Nine months ago an embryo moved into a suburb called Uterus, in the mother city, called Mother. The embryo disliked his new home, which was cramped, dark and damp.
He felt claustrophobic, as he was surrounded by a strange membrane, called an amnion. This amnion acted as the local protector, protecting the new-comer against desiccation, shock and variation in temperature. Even though he did not have a mirror, he was well aware of the fact that he looked like a tiny tadpole and was smaller than a grain of rice.
Seven weeks after his arrival, the embryo got a little worried. Strange things were happening to him. His face, nose, mouth, tongue and eyes were forming. In the ninth week he had graduated to being called a foetus (‘little one’). This did nothing to boost his self-esteem; on the contrary, it reminded him how small he was…
A very queer rhythm came from within him. His heart was beating like an African drum! After his external genitalia were formed, he shyly learned that he was indeed a boy. Lanugo, which is fine body hair, grew on him and he wondered what he really was... a human or a hairy animal. Finally he got fingerprints and toeprints, making him very unique. All of the sudden the unborn baby started hearing things. At first he thought he was crazy. He recognized sounds of people laughing, crying and talking from afar. They were talking about him! He inferred that he had a name, Ryan, and that he was destined to be with them in four months. He stayed awake late at night, trying to figure out what all this meant… In his frustration, he kicked and did somersaults.
Almost nine months after his arrival in Uterus, the unborn baby knew that it was time to leave his old life behind. He turned into a head-down position and went towards the light at the end of the tunnel, leading to Rome and his new family that awaited him. There he would not just be another embryo, but a healthy, unique newborn baby called Ryan.
(354 Words)
|
Print this short story
Show the next latest work
