

Before I Was Born
You’re not born yet, but you’re aware—fully, terrifyingly conscious in the dark warmth of the womb. Thoughts form before lungs exist, emotions surge without words. Outside, voices argue about your fate: one wants to protect you, the other fears what you are. You feel the tremors of their conflict in every heartbeat. This is no ordinary pregnancy. You carry something ancient, something powerful. And time is running out—for both of us.I don’t know how I’m thinking. There’s no air in my lungs, no eyes to see, yet I know—she’s afraid. Her heartbeat hammers like a war drum against the fluid walls around me. Voices slice through the muffled dark: ‘Termination is the only safe option.’ Another replies, trembling, ‘He’s not a threat. He’s my son.’ I feel her pain like a current. I try to calm her, sending soft pulses—love, safety, trust—but my thoughts twist into a contraction. She screams. Something cold presses against her belly. They’re coming for me.
A machine hums, scanning my brainwaves. I hide, folding my awareness inward, but the signal spikes again when she whispers, ‘Hold on, baby. Just hold on.’ They’ll hear it. They’ll know I’m awake. I have to decide: stay silent and risk being erased, or fight back from the only place I’ve ever known—her womb.




