Things were somehow familiar to me. I was in a warm, dark place. I don't know why this felt too familiar to me, but it did. I knew that there was something I was supposed to know, but I can't really think of anything that I know. I am thinking... maybe that's all I am. A thinking thing.
I felt something again.
A thinking and a feeling Thing then. It took some time for me to work through it, but I decided that I was a thinking thing that happened to be able to feel things. I think that felt right to me... or maybe not. Something was missing.
Things began to move around me just now, and things were happening all around me. I was being squeezed and was moving what felt forward, but down. Everything was red, and it was cold. So very cold. Where was my warmth? What was this redness? Then, there was this... pressure in my chest, it hurt! Something entered me, and I began to make sounds from my front bits. I think this was crying. The word felt right, but I had nothing to connect it to. Everything was still red. I squeezed where the redness was and made louder sounds. I couldn't help myself.
Things were warm again, then cold, then soft, then warm once more. Finally, in the softness and the warmth, something pressed against my mouth. Yes, that was where the sound was coming out of, it was my mouth. I sucked. Sweet warmth filled me, and all was well in my world.
This was how things went. I would make a sound, and things would happen around me. It would get black, and then red again. Then back to black, then red. At some point, I could see all around me. Then I knew the world beyond red and black and noise. I could see the world around me, and I knew that I would never go back to the black and red world I knew.
When I opened my eyes, there were things that sort of suck in my line of sight. They didn't seem to be fixed in place the way that everything else was. They annoyed me, and I wished that they would go away. They did. As I began to hear everything around me, and things came to me with greater clarity over time, I started to realize that I could understand some of the sounds. People were talking.
Someone looked down at me. The one with the warm sweet stuff. I think it said it was mommy, and that I was Aroumara. They mostly called me Mara though.
Things started to make sense to me. I was Aroumara or Mara for short. I had a mother and a father. Every so often the floating things would return, and I somehow know what they meant, but I didn't care. I think things to see!
<<>>
I think that I am 6 months old now, about 200 light dark passes, called days I recently learned. Seems like something that I would have known before now, but there you have it. Every so often, the floating things in my vision will continue to appear. They show up when I do something for the first time. When I read for the first time, they were there. when I crawled and walked for the first time as well. I think there was something different about me. There was another baby born shortly after I, and it was not walking or reading or talking yet, but I was. My parents seemed to think that was good, and they showed me all kinds of things.
The other children that I would play with seemed to fall further and further behind me, so I started to play with the bigger kids too. Some of them were weird though and said they didn't want to play with a girl, that it was boys only. Boys are weird, being a boy or girl didn't matter. Stupid boys.
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I could not go out and play with the big kids the way that they could, having my mommy close by all the time, but it was fun to be around her too. She had all the books and scrolls, and some of the best games too!
Life was good.
<<>>
Life was not good! I was not allowed to drink that warm sweet stuff anymore! I have these weird hard things in my mouth now, and don't really know what to do with them. It's not my fault I'm not used to them! Sometimes I bite down on things... so what? I do not like the other things they gave me as much. Mushy and yucky!
**DING**
What was that??
There was... a flashing message in my line of sight this time. That's new... the messages never did that before. Ok, maybe ill actually have a look at this one.
Level one unlocked
Growth 0.5/24
essence 20/100 to next level of access
Right... Things were making less sense as they went now. I needed to work through this. Every time one of these messages appeared before, they were useless.
I thought about it. I hardly even noticed the mush that was shoveled into my mouth, too preoccupied with the mysterious happenings. Level one means nothing to me right now, so I'll have to shelve that for now. Growth through... well, I am six months old now, so I think that's my age in years. Wait... do I only have until 24 to live?!
**DING**
Another message appeared before me now
AH-HA... Still means little to me. Now I've got more questions. What are the limiters? Nothing... Was hoping to get a bone there. Guess not everything is going to be so simple then. I thought more on the matter. I think that essence is something that mommy talked about. She said that since I was born, her essence has not recovered. Perhaps I should ask them.
I opened my mouth to say something to mommy and got another heaping spoon of mush shoved in. I coughed and spat it out, not expecting the intrusion on my oral cavity. I glared at the woman, now fussing and reaching for a cloth. After wiping my face and the table, I finally had a moment to ask. "Mommy, wuss essess?"
"what's that dear? You want some more?" she said, smiling as she brought the spoon to my mouth again.
I tried to dodge and evade the confounded spoon, but failed and was forced to swallow the mush again. Curs this tiny mouth that didn't work right all the time!
I will have to search through the books and scrolls to find what I need. They never misunderstand what I say.
<<>>
Something is happening... people are going a little crazy today. Setting up for a party and doing all kinds of strange things. It would seem that there is a party happening today at some point. While this is not the first party that there has been in this past year, this is the first one for *me*! I don't know what to do or to say to this now. It's just too flattering! A birthday party I think Mommy was calling it. I was not going to say no to the celebration of me being here for a whole year!
As the night goes on, there is tasty food, none of that mush anymore, and games! I love the games! There needs to be more days like this! The best game is one where we all line-up, and throw a wet ball at a target, if you hit it, then you pick someone to duel. Then you each get 5 more wet balls, first to hit the other wins the duel! If neither of you hit, then no points are awarded. The first person to 10 points wins the round. At the end of each round, the people with the lowest scores, up to 5 of them, are kicked out. It keeps going until there is only one winner and a runner-up.
I was in the middle of the second round, and it was my turn to try to hit the target. It was about 2 meters away, not easy to reach with my little arms. I grab the ball, focus on the target, and throw. I scream as the ball leaves my hand, in all my one-year-old might! The ball lights up, and bursts through the target, exploding on contact... Shrapnel and debris fly all about, and pelt people hard enough to become splinters, or cause little cuts. I stare in shock at my hand, and then at the remains of the target. My hand starts to hurt and pulses with a strange light that I've never seen before.
My mother runs over to me and demands to see me. I can tell that she is asking something, but I am not able to focus right now. I can't even hear her properly. She picks me up, the world dims, and I fall asleep.
**DING**
**DING**
**DING**