| Fantasy Fiction posted August 17, 2020 | Chapters: |
Prologue -1- 2... 
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A fresh start
A chapter in the book Another Life
Awakening
by lancellot
| Background Isekai: US Captain Derrick Williams, died in combat in the year 2020 in Afghanistan. He is reborn as Paul Escamilla in a new world. |
Derrick’s next memory was of darkness. Not the dark of night when there is no moon and only a sprinkling of stars or that of a child’s bedroom with only a creepy sliver of light seeping under the door. No, this was an inky indigo black, like charcoal on your hands. Better yet, that all-consuming ebony where your heart races and bile surges up and burns your throat because you fear you woke up blind.
Wherever Derrick was, it was warm and a bit cramped. He could feel his body, but it was…different. Derrick flexed his hands, arms, and legs; something was wrong. The feeling led to a rapid increase in his heartbeat, which he could somehow hear. He tried to speak, but no sound came from his lips. Dear God, I’m blind, and I can’t talk.
Derrick wanted to check his mouth; his arms and hands felt sluggish and stiff. He had to concentrate on moving them, but eventually, they obeyed. His hands roving over his face and head led to his next shock.
My hair is gone. The baldness didn’t upset Derrick too much, as he lost his hair in college. When Derrick finally entered basic training, all he had was something shameful and sickly clinging to his scalp for dear life. It took the barber less than thirty seconds to redeem his dignity. It took another thirty seconds for Derrick to accept his genetic fate.
His quick acceptance of a changing reality led to Derrick’s rapid rise through the ranks. Derrick drew on that trait as he calmed himself and took stock of his current circumstances. He noted his arms were short and didn’t extend much farther than his head. He heard a distinct swooshing sound when moving, and his fingers rubbed against a smooth bag-like material. He was either in a body bag filled with water or-.
Now, you may have figured out where and what Derrick was, and in truth, the thought had occurred to him as well, but to go from a 32-year-old Army Ranger to a preemie in an instant wasn’t something even Derrick could easily accept. Still, in doubt, Derrick forced his hands to his belly, and 10-4; there was a cord connected to him. Shit! A wave of adrenaline surged through his little body. How could this happen? Did I die? Why am I awake? What’s going on? Derrick began to lash out with his tiny legs at the sheer injustice and insanity of it all.
Derrick had been reincarnated, and he wasn’t even religious. He had been in his prime; young and handsome with a respectable family, educated, a beautiful girlfriend, and a decent-sized… dear God. He reached down as far as his stubby arms would go, bumped into his cord. That hurt, but he was on a mission. Dear Lord, let it be there. He had to bend over and tuck his legs a bit, but finally, he reached it. If he weren’t breathing water, he would have sighed in relief. It was small, but so was he. Regardless, his dick had made the trip with him. Derrick was still a man or baby boy. Then, suddenly, he heard the soft unmistakable sound of a woman singing. Derrick didn’t know if it was her voice, the song, or his exertions or something in the water, but he was drifting off to sleep, and he couldn’t stop it.
It turned out he did a lot of sleeping. He intended to stay awake and plan his escape. Yes, that sounded silly in his mind too, but he got bored with nothing to do. Plus, it was difficult to measure time with all the naps, nothing to see, limited mobility, and near lack of outside stimulus, besides muffled sounds. In the end, he tossed his escape plans and settled down; after all, he didn’t want to be born undeveloped.
It would be tedious to describe what Derrick did while in prison. But, that is how he viewed his circumstances. The day he was born was the happiest of his new life.
~
Derrick was ‘re-born’ to two smiling, medieval-looking parents. Derrick soon learned the lady was a seamstress, and the man was a soldier with the city watch. The lady’s name was Rosetta Escamilla, and Dominic Rubio Escamilla was the man. Derrick was immediately re-named Paul Escamilla.
Derrick, rather, Paul did not complain. Well, that’s not exactly right. He could not speak or couldn’t for a few weeks after birth; apparently, it takes a while to strengthen never used vocal cords. He did it when the man and lady were around and for good reasons when he could talk.
What were they? Well, the first, they were primitive-looking, simple folk, and he didn’t want them thinking he was a demon-possessed baby. He thought they would toss him out or burn him alive. Next, they spoke a language he had never heard before. In his old life, then Derrick never made it past Spanish 1 in high school. Not that he remembered anything, most American kids take a semester of foreign language in high school and quickly forget everything after the last test. But what these two people spoke wasn’t close to Spanish, English, or Farsi.
Now Paul didn’t have an issue with being in a foreign country, but he wasn’t prepared for the world outside his new home. So when Rosetta finally carried her baby boy into the sunshine, it was the sight of what seemed to be giant, but completely tame, lizards pulling carts down cobblestone roads that let him know he wasn’t on planet Earth. Well, that and the moonless nights.
Despite the wonders before his eyes, Paul’s thoughts often drifted home. Seeing his new mother smile as she cooked dumplings made him remember his ‘real’ mother back home. He imagined her getting a knock on her door and then opening it to a blank-faced Army lieutenant, making his sixth “I’m sorry for your loss” speech that day. There would be no hero’s welcome, no wedding dance with mom, and sadly, no grandchildren for her to spoil.
Derrick, now Paul, tried not to think of his old family, friends, or life, but the more of this new world’s differences he saw, the more he missed not sharing the wonders with his loved ones. That was an annoyance for him. A broken record, he could not stop. Life in a fantasy world was nothing like the books he had read.
