No one ever said the writing had to be fiction, did they? :)

At least that’s how I felt back then. Laying in the grass, in the dark, listening to the party carry on without me. It was peaceful here. I practiced a trick I had learned on my uncle’s farm, find the dimmest star visible and stare at it until it becomes clear, then find another, farther star, and stare at that until you can see the whole sky full of pinhole lights. I heard my partner’s deep rumbling laugh, answered with a trilling response. Yeah - they’d never miss me.

Twenty Years Later* I’m just about to finish up my degree. A bit later than most, but I got there. My spouse is curled up warm behind me and our cat is purring loudly demanding attention. I hear our son cough down the hall. I will be taking him to fencing class tomorrow. He’s starting to get really good. I never thought these people existed. This perfect little family of weirdos and nerds. Spouse and I were right - our kid is turning out to be smarter than both of us - and has both of our neurodivergent issues. And I’m so glad he has us. I’m so glad he has parents who know what it’s like and that we can be for him the people we never had.

Young me may or may not have been missed so long ago, but I know there would be a hole where these people and this family were supposed to be today and no one could do a better job of holding them together than I do.

Nice loophole! I do love a very specifically worded curse!

Now she sounds just nasty!

That just kept giving. Very nice!

Beautiful! Thank you!

The technician entered the hospital room with a scowl. “You are advised by the Re-lived Justice Agency that you have given birth to a known felon. A parenting councilor will be in to speak with you shortly. Baby 783, previously known as Samantha Hailings, has been immediately remanded to the state for processing where she will be rehabilitated and raised by the Institute for Karmatic Restoration. This process offers your child a 63% chance that she may complete this life with a positive balance and have an improved outcome in her next life. You may consult the business office should you need to apply for financial assistance to fund her care.

“You will be provided with the necessary Re-felon Birth Certificate which will provide you access to the Institute for Karmatic Restoration’s website. There you may access your child’s progress records, including the best calculated date for Baby 783 to move to their next incarnation.”