A Curse of Competence

1

^^ Ephraim's Odyssey ^^

My first thoughts, after confirming the so-far unconfirmed and outlandish claims of a life after death, were of relief; of a release of tension, of the loss of burdens, of an afterlife full of relaxation and perhaps the occasional task to keep my mind from slipping into the long dark. A true retirement, of sorts, instead of the 'retirement' I had in my first life, where I continued to work as a consultant to my children as they ran my various businesses and my eldest who ran the Corporation I'd built from almost nothing. Even on my deathbed, my children and grandchildren had asked of me 'What should we do, Mother? Who should we trust after you?' I hadn't had the energy to be sarcastic back at them, unfortunately, so I'd been sincere for the first time in a while, and simply replied 'each other'; I hope they followed my advice... it would be nice to know that they did, but now I will never know.

"Have you finally calmed down a bit, Ilene? Mommy will be worried if you don't eat!" A busty blonde woman in her early twenties stared down at me worriedly as I was swaddled in her arms, her bare breast pressed against my cheek, and she poked my other cheek gently, petting me as I ceased my irritated fit; having opened my eyes again after death to find myself in between a massive pair of breasts, I'd first thought I'd gone to some perverted version of heaven, but now I realized instead what had happened: I was now a baby. Again. "John~nnn! Honey, are you sure she's alright? She won't eat at all!"

"Hold on, dear, it's perfectly normal for a child to not eat for a few hours after birth, give her a while... but I'll check that there's no fluid in her stomach, as that could be the source of her lack of appetite..." A well-groomed man with slightly red-tanned skin dressed in a navy blue coat sat himself next to us, placing a stethoscope against my chest and placing the other end in his ears; it was a very old-fashioned analogue medical instrument, something that'd been phased out in the mid-21st century, and I briefly wondered why the hell he was using it... and then I wondered where the hell the doctors were! Surely my own father hadn't delivered me in this oddly moving room? What type of room moved, anyway?!? "Hmm... she's a bit disoriented, but otherwise healthy, totally normal, my dear, I assure you. For now, rest. Doctor's Orders!" The stethoscope was removed as he kissed her sweetly and then pet my bald infant head with a tender hand, despite his rough skin.

"Yes, yes, Aye Aye, Captain, resting as ordered!" My young mother giggled at her husband's affections and leaned back into the pillows slowly, passing out almost instantly from the sheer effort of birth.

I noticed my body, still slightly sticky with amniotic fluid and blood, and glared at the captain grumpily, demanding to be washed clean. With my helpless vocal cords, all I could manage was a quiet groan of rage, but I managed to get his attention, it seemed, as he glanced at me in surprise. "Oh? What might be displeasing my little Princess so much, then? Papa will help as much as he can, but you must drink your mother's milk if you are hungry, yes?" My disappointed groan did nothing to further my goals, so instead I simply turned my head away from him and begrudgingly latched my mouth onto the swollen bosoms of the woman who had birthed me, ignoring his gentle praise as he mistakenly believed he had achieved some sort of victory in convincing me to drink her milk.

—

The chamber I was in swayed me to sleep every night for almost seven months, but I was not allowed outside during that time. Weather sounds were muffled due to the thick wooden construction of the building I was in, but loud winds and thunderous gales were sometimes audible even with that. Mother, -or Thimera, as Father called her,- stayed with me almost every moment of every day, with Father, -or Master Ephraim, as he was addressed by the armed men who sometimes arrived at the door and spoke to him in the middle of the night,- spending nights cuddled up to Mother with me in between them. Sometimes they would place me on the other side of the bed, swaddled in blankets, and I would respectfully ignore the sounds of their quiet and playful love-making, as they were a married couple and such things were perfectly normal; I only wished I had a basinet to lay in during the act, so I could be wholly removed from it. By Six Months, I was able to casually wander around the room, crawling and climbing all around. My favorite thing was to climb up onto my father's desk and attempt to read his letters, as they were an entirely new alphabet I didn't understand; this new challenge made me careless, however, and I forgot my father's presence, climbing up and attempting to read his letters while he was still in the room.