"Where am I? Why is it so warm and peaceful? Who am I?" I thought—my first thought in this new world of mine. But I did not know this, nor did I even know how I got here. All I knew was that I was somewhere strange.
Suddenly, I was hit by cold air and a flash of light. The sounds of cheering and strange words assaulted my ears. I tried to open my eyes. But the light was so bright and harsh that I could only squint. But even squinting didn't help me as much, for all I could see were several figures looking at me through strange masks that were blank white, only having two black holes where their eyes were. All wore a gray robe covering their entire body, only revealing that disturbing mask. Each spoke to one another, saying things I did not understand. They weren't speaking English or any language that I was at least familiar with.
As for me, well, I feel so small, weak, and uncomfortable. My shoulders, hands, eyes, and even feet felt awkward as if this wasn't my body in the first place.
I raised my hand, and my eyes widened. Instead of seeing my usual hand, I saw only a small hand that seemed undeveloped. It was so small and frail, like that of a baby.
"Am I a baby? Why am I a baby? Also, why is it so hard?" I thought. I looked to my side and saw a stone beneath me. I was on a hard gray stone. But why was I, now a baby, on hard gray stone in a place I don't even recognize? More importantly, who am I?
I tried to remember, but when I did, I felt a sudden, mind-splitting headache, followed by a buzzing and ringing in my ears. My vision blurred a bit, and this headache and ringing persisted. But I was slowly remembering.
I remember walking down a street, ordering a burger, and sitting down and waiting. Then, I felt cramped in a small space, followed by a warm feeling, and finally, here. I tried to remember harder, but came up short. There was nothing between me sitting down and being in a dark, cramped space I could remember. And each time I tried, the pain, buzzing, and ringing just kept increasing.
Suddenly, a loud banging noise rang through the room. I stopped thinking and looked around me. All the figures turned their head and looked behind me. I turned my small neck and peered from the corner of my eye.
Behind me was a woman whose face was pale and her body was sweating. She had dark brown hair and beautiful hazel eyes, though they seemed tired. Though I understood she was my mother, she still seemed… young. Yes, she did not seem even to be over twenty. Behind my mother was another figure wearing the same gray robe as the others, but its mask was different. Its design was the same as the others, with the only difference being hand-painted details around each eye. Like a hand was showing its palm, and at the center were the eyes looking at you. The dark, eyeless space stares at you.
The figure looked at me momentarily before raising his hands and shouting. The way he moved and sounded while shouting was like that of an announcer. He cried for all to hear, and cheers from hundreds rang throughout the entire room. The person walked to my mother's side. Their gaze lingered on her for a few moments as they then walked to me. I was suddenly picked up by this figure and raised into the air. The blinding light was gone, and I could finally see what was around me.
Before me stood rows of hundreds of people, all wearing gray robes and the same blank masks, though theirs weren't like the figures—they were just blank like the rest of the others. They all sat on long wooden pews that had white streaks on their surface. All of them were kneeling and seemingly praying loudly. The room we were in was a stone room, and its stones were cracked and dusty. It was as if no one had managed this room for years, yet more than a hundred people were kneeling and praying.
But there was no problem. There were no lightballs or even any candles here. So, where did the light come from? And why was it gone?
Suddenly, the top of my skull buzzed, as if something almost touched it and hovered over it. I instinctively looked up. What I saw made my eyes widen. It was a simple yellow roof window. But what was beyond it shocked me, for I saw not one, not two, but three balls of light hanging in the sky, all three shining down through that yellow glass and onto me.
Before I could process this, the figure holding me up shouted for everyone to hear. The figure cried, and every single person cheered out in joy. I looked down and watched as they all stood and raised their hands. They were all crying out, their hands open as they tried to grasp the air—no, as they tried to grasp the light.
I was then slowly put back onto the stone table that I was on before. The figure gently laid my head down as his gaze lingered on my mother. His voice was hushed so that no one could hear but the two. He stared at her and spoke a few words. I could see my mother's face change as he spoke. She seemed tired, became confused, shocked, and finally feared. She stared at me for a few moments before she lunged forward. Before she could even reach me, something cold splattered on my face.
I stared, my body shivering as I saw my mother's eyes widen. She stared at me, scared and sad. Her arms were still in motion as her fingers moved in small bursts. A dagger was plunged into her neck, and a hand was on her chest. My mother coughed red as the light in her eyes slowly dimmed before they became hollow.
The figure gently took the dagger out of my mother's throat as blood splattered onto me. Seeing this, the people went quiet at first before they cheered. They cheered at the sight of blood spraying. Cheering as my small body was sitting there, being painted red.