[ WP ] In the realm where souls reside before we 're born , everything is pretty great . There 's no poverty , no one wants for anything , everyone knows their role and purpose . It is , essentially , perfect . But that perfection is accomplished via draconian law : the only punishment is the `` birth penalty ''

I hung my head low. To live in such a paradise, in a oasis, a place where everyone is equal, where we need nothing, want nothing, own nothing....I had stolen. Well, that's what I had been told I had done. I had simply been a little peckish was all, and it was nowhere near supper. So I simply took food from the mess hall. They were left overs, no? Who would had wanted them? But I was fooled. I tricked myself. It was for the early dinner time citizens, a group I was not a part of. To take food from another here, in Estómago, was not a petty crime; there was only crime. And when one committed a crime, they were forced to face the consequences. 
 
 And here I was, sitting in the canal, looking towards a bright light. I was to be born. We were n't told what this `` borning'' was, but when it happened, you were never seen again. Some said it was a farce, just to make examples of people. But I doubted it. I looked only at body, being shrunk to the size of a mere child, my arms being contorted to odd angles across my chest, my legs bending slightly. Another citizen looked at me disgust, as they attached some flesh colored cord to my stomach. As they finished, they pulled a knife from the air, and looked into my eyes. 
 
 `` Do you have anything you'd like to say?'' I merely stared at them. `` I am now required to remove you of your thoughts, skills, and feelings. I shall do this by cutting your brain into tenths, and only leaving one part of it. It shall grow back, but only this once.'' I held back tears. I was n't ready. I did n't want to be born. Why would I have to go through this cruel torture? This being `` born,'' this was simply a crime. `` Anything you would like to say? I am about to start.'' 
 
 I closed my eyes, prepared for the pain. It would be momentarily, but the long lasting pain of leaving Estómago, my home, forever, to leave this world, to be punished; that was the true pain. 
 
 As the cold metal hit my skull, I heard the citizen whisper into my ears; 
 
 `` Enjoy Earth, you thug.'' 
 
 ( Just wanted to say, this is my first post here! Please go easy! Any feedback is welcome, since I love writing, and it could be so much better! Thank you! ) 
 