Wherever Derrick was, it was warm and a bit cramped. He could feel his body, but it was…different. Derrick flexed his hands, arms, and legs; something was wrong. The feeling led to a rapid increase in his heartbeat, which he could somehow hear. He tried to speak, but no sound came from his lips. Dear God, I’m blind, and I can’t talk.
Derrick wanted to check his mouth; his arms and hands felt sluggish and stiff. He had to concentrate on moving them, but eventually, they obeyed. His hands roving over his face and head led to his next shock.
My hair is gone. The baldness didn’t upset Derrick too much, as he lost his hair in college. When Derrick finally entered basic training, all he had was something shameful and sickly clinging to his scalp for dear life. It took the barber less than thirty seconds to redeem his dignity. It took another thirty seconds for Derrick to accept his genetic fate.
His quick acceptance of a changing reality led to Derrick’s rapid rise through the ranks. Derrick drew on that trait as he calmed himself and took stock of his current circumstances. He noted his arms were short and didn’t extend much farther than his head. He heard a distinct swooshing sound when moving, and his fingers rubbed against a smooth bag-like material. He was either in a body bag filled with water or-.
Now, you may have figured out where and what Derrick was, and in truth, the thought had occurred to him as well, but to go from a 32-year-old Army Ranger to a preemie in an instant wasn’t something even Derrick could easily accept. Still, in doubt, Derrick forced his hands to his belly, and 10-4; there was a cord connected to him. Shit! A wave of adrenaline surged through his little body. How could this happen? Did I die? Why am I awake? What’s going on? Derrick began to lash out with his tiny legs at the sheer injustice and insanity of it all.
Derrick had been reincarnated, and he wasn’t even religious. He had been in his prime; young and handsome with a respectable family, educated, a beautiful girlfriend, and a decent-sized… dear God. He reached down as far as his stubby arms would go, bumped into his cord. That hurt, but he was on a mission. Dear Lord, let it be there. He had to bend over and tuck his legs a bit, but finally, he reached it. If he weren’t breathing water, he would have sighed in relief. It was small, but so was he. Regardless, his dick had made the trip with him. Derrick was still a man or baby boy. Then, suddenly, he heard the soft unmistakable sound of a woman singing. Derrick didn’t know if it was her voice, the song, or his exertions or something in the water, but he was drifting off to sleep, and he couldn’t stop it.
It turned out he did a lot of sleeping. He intended to stay awake and plan his escape. Yes, that sounded silly in his mind too, but he got bored with nothing to do. Plus, it was difficult to measure time with all the naps, nothing to see, limited mobility, and near lack of outside stimulus, besides muffled sounds. In the end, he tossed his escape plans and settled down; after all, he didn’t want to be born undeveloped.
It would be tedious to describe what Derrick did while in prison. But, that is how he viewed his circumstances. The day he was born was the happiest of his new life.
~
Derrick was ‘re-born’ to two smiling, medieval-looking parents. Derrick soon learned the lady was a seamstress, and the man was a soldier with the city watch. The lady’s name was Rosetta Escamilla, and Dominic Rubio Escamilla was the man. Derrick was immediately re-named Paul Escamilla.
Derrick, rather, Paul did not complain. Well, that’s not exactly right. He could not speak or couldn’t for a few weeks after birth; apparently, it takes a while to strengthen never used vocal cords. He did it when the man and lady were around and for good reasons when he could talk.
What were they? Well, the first, they were primitive-looking, simple folk, and he didn’t want them thinking he was a demon-possessed baby. He thought they would toss him out or burn him alive. Next, they spoke a language he had never heard before. In his old life, then Derrick never made it past Spanish 1 in high school. Not that he remembered anything, most American kids take a semester of foreign language in high school and quickly forget everything after the last test. But what these two people spoke wasn’t close to Spanish, English, or Farsi.
Now Paul didn’t have an issue with being in a foreign country, but he wasn’t prepared for the world outside his new home. So when Rosetta finally carried her baby boy into the sunshine, it was the sight of what seemed to be giant, but completely tame, lizards pulling carts down cobblestone roads that let him know he wasn’t on planet Earth. Well, that and the moonless nights.
Despite the wonders before his eyes, Paul’s thoughts often drifted home. Seeing his new mother smile as she cooked dumplings made him remember his ‘real’ mother back home. He imagined her getting a knock on her door and then opening it to a blank-faced Army lieutenant, making his sixth “I’m sorry for your loss” speech that day. There would be no hero’s welcome, no wedding dance with mom, and sadly, no grandchildren for her to spoil.
Derrick, now Paul, tried not to think of his old family, friends, or life, but the more of this new world’s differences he saw, the more he missed not sharing the wonders with his loved ones. That was an annoyance for him. A broken record, he could not stop. Life in a fantasy world was nothing like the books he had read.
Characters so far:
Derrick Williams, former soldier. reborn as: Paul Escamilla , baby
Dominic Escamilla. Paul's new father, Soldier
Rosetta Escamilla. Paul's new mother, Seamstress
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Derrick Williams, former soldier. reborn as: Paul Escamilla , baby
Dominic Escamilla. Paul's new father, Soldier
Rosetta Escamilla. Paul's new mother, Seamstress
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