Thoughts cascaded through my mind as I drifted in darkness. Who am I? Where am I? How did I get here? These questions and more formed at the forefront of my thoughts. As I attempted to gather my bearings a muted thump reached my ears as if from far off. Curiosity plagued my thoughts about this strange thumping sound. ‘What could it be?’ I pondered as I attempted to move my body. Unfortunately, my movements were sluggish and weak. Like trying to swim through gelatin. Unable to do anything besides think, I wondered back to my initial questions.

Who am I? I pondered this very question for unknowable amounts of time in my solace. Despite how hard I tried, not a single word came to me. Just faint images of a young man who I may have been. Where am I? ‘In darkness.’ I answered with mirth, unable to even see my hand that I held languidly in front of what I assumed to be my face. Total, complete darkness. None of my questions provided answers. Except for one, ‘How did I get here?’ Images flooded my mind at this question, like a glass overturned. However, my recollection was fragmented. But as I focused I could feel the fragments slip into place. I remembered entering a building, a building with people inside. Money changed hands as pleasantries were exchanged. Another and I sat at a desk to the side of the entrance to do…something. But it wasn’t before long that I felt the shadow of a man enter the building. His voice brought fear to the eyes of all inside. In his hands a metal object was held, raised towards the people at the front counter.

The sound of the weapon being fired sent people huddling to their knees, crying out in fear. One fell to the ground, red had begun to spread from his clothed chest. I remembered the same fear holding me as the man pointed his weapon towards another. Though I may have been afraid, some primal urge had made me move. Instinct demanded that I charge the man who shifted towards me. His eyes frantic as he pulled the trigger that sent bits of metal into my chest. But I had come too far, too fast. Even as I felt my strength leave me, a single purpose echoed in my mind, protect. With this single thought, I used my remaining strength and slammed into the man. The force of my rush sent him crashing to the ground with me atop him. His weapon clattered to the ground far away as he cursed beneath me.

I blinked weakly as I felt myself being pulled off the man as others moved to restrain him. Muffled voices entered my ears, as if from miles away. They sat me against a wall, snapping their fingers and patting my shoulder in an attempt to keep me awake. Their motions growing frantic as their frenzied words never reached my ears. I watched the world dim from eyes that didn’t feel like my own. In time, all light faded and I was bathed in total darkness. The same darkness I now found myself in. Soon after the recollection of my death faded a flood of memories swarmed me. I remembered everything.

My name was Allen and I was twenty-two years old when I died.

I briefly ran through my memories before I stopped in the middle of one. It was too depressing to remember all that had been taken from me. My family…my friends…everything. I then wondered how much time had passed since the events of my death, but decided that too didn’t matter. Time had no bearing in this place. And so I floated in the great blackness where an instant could be an eternity. But it was not to last. As my thoughts raced I felt myself being pushed in the darkness. I moved my head to see what was happening, only to see an opening of light far away. The feeling of being pushed came back once more as I slowly moved towards the light. Sounds of anguish soon haunted my ears and the final pieces clicked into place.

I was being born and it sounded horrifying.

Far worse than that birthing video that I was shown in health class a lifetime ago. It was as if the creators of said video left out some very important parts. Some very disturbing parts. In an effort to end this nightmare as soon as possible, I attempted to move myself towards the light. My efforts were rewarded with small amounts of progress, but every bit helps. Little by little, I was being born and I vowed to myself to do my best to repress this memory forever.

It wasn’t long until my head was free from my prison and I was able to look around and open my mouth. “Hello world!” I exclaimed which turned out to sound something like like ‘boo-boo ga-goo.’ Baby speak sure is interesting. Before I could contemplate another phrase, I was leaning towards ‘seize the means of production’ I was grabbed and eased the rest of the way out of my birth mother by a pair of hands that, while old-looking, moved with grace. In an instant my umbilical was cut and I was wrapped in warm blankets. Talk about service. Whoever they were was a pro.

With wandering eyes I took in my surroundings. The room was filled with light from old-style lanterns that hung upon wooden walls. Don’t these people know about fire hazards? I certainly wasn’t in a hospital, thats for sure. The room was adorned with a single window flanked by red curtains. Outside the window was a large garden, but further beyond the garden were multitudes of buildings silhouetted from a night sky.

