It was the most normal thing in the world... until it wasn't

It was the most normal thing in the world. Kids walking down the street. Some walked in pairs. Some alone. Some in groups. None of them seemed to be in a hurry. I thought to myself, “It’s not like there’s anywhere to *rush* to around here.” I was a kid, surrounded by streets made of dirt and houses made of wood. Not a single car in sight. The houses were clustered together, with fields on the outskirts and a forest on the horizon. I wasn’t sure how I got here. I had no memories of this place and no memories of anything before it. But somehow, I was absolutely sure I lived here. I knew every house, every tree, every kid’s name. I was friends with a few of them too. We were laughing and talking while walking towards the forest, something that felt like a daily routine. Then, something about it didn’t feel right. Some of the kids didn’t look normal. Not many of them, but a few. Some of them had long faces. Some had big heads. Some had no eyes, but were still perfectly normal in the way they acted. The other kids didn’t seem to notice. “Why do some of these kids look so weird?” I asked my friend, who was walking next to me. “Huh?” He replied. “What do you mean?” “Some of them. Their faces are messed up.” “Oh. Well, yeah. Some kids are just born that way.” He said, like it was the most normal thing in the world. I looked at him, confused. I didn’t remember kids looking like this when I was a kid. Had I just forgotten? “Did I just forget, or were kids not like this when I was little?” I asked my friend. “Were kids not like what when you were little?” “Like some of them are now. You know, long faces and big heads.” My friend looked at me, confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Were we kids like this?” “No! Of course not.” I sighed in relief. It couldn’t be normal after all. “I’ve never seen kids like this before.” I said. “Well, yeah. Like I said, some kids are just like this.” “Even the ones with no eyes?” “Even them. Yeah. They’re fine.” We were getting closer to the forest. I saw more and more kids, all walking towards it. And then, more and more of them were like this. Long faces. Big heads. No eyes. Some had skin that was transparent. Some had what looked like wounds and scars all over their bodies. But they were all chatting and laughing with each other, like nothing was wrong. I gripped my friend’s shirt. “We need to get out of here. Now.” My friend shrugged. “Why? We’re just here for the ceremony.” “What ceremony?” “The ceremony. It’s a tradition.” “What’s the tradition?” “If you don’t do it, you won’t get to live forever.” In a daze, I followed him into the forest. Along the path, there were even more kids. Some were crawling on all fours, like they had lost the use of their legs. Some had skin that fell off their bones. Some had skin that looked like a rash. Some had bodies that were twisted in impossible ways, but they still managed to walk as if nothing was wrong. I was the only one who looked horrified. And then we saw it. In the center of the forest was a massive fire, and next to the fire was an old woman that I had seen around the village. She had a cauldron sitting on the fire, and she was stirring something inside it. “Once you drink, you will live forever.” She said, without looking up. The kids were all lining up, each one taking a cup from the cauldron and drinking long, hard sips. And then I saw it. One kid was different. They didn’t look twisted or deformed in any way. In fact, they looked perfect. Not a single flaw on their entire face or body. They were standing in line, waiting for their turn. “And what will this drink do to us?” They asked the old woman. “Why would you ask that?” She replied, finally looking up. “Because I’m not sure if I want to drink it.” “Well, you have to drink it.” “Or what?” “Or you will not be able to live forever!” The perfect kid didn’t seem to be convinced. They looked around at the other kids, who were all staring at them in confusion. “You must drink, or else…” The old woman started. “Or else what?” The kid replied. “… Or else you will die!” “Why would we die?” “Well, if you don’t drink this, then you will not be immortal.” “But what do we need immortality for?” “What?” The old woman looked shocked. “You need immortality in order to live forever, of course!” “But… What’s wrong with dying?” “What’s wrong with dying?! You must be crazy to ask that!” “Why? What’s wrong with dying?” “Because… Because… Because…” The old woman was fumbling for words. “Because this is the tradition!” “Well, I don’t want that tradition!” “Fine!” The old woman threw her hands up in the air. “If you don’t want to drink, then you can just go away!” The kid turned and left. I decided to follow them. We walked quickly through the forest until we were as far away from the village as possible. Finally, we stopped in a clearing. “Who are you?” The kid asked me. “I don’t know who I am. I don’t know how I got here. But I’m sure I live here.” “I live here too.” The kid replied. “I’ve been here as long as I can remember. But I don’t want to live forever. I want to die like a normal person.” “But… Why?” I was confused. “Why would you want to die?” “Because… Well, I don’t know. I guess I’m just weird.” “I’m weird too.” I said. “I think we should both go away from this place.” “Yeah. I agree.” We walked through the forest. It got denser and denser. The trees got taller and taller. Finally, we couldn’t see the village anymore. At that point, the forest just… ended. There was nothing beyond it. I blinked, and when my eyes opened, I was standing in a room. I had no idea how I got there. A man was standing next to me, and he was holding my hand. “Hello.” He said. “My name is Dr. Martin. I am your psychologist. Do you remember me?” “I… No.” “Well, no worries. You’ll remember me eventually.” “Who am I?” “You are subject 225. But don’t worry. You won’t have to stay in the lab forever.” “Where will I go?” “You’ll go to the colony, of course.” “Why there?” “Well, you’re not normal, after all.” “Why not?” “You can’t walk. You don’t have eyes. And your brain doesn’t work properly. You’re one of the few subjects to retain your sanity, so you will be taken care of.” “And what about my memories?” “You won’t need those. They’re not real. They’re just what we call ‘Clone Dreams’. We give all the clones some kind of back story so they can live normally inside the facility. Once you’re in the colony, you won’t need that anymore.” I didn’t understand. What facility? What colony? I didn’t ask. I just wanted to go back to the village. I didn’t get to. I’ve lived in the colony for years since then, and I won’t be leaving for the rest of my life.

It was the most normal thing in the world... until it wasn't

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