Chapter 2 - Something New
My vision was blurred as I tried to open my eyes. They really weren't cooperating. I also felt like I was wet all over... and naked. I completely emptied that tub of ice cream... even if it spilled, I shouldn't feel this gross.
Suddenly I was being lifted and I heard voices saying strange things I couldn't understand. On the middle of my back was an enormous hand, I tried to struggle free, but my arms and legs would not cooperate any more than my eyelids. I tried shouting, but no words came out. Instead I heard a baby grunting.
'What a strange dream' I thought to myself. 'I've heard of the dreams where you wake up in the dream, but you aren't really awake, but this is ridiculous!'
Suddenly, a second enormous hand grabbed my legs and lifted me upside-down. Stars appeared behind my still uncompromising eyelids as pain spread from a giant impact with my backside. It wasn't a dream.
After I was dried off, a warm cloth was soon wrapped around me while I heard a concerned sounding man's voice and the sound of a tired woman's cooing.
It occurred to me then as I peered through my finally barely-opened eyes that I was just born and these arms wrapped around me belonged to the mother of the body I now posessed.
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In deciding to become accustomed to the situation, I found that being a baby again was great.
Whenever I got hungry, I had a big pair of breasts shoved in my face. Granted, I had little control over my bladder and poop naturally had to come out at some point since my legs still hadn't developed enough to walk to the toilet – not to mention that I was too short to reach any doorknobs in the first place.
I started to notice the people in the house after a few days of happily filling my diapers with poop and my stomach with the milk from my mother's wonderful breasts.
A tall spindly man often held me and said things in his strange language with a serious but caring face. I assumed that this man was my father. Probably saying things like 'You'll be great someday' or 'I'm jealous that you get to have so much time with mommy's breasts', but that's just my imagination.
I often caught glances of another person looking at me. A child in comparison to the towering father, he might be an older brother. The weeks passed by while my muscles developed and I was carried around almost continuously when I was awake. When I could finally get my little hands to point, I started to point at everything, hoping that I could start learning this strange language. It worked for the most part and after about a year, I was understanding most conversations and even using a few words and managing to walk about. I figured out that I was named Phelix, I didn't really like the name too much.
The house was strange by the standards of my old life. There was a lot of bare wood in its construction and a the openings to the outside were drafty. I could tell, though that the craftsmanship was actually pretty good and the house was bigger than the home I had in my previous life. Maybe I was some kind of noble or rich person in a world with little technology, or maybe this world had higher technology and my family was somewhat poor with a large and old inherited house.
Brother was named Azel, it made me feel better about the name Phelix. Father's name was Uthyr, and mother was Noemi. I ended up showing a lot of talent by picking up walking and talking so quickly, and I often saw Azel scowl when mother and father praised me. I decided it would be better to be quiet around Azel.
After about two years, I was exploring the house alone. I pushed a stool up to a window on the second floor. The appearance of the outside confirmed that my family was indeed somewhat wealthy. Small farms could be seen in the distance and an old man was pulling a large wheelbarrow full of straw down the dirt path. Our house had a well manicured garden and a short fence covered in ivy. Further down the road, some thatch roofed shanties could be seen with laundry hanging out to dry.
The window had a simple latch to keep it closed, so I moved it in order to open the window. As I pushed it open, I heard clumsy footsteps running up behind me. I kept my hand on the window as I turned to see what was happening, but I didn't see what was behind me. Instead I saw the outside of the house and the sky above it.
I was pushed.
When I came to, I didn't feel any pain. 'Am I dead?' I wondered. I wasn't floating in the sky seeing a lifeless version of myself that wasn't supposed to die, and I didn't see any sexy technicolor haired grim reapers in pink kimono's either. I was a little disappointed if I was dead, but this child's body was hardly adequate to play spirit detective with.
What I did see was Azel turned over father's knee, getting the life beat out of his behind and mother's teary eyes closed with her hands folded in prayer.
“Mommy?” I said while honestly confused.
“Oh, thank the goddess!” she cried as her eyes opened and she hugged me with all her might.
'Goddess?' I wondered. 'Is there such a religion in this world that can raise the dead? This small body should not have been able to survive that fall – I even landed on my head, so that has to be it. When I go out on my own, will I have to stop by churches frequently to register a save point?'
“What happened?” I asked.
“Uthyr! The goddess has blessed us again! Phelix is alright!”
Father looked up and stopped paddling Azel's behind which was looking quite bruised at this point.
Azel was placed on the ground with tears streaming down his face and then father knelt down in prayer.
This whole ordeal was rather confusing, and I didn't get an answer to my question. Mother and father stayed kneeling for what seemed to be another hour. Even Azel sobbed quietly into the floor with his purple-colored butt exposed. It felt inappropriate to make any noise, so instead of getting up, I just closed my eyes and slept.
