, 10 toes, 2 eyes, and a pink little nose. He weighed 8lbs, 9 oz, and was 19 ½ inches long. But there was something wrong, and she didn’t know what to think.