Chapter 1, Birth Day

“The greatest work of art created first by God and then by man, is the creation of life. The whole process is an amazing art in itself. The fact that it takes two artists, man and woman, each bringing their own parts of a pallet to create a work of art that not only has a piece of both artists but is also a living, breathing, ever-changing piece of art with an identity of it’s own.”  ~Bethany Jane Andrews Hoey

It was bitterly cold that morning. Everything in that ordinary town was covered in ice and snow. Only four sets of parents-to-be made it to the hospital that night… and one single mother-to-be. The doctors were worried that when the storm came, they all would be stuck with limited supplies, but it turned out all right.

The babies came one by one, as though on cue. The last child to be born was from the woman on her own. She arrived to the hospital by herself, in labor, but not at all in a panic. She carried no bags with her. She told the nurses she was from out of town.

The young woman had a strange effect on everyone she came across. The hospital and all of its inhabitants breathed more deeply around her, like she came with more oxygen. They gave her the best room they had. Everyone daunted over her, although she made no fuss. There was something about her, like she was born of royalty. The people in that old hospital in the middle of nowhere, acted accordingly.

In the next room, a girl child was born. Unknown to the parents, the child, for seemingly no reason, died within the hour. None of the doctors or nurses told the parents of their loss, instead, they waited. For what, they did not know. The new parents waited too–for their newborn child to be brought in to them. They were unreasonably patient.

The woman in the room next to them made no sounds as she pushed out her own child. As you know, most women in labor scream bloody murder, but this woman was calm, quiet, and meditative. She made an “Ohmmmmmm” sound that seemed to come from the depths of her womb, resonating through everything around it, making the walls fizz and the tiny hairs on people’s arms stand up on end. When the sound finished ringing through the air, her child slid out into the doctor’s hands, as though placed there and never pushed.

The doctor brought the child to the woman immediately, without doing his normal due diligence.  The woman looked at her child lovingly, as though she were the only creature on the planet. She spoke words to her that no one else in the room could hear and then she kissed the baby on her forehead. After this was done, she lay back on the birthing table and died. She did this without warning, gasp or sigh. She simply stopped living. The doctors stood breathless in front of the dead woman and became filled with emotion. They felt a tremendous amount of loss for the She they had known for only a few hours.

Then, all in the room turned their attention toward the child who did not cry when she left her mother’s body, but who began to wail, as they looked on.   All of the doctors and nurses who had all congregated in this tiny room were fixed on the child, eyes glued to her with awe.  In the place of her mother’s kiss, they saw a 5 point star, which looked as though it was drawn in blood.

Not believing their eyes, every hand was scurrying, passing the child around to wipe at the blood, but it did not go away, no matter who tried. Within moments, the star began to glow. The more the child wailed, the more the star glowed. It glowed so brightly, it filled the birthing room and then the hallways. Then the light from the child’s head filled the hospital itself. Everyone was blinded by the light and covered their faces to shield themselves from it.

Then, just as abruptly as the light began, it and the star were gone. Everything in the hospital went back to normal. The doctors remembered no such star on the child’s forehead and no such light taking over the hospital. The doctors simply handed the newborn to a young nurse who appeared mysteriously in the doorway.  The doctors also did not notice, nor remember the woman who had just given birth to the child. The woman’s body had disappeared into thin air.

The mysterious young nurse nodded at the doctors. Without speaking, she picked up the baby, cleaned her meticulously and took her to the room next door. She then placed the baby in the arms of the long waiting parents.

The new parents were over the moon with joy. Although they had practiced tons of names, looking at their daughter now, they just could not seem to find a name that would suit her. The young nurse suggested a short, but powerful name that she said meant “love”. The new parents agreed. The nurse wrote “Kai” on the newborn’s birth certificate. And it was done.

The Stellar Trilogy Prologue: Before and Before and Before…