As she experienced the moment of death, her being felt empty, much as it had during her thirteen years of life before the sudden collapse of her body from the lack of will to live.

Her consciousness, released from its suffocating loneliness, floated gently, not into open space, but into another realm altogether, among what resembled densely packed white and pinkish clouds. The sensation of flying and bouncing through the fluffy, soft texture was accompanied by an increasing sense of protected well-being. As she whooshed forward, she felt the presence of a multitude of creatures, felt the utter love of their bond with their parents, as if she herself were part of it. Gone was the weight of fear in a realm of scarcity, replaced by a seemingly infinite source of compassion.

Then, with increasing awareness of detail, she began to detect periodic spaces within the cloudlike texture, like tunnels, and knew intuitively that they were entry points into separate realms. She found that she could steer herself to some extent, and she began to feel that she was on her way home to the place of her choosing where she would at last belong and have a purpose for being.

Yet, with increasing speed in her flight, the element of control over her destination was steadily replaced by a gravitational pull. In rapid succession, she passed by countless potential realms, many of which had overwhelmed her with the sensation of love, making her desperate to return to them despite her forward progression.

Finally, her momentum carried her through one of the openings until she came to a halt and found herself awaking on a bed in what appeared to be a dimly lit room. Though highly disoriented, she felt an immediate sense of serenity, joy, and love. She felt the presence of others around her who welcomed her as the most precious thing in existence.

When her eyes finally opened, she saw a birdlike face looking down upon her. It gave an audible sigh of excitement, filled with detectable gratitude. The creature, something resembling an ostrich, could not contain his exuberance at the arrival of his first-born baby. With his beak open in a smile, he proudly circled the room and flapped his wings before returning to the side of the mother, who was tenderly clearing away pieces of eggshell. He communicated telepathically to the baby that nothing would ever harm her, that his life was hers.

She, retaining residual memories of her previous life as a human, experienced an involuntary revulsion.

No matter how they loved her, and no matter how deeply she wanted to love them, the thought of being raised by these creatures thoroughly disgusted her. The only solution she could think of and hope for was the dissolution of the part of her consciousness that retained its former identity. For now, she would do her best not to disappoint them, these gentle creatures who deserved better.

Fighting against her own instinct, she received their embrace and felt the utmost self hatred.