More than four hundred years had passed. The world had changed. Technology had driven magic into hiding. People stopped believing in old superstitions and mocked prophecies. Time spun forward, unhinged, and the overworked, gray-skinned citizens of this new reality struggled desperately to keep up. Self-destruction became fashionable depression along with it.
In this chaotic world we all know so well, countless children were born—and just as many died. Some came into the world bearing terrifying marks. Others were born amid violent storms. Still others… But none of them mattered. The child foretold by the old witch let out her first cry in a perfectly ordinary hospital. The world didn’t stop. The skies didn’t roil . Wolves didn’t howl. Lightning didn’t strike a nearby tree. It was all painfully mundane. The father nearly fainted from joy when it was over. The mother silently swore never to go through that agony again. The doctor examined the child, followed standard procedures, and a few days later, the little girl was sleeping peacefully at home. Truthfully, the story grows dull here. The girl grew up healthy. She began speaking at the usual age, her first steps were recorded—along with her first fall. Her first word was “poop.” Then came the discovery of her talents. First, singing—which drove everyone to the brink, then, broader musical experimentation which led to open war with the neighbors, especially after her parents gifted her a children’s drum set. After music came dance, but that phase ended abruptly when her forehead collided with a doorframe mid-pirouette.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
At preschool, the girl thrived. She didn’t stand out, nor did she lag behind. She was well-liked, never caused much trouble, and preferred toy cars to dolls. She always cried when nap time ended. She hated the cafeteria food and panicked when her parents were late due to traffic. And when she talked to ghosts, she called them imaginary friends – a trick taught to her by an old man from the neighborhood. She’d like him. A shame he vanished into the light so soon.
