New life

It's quite strange—I can feel my body, smell various scents, and see the world around me, yet everything appears overwhelmingly large. It seems I find myself confined within a wooden cage. Did they administer some sort of drug before bringing me here? That might explain the bizarre dream I had just moments ago. Perhaps it's best to sit quietly and survey my surroundings.

The room is mostly decorated in shades of brown and blue and is filled with unusual machinery that looks like something from a steampunk enthusiast's wildest fantasies. There's a large, circular window shaped like a cog, its intricate design sparkling faintly in the dim light. As I look around, I notice a peculiar charm floating above my head, also adorned with cogs. Wait... it's FLOATING! What kind of extraordinary technology is at play here? My curiosity gets the best of me, and I stretch my chubby hands to grab the floating cogs, but I'm startled to see that my hands resemble those of a baby.

In my eagerness to sit up and investigate further, I try to roll over, but my movements are clumsy. I manage to lean to one side, and what I see in the large ornate mirror astonishes me. A reflection stares back—an adorable baby of about two years old, with ash-blond hair and striking grayish eyes. It dawns on me that I've somehow transformed into this baby. Fantastic! Marvellous! It seems I now have to navigate life anew, potentially reliving all the schooling years I once completed.

Suddenly, a gentle voice pulls me from my thoughts. "Hubllie will navy rest," says a young woman with a warm smile and sparkling greyish eyes. She reaches down gracefully and lifts me from my wooden cage, cradling me in her arms. As time passes, she begins to breastfeed me—a situation I won't elaborate on, but I feel a mix of comfort and bewilderment.

Moments later, a tall man enters the room. His light beard and ash-coloured hair catch my attention as he steps into the soft light. "Ashameid findl erimv ginseb? Sivaa terin cinti finn," he remarks, and I realize he and the woman are speaking in a language I can't quite understand. They seem to be my new parents, even though I don't remember my previous ones. I'm sure I had a family at some point, but there's no use dwelling on that now. The man, whom I now see as my father, is dressed in a Victorian-era blue cape, clipped to a matching blue and black uniform adorned with various cogs. He looks like a character from a fantasy tale. Meanwhile, my mother is in a simple yet beautifully crafted brown gown, also embellished with twinkling cogs. This obsession with cogs puzzles me; I can only hope it isn't a trait I will inherit.

After a while, my mother gently places me back in the wooden cage and kisses me softly on the forehead. With a tender smile, she walks towards the door. As she claps her hands, the room magically darkens, and soothing music fills the air. The tranquil melody wraps around me like a warm blanket. This must be some kind of magic or remarkable device, like the floating cog. The music is so calming... I think I could easily drift off to sleep.

The next few days pass with a predictable rhythm: eat, sleep, and repeat. However, during this time, I learn more about my new environment. My mother's name is Elenna, my father's name is Murvin, and I am called North. I can't help but feel that my parents might not have been particularly creative with my name, yet strangely enough, I find that I quite like it.

As the days go by, I gather that my father spends much of his time away due to his work on ships. Elenna wears a proud expression whenever she speaks of him, often saying that when I am older, I will follow in his footsteps. She shares stories about how my father's family has been involved in this line of work for generations, and I can't help but feel curious about the adventures that await me in this new life.