picture sorce: https://pixabay.com/photos/family-kids-baby-newborn-together-457235/
The huge white stork may have looked tiny in the sky, but as it U-turned and flew a loopty-loop to land at the clouds I sat at, the wind from it alone blew me off my feet.
Thank goodness the ground was made of fluffy white clouds. I felt like I had landed on a puff of cotton candy, some of the clouds evaporating around me.
I turned back to grandma, who smiled at me encouragingly.
“Well, there’s your ride to Earth. You’d better head off now.” When Grandma waved at me, I felt painfully alienated. She wanted me to leave her and the safety of Heaven this bad?
Guess it was time for me to go. I turned and stared at the huge stork, the wind blowing through his huge, black-tipped feathers. I could tell his fully black intelligent eye was staring at me, waiting for me to board him and officially start my life on earth as a baby with my parents, meaning I had to leave Grandma-and Heaven- for life.
I turned back to grandma. “I don’t want to go,”
“I know, but you can’t stay up here forever. A whole life is waiting for you on earth. Plus, your Mom and Dad have patiently waited for you for nine months. Your Mom is going through horrible pain for you to be born, and you're going to keep her waiting?
Thanks Grandma. Now I felt sad, scared, and guilty of my mother’s pain!
“Can’t you come with me!?”
Grandma laughed. “I’ve already had my time on Earth, sugar. I’ve lived the joys of raising my son, now it’s time for him to have the joys of raising you.”
“You really think I’m a good kid?” I asked Grandma.
“I think you’re better. You’re an angel,” Grandma said back.
I ran to hug her.
I knew I would miss this place. I would miss the shiny golden sky, or the endless plains of soft clouds to step on, or the normal-sized storks who constantly flew around making their precious hilarious rapid-fire clucks that Leo had always said sounded like the firing of a machine gun.
Oh, how I missed my brother Leo too. But as my older brother, he had already been born, and was waiting for me on Earth too. I’d just have to face a fear and get my life started.
I let go of Grandma and I said, “Goodbye,”
She only smiled. “This isn’t really goodbye. I’ll always be with you, and watching you from here!
It took a lot not to burst into tears then. I slowly stepped onto the stork and got on all fours. It was shocking how incredibly soft and smooth his feathers were. They were softer than clouds!
I slid over to his skinny neck, and held on tight.
The huge stork clucked his departure, and then he flew off.
The soft breeze through my hair and the stork’s soft feathers made me want to sleep, so I did.
I knew all my memories of Heaven would slowly fade away when I became a baby, as an old person’s memories slipped as they got older. Soon I would forget all the books I’d read up here, then I forget talking to my brother Leo, then I’d forget Grandma’s smiling face, and then finally my brain would have a clean slate, to make memories with my family.
The family I had chosen in the first place.
When I finally woke up, the stork was gone and I had arrived, I was welcomed by the face of a doctor with a scary mask on and a hard white light.
Of course, the first thing I did in my life was cry. The doctor didn’t even have to slap me. I cried as high as my voice would let me, and as long as my breath didn’t give out. Toddler temper tantrums had nothing on me. I yelled as if I was realising a battle cry, my mouth stretching open to its max capacity and my voice box vibrating like I was mad.
“Awwwwww! Look how cute she is! I’ve always wanted a daughter!”
Then, a woman brang me in close to her, so I could feel the warmth from her body. I couldn’t believe it. I was just born… and I already had someone who adored me?
I stared into the woman's wide and caring eyes, she had only smiles for me.
I began to quiet down. I could practically see the love radiating out of the woman. My Mom.
She gasped. “Look Thomas! She’s smiling at me!” tears came to my Mom’s eyes.
Then, Thomas-Dad-came into view. He smiled at me too.
He said, “There’s something about her that reminds me of my mother.”
I couldn’t believe those words, as I had just been with his mother, like, three minutes ago. I tried to tell them so, but trying to talk with no teeth and no control over your own mouth doesn’t work so well. I tried to say “Granny’s right in the sky! Look up!” but it sounded more like a baby goat belt if it crossed with a lawnmower.
“Aw, so cute!” Mom said once again, and gave me a squeeze. “Come bring in Leo! He would love to see his new sister.”
And so Dad left.
Mom kept staring at me, though one eyebrow was lower than the other, as if she was thinking something out. “You’ve got the nerve to be born on August 23, huh? I’m thinking of naming you Virgo. What do ya’ think?”
