Étude of Humanity

Chapter One

A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.
- Robert Greene

Names.

It's a human right to possess one so dearly—the first step in defining your character, literally. In fact, I have come to like reading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I especially love the first one in the list though, saying that we are all born free and equal.

For me, it's much more universal than it is declared just for us people.

I heard that if you possess something so dearly, you should put a name on it. If you don't want to lose it, you should draw a face on it. If you have a dream that you don't want to forget, you should note it the first minute after you wake up. You haven't heard all of that from me though, hehe.

Once upon a time, there was nothing in the universe. Paradoxically before the Big Bang, that meant it already had everything from the start. It wasn't just a black sight, it had everything. It's like compressing the entire Earth into one small cube and hanging it as some sort of keychain you'd hang in on your car's rear-view mirror—you'd drive the long way knowing everything's in your hands.

Then once upon a time, there's everything right in front of my eyes—in the universe.

It all began with a white flash.

Haha, that was anticlimactic, but even though my vision was pitch white, the imagery of my ears were enough to make life around me vivid and clear. I hear voices of people that range in different cries—a happy one, a blessed one, a distressed one. Hadn't I realized, the happy one was me, the blessed one was papa, and the distressed one was mama who she clinged me to her breasts—my mama who went through lots of energy and pain just to get me born to this unknown world.

I hear my crying at the beautiful sprout of life given by mother nature. If anything, the three voices I mentioned are its overall manifestation. I could probably use this to manifest a new religion, hmm... Oh well, that's too early for me to start sharing whatever creativity comes in my mind.

"Oh," mama finally spoke clearly albeit panting distressingly, "She's a lovely sweetheart. She's going to be a fine woman someday," my tired yet happy mama said as she caressed my face with her delicate fingers.

I later felt the gravity of getting from mama to papa's hands, carrying me, "What should we name her?" he said.

"Have you thought of something sweetheart?"

"I only thought of names for boys."

"You silly, haven't the ultrasound months ago already told us what our baby is going to be? What were you doing all this time?"

"Well..." I'd imagine papa would scratch his head out of his goofiness.

I hear both of them laugh at their own cute argument afterwards.

"Look—look honey, she slowly smiled at us!" my white vision turned somewhat grey, so I figured papa's finger pointed at me.

"Awh, she's cute!" her warm face neared to my cheeks, "Oh God, we're so blessed to have such a cute and lovely daughter. Dimwit Rey, I hadn't thought of a name for her yet."

"I know, honey! I think I got her name. What about merging both of our names together then?"

"Combining our names?"

"Yeah."

Mama mumbled their names, "Sayaka... Rey... Say... Sayre? Sayre Hisa? Mmm, that rhymes beautifully!"

Papa giggled, "Dimwit Sayaka, that's not how you pronounce it! You borrow it from your name, Sayaka—Say as in the planet Saturn."

"Sayre Hisa," mama said it right this time, "Wonderful."

"That should do it."

After that, warmth was all over me, so I figured I was hugged by both mama and papa. Mama whispered, "Welcome to the world, Sayre."

They do say names somewhat reflect who you are.

Anydazzles, that was a fragment of the first few minutes into my life. It's not like everyday you can hear about people remembering that vividly, so it's a luxurious blessing for me to remember. Just like the Big Bang however, all Sayre saw was white. Don't be a funny weirdo, let my eyes breathe and develop for a while! If anyone asks how my life began, it'd be for a treat—like the really beginning.

It would later get me to the point where Sayre can finally see. From a white canvas in my eyes, it painted to me a whole palette of colors, now able to see my beautiful mama and papa. It's hard to imagine that Sayre would just groan out sounds to them when I ask for food, sleep, or any basic necessity.

Mama, who I greatly inherited her traits, is like Eve from the Book of Genesis; beautiful as the eye can see with her pointy nose, emerald-teal eyes, fair skin, considerably tall, motherly young-looking. On the other hand, papa has messy dark teal hair and looks about just the cutest, hardworking businessman of a father I've ever had!

Blessed to see, from now on when Sayre could finally walk by myself, I'd always look at the mirror first thing in the morning. I admire the emerald-like teal eyes like an aquamarine crystal and the pointy little nose that I got from mama and the dark teal hair of papa (minus the messy trait... somewhat). They'd playfully debate that I got mama's cute looks. It was as if they merged the best of both worlds into a miraculous child they bear fruit.

They told me Sayre was a disciplined daughter from the start—that I never cried in front of them.

They said that Sayre is one perfect daughter for them.

But most admirably, it was the special daughter they had themselves—the daughter they have in their hands,

Sayre Hisa.

Especially my name, I'd hold onto it, as beautiful as when I first heard it from mama and papa's lips.