Genesis

This is how is happened. When I was but a young girl, a child as quick and wispy as the night wind, my mother had taken me to the river Nile, the great winding river that represented life to all who resided there. I stood at the shore as one might stand at the foot of God's throne, with my head bowed and mouth open in wonder. Never before had I seen such a majestic creature, for to me, the river was alive as anything. I could feel my heart beating with the tide. When I took a breath, the sweet air cleansed me from the inside and made me new. To my delight, I could feel the mud sneaking up between my toes and hear the wind prowling in the reeds. My mother smiled at my childish delight and placed her hands on my shoulders. I could feel the callouses, all the years of hard work being pressed into my skin. She guided me until we stood ankle deep in the waves. Almost no words could express my delight of standing in this delicious mixture. I slipped out of my mother's grasp and ducked into the current. The water awakened my soul, defining who I was and what I was to become. For the first time in my life I felt alive. The little fish nibbled cautiously at my toes, enjoying the taste of my flesh. I stuck my fingers into the sandy river bottom, exploring this new world. I ducked under the waves and came up only when my lungs burned with fury, and I did so reluctantly. As I came out of the waves my mother embraced me tightly. In my ear she whispered, to the hum of the wind, "Water, Shua. God made the water for you." And I laughed for I knew that I was meant to be a fish, not a girl. She told me that I must live near water to be happy. As a young child I assumed my life would be lived on the shores of the Nile. As I look back now I realize how very wrong I was.