I knew I couldn’t say anything, so I just focused on looking at Mom’s features. I had been watching her in Heaven for a while when she was younger, when I had first picked who my parents would be. She looked like how she did when she was younger, but slightly different, for now she dawned tiny brown moles like her mother, and she had tiny bags under her eyes. Her maple syrup brown eyes stared at me with a proud smile, as if I was the most perfect baby in the whole world.
“Yep. Virgo is your name. I like that name for you. Hopefully you’ll like it too.”
I do! I love my name! I tried to tell her telepathically.
Soon, I heard Dad come pack, but with the pitter-patter of tiny shoes against hard tile. Mom looked over to something beyond my vision with a smile. “Leo! Come look at your sister! She’s just been born!”
Soon I saw a huge shadow come over half of Mom, and a millisecond later I was face to face with a huge creature.
He had nearly black eyes as dad had, and a full puff of tiny black curls on his head. I recognized him from Heaven. This was Leo, my big brother! But in Heaven he had been way older than he looked now. It was funny to see him this small with a mouth full of square baby teeth.
“Hey sis!” he yelled. He reached a hand straight for my face.
I felt my tiny eyes widen as his hands got nearer.
“Calm down, Leo! And make sure to put on hand sanitizer before you just go touching your brand new sister's face!” Dad scolded.
“Okay, okay, jeez,” said Leo. after he had put on hand sanitizer he no longer reached out to touch me, he just stared at me.
“Me and the baby think Virgo is a nice name,” Mom told Dad.
“Another zodiac-inspired name? What is with you in those?” Dad asked mom, and as they began to conversate, Leo whispered something peculiar to me.
“Virgo… is that you? From… Heaven?” Leo asked.
I wanted to say Yes! It’s me! But I could only manage a weird hum that sounded more upsetting the longer I continued on.
“Is that a yes!? That’s you Virgo?”
I couldn’t nod my head, but I had to tell my brother he was right! We had seen each other before! We had been friends even. All in Heaven! We had seen Dad’s late Mom, she was our caregiver even! It was all true! But unlike in Heaven, where I could be nearly any age I wanted, I was stuck in this new tiny vessel, one where I couldn’t nod my own head, and I had no teeth to talk with. Wait, how did you say anything around here anyway!? Oh no, my memories were slipping! This was getting annoying! I felt tears come to my eyes, but I would not cry.
“Oh no, looks like Virgo’s getting a tad upset,” Mom said looking at me. Now my whole family was looking down at me.
I took a deep breath and tried to figure this out. “Leeeeeee,o” I vocalized.
Mom gasped. Dad’s eyes widened. Leo smiled. “It is you Virgo! I remember you…kind of.”
He must have been losing his Heaven memories as well. I’m surprised he hadn’t forgotten everything by now.
“What do you mean, you remember Virgo?” Mom asked.
“I remember seeing her before! In Heaven! She was bigger and she was always singing songs and reading books,” Leo explained.
Mom looked at Dad and smiled. I couldn’t tell if they believed him or not. I wanted them to believe him, for it was the truth, but I couldn’t control what they thought. All I could control was how I felt at this point, and I chose to feel happy.
My life had begun. I had a Mom, a Dad, and my brother Leo!
~ THE END ~
I've got NFT's!
Meet the Algo Green Girls! Love for the planet and all its inhabitants, big or small. There will only ever be 50 Algo Green Girls.
You can find them hereon Ab2.gallery!: https://ab2.gallery/address/VFJRN2LQ3F6I65YKQIMF6ULSYVF3B5HJRNLOQMTYTBNPJQNSYJANGFL6KU
Thanks for reading!
This is a lovely story, @restcity. Virgo experiences quite a journey on her day of birth.
Thank you for sharing your work in The Ink Well, and for reading and commenting on the work of other writers. We appreciate it!
What a fun take on the experience of coming into the world, via the fabled stork. Virgo has to leave her beloved grandmother in heaven, but on the plus side, she gets to meet the parents she has chosen, and reunite with her brother who also left heaven on the day he was born. It's a fresh perspective, and a well-told story!
Your content has been voted as a part of Encouragement program. Keep up the good work!
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This is quite an imagination and I love it. Virgo went through a thrilling journey from heaven to earth and is here to reunite with her sibling. She would love it on earth. Congratulations on your honorable mention.
Congratulations, @restcity
Your text has been chosen as one of the best of the week and has been published in Magazine #47.
Thank you for your good writing.