“Yvette, ayeyt, mignan itn yu togen.” A serene voice reached my ears as the woman holding me spoke. Curious, I looked up to see an elderly, yet gentle face looking down at me. Eyes red as rubies stared into my own. Her hair short and gray. She blinked once and her once red eyes were now a deep brown. Curious.

“Neat trick.” I spoke, which unfortunately, came out as some more weird bubble-cooing.

“Breidda…sadda…” A female voice sounded from beside me. Her breaths heavy from exertion. “Wekken…ayeyt, sibi da togen…” She sighed as I was handed over to her. An exhausted sigh escaped her lips as I turned my head to see this person. I was greeted with a motherly smile. This new woman had kind brown eyes and perfectly straight black hair despite a slight sheen of sweat upon her face. Her face was angular, like a fox’s. The sound of footsteps drummed into my ears as a man walked into my view.

His hair short and black, eyes a piercing blue and a small triangular beard emphasized his sharp chin. But other than his sharp-looking chin and sharp eyes, he looked average. His clothes seemed tailored to fit him prim and proper. Though they looked very old fashioned. Everything about this man screamed aristocrat, someone who wielded power like it was second nature to them. His gaze seemed to be searching every inch of my face.

“Sup?” I asked, which became ‘Goo’.

He smirked and after a few moments the man nodded and retreated from my sight. “…Daen.” He said simply as the sound of a door opening reached my ears followed by it closing and his footsteps faded into the distance. I assumed that that man was my father, certainly a man of few words if these initial impressions were anything to go by.

Soon after the man left, the old woman, Breidda if I guessed correctly, exchanged the dirtied cloth beneath my mother, Yvette, with clean blankets. The two chattered about in their strange dialect that I had no way of deciphering for the time being. So there I sat, perfectly content in a bundle of warm blankets, cradled in my new mother’s arms and watched the two jabber on. All in all, it was pretty calm until the sound of rapid footsteps echoed from outside and the door burst open.

“Ahma!” A chorus of voices shouted as three well-dressed youths stormed the room, the eldest-looking of which held a bundle of blankets in his arms. The torrent of words seemed unceasing until my mother held me out for them to see. Breidda snorted in amusement at the sudden silence. The youngest of the crew, a short boy that looked to be about five years or so with shaggy light brown hair and wide blue eyes, was the first to hold me. Uncomfortably I might add. If I used an animal to describe his features, id say he looked like squirrel with his puffy cheeks.

“Ohh, wannli wa baelo.” The boy exclaimed as he handed me off to a girl wearing a blue dress. She also had light brown hair that reached her shoulders. Unlike the boy she took me from, her facial features were quite sharp, mostly her eyes that looked almost feline in a way.

“Sigda Jeral. Siwa ta bahn.” Unlike her brother, she was capable at holding me without causing me discomfort. If I had to guess, I’d say she was around six years old, potentially seven. With a giggle she started lightly rocking me back and forth while cooing at me. While I certainly appreciated the attention, I seriously didn’t want, nor need, these demeaning noises made at me. Unfortunately any displeased rebuttal I made at her simply encouraged her to babble more before switching me with the final boy’s bundle. Inside that bundle was another child, and based on the pink cloth I’d have to safely assume it was a girl. The eldest boy chuckled as he held me.

“Mytti, yiswi wa ahma.” He smiled as the girl holding the other child stuck out her tongue at him. Then he stared down at me as I stared back at him. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was a younger version of my father staring at me. Minus the beard of course. “Losh, thel lo Kelmon. As tol?” With the way he looked and acted, he had to be around eleven years old.

“Kelmon, ytta di lo.” My mother spoke. Kelmon nodded and then handed me to her. My oldest sister followed suit and handed the girl in the bundle of cloth to her as well. “Daen, yoska.” She said as she smiled at me before pointing at the the younger boy. “Jeral.” She stated as the boy waved with a grin. Her finger then moved to the older girl who curtsied. “Mytti.” She then continued to the eldest. “Kelmon.” At the mention of his name, Kelmon bowed lightly. And finally she pointed to the girl in the bundle. “Lakka.”

This language bugged me, it was like nothing I’d have ever heard before, and I’d heard them all. Thats what happens when you get bored and have google translate open. Still, these people didn’t seem so bad. This would be my new home, and these people, my new family.