I look pretty insignificant, don't I? Just looking at myself, I look like one of those cheap knock-off gem beads those 'nature lover' folks would wear. I wonder if I'm some emerald or maybe jade? Or some other kind of green crystal.

It's been over a day since I found myself here, a shard of green lying in the dirt, neglected and abandoned. Honestly, I feel my self-esteem drop every time I stare at myself for too long. There's... Nothing to do around here, and I'm getting stir-crazy.

Looking around is also an odd sensation. It's like all my senses are in overdrive, yet I'm entirely relaxed. I can see everything in my little bubble if I sort of zone out, or I can hyper-fixate on this one specific pebble with three different, distinct colorations on it despite being the size of a pea.

That's another thing; I can shift my perspective wherever and however I want, but the moment I try to look beyond my bubble, it's like looking through clouded glass. I can maybe make out vague shapes and colors but nothing else despite pressing my metaphorical face against the barrier.

The cave itself looks long abandoned, musty yet dank and stagnant. Don't even get me started on the air. It just feels gross… But with that in mind, how can I tell the air is terrible? It's not like I have lungs; I'm just a glorified pebble. Can I breathe? Do I need to breathe? Hmm…

Maybe... Maybe I should try breathing exercises, focus and relax instead of stressing about my uselessness.

Breathe in… Breathe out… Breathe in... Breathe out…

Hey... I... I think it's doing something. The air feels like it's shifting! It doesn't feel as gross anymore.

Breathe in… Breathe out… Breathe in... I could keep breathing in; it's not like I have lungs, right?

After a moment of consideration, I decided to do just that... Breathe in... Keep breathing in… Say... What is that? I... I feel better, more energetic even... Looking around, I can see that the haze making me feel gross is starting to dissipate. From the outside, some breeze is being sucked in; it feels... It feels so refreshing. I keep breathing it in, and it keeps filling me up. Honestly, I hadn't felt this good even when I was alive.

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I stopped focusing on my breathing, but even then, that gentle breeze continued to flow into my cave. The air doesn't feel gross or oppressive anymore. If anything, it feels pretty nice. Whatever I did, the air is coming in steadily now, and I don't mind it.

Two Days Later

So I've finished finding and counting all the pea-sized pebbles in my little corner of the cave… Out of them, 120 are a single color, 73 have two colors, and 36 have three colors. What a great use of my time. In other news, I think my pebble got slightly bigger. It's certainly not as dull looking as it was at first, and sometimes I think I see it glimmer or something. Now that I mention it, my bubble also got a little bigger, and there are pebbles I don't recognize near the edge. So I guess that's good news? I wonder how long it'll take till I get to see outside the cave.

I'm about to start counting the cracks on the left wall when some clattering catches my attention. Turning my gaze around, I spot movement at the mouth of the cave. For a few moments, I can feel a sense of panic traveling up my proverbial spine; this is the first sign of life since I got here. What's about to come into my bubble?

It's… Is it a cat? It looks more like one of those big game cats, but that's a cat of some kind. Gosh, the poor thing is both fat and emaciated... Is it... It's pregnant.

One Hour Later

So, it looks like my new guests aren't doing so well.. Momma cat looks remarkably like a puma, and if I'm not in Kansas anymore, that's bound to be some coincidence, at least.

And yeah, I said guests. Momma cat was pregnant, but not anymore. There are now four remarkably adorable cubs. However, one doesn't seem to be doing as well as the others. They aren't nursing yet and are incredibly sluggish. It's worrying me. I remember one of my friends would gently rub the back of young animals and blow in their faces to help stimulate them. As I don't have any hands, I can't exactly do much, but maybe I can get some fresh air for the cub.

I start taking slow, deep breaths before blowing gently on the cub. It takes a few minutes, and I don't feel my best after whatever I just did, but it seems actually to be doing something. The cub finally lets out some mewls and scoots closer to his mother, and begins to nurse like his siblings. Say... Is she looking right at me?

She is, isn't she? I wonder what caught her attention; I'm barely a pebble right now, after all. Did she see me glimmer? Regardless, she lays down her head and takes another deep breath before exhaling and... She doesn't breathe again... Suddenly I'm feeling even warmer; a rush of energy is coming over me... Am... Am I absorbing something from her? No way! You can't go yet! I'm not ready to be a father!

With a rush of panic and focus, I try pushing the warm feeling away, sure I feel great, but if it's from her, she can have it back!

It's rather draining, and I'm feeling even worse than moments earlier, but the Momma cat suddenly takes another breath! Phew, what a relief. Oh? She's looking at me again. I... I feel a sense of gratitude. Is... Is she communicating with me?