My eyes opened. It was the first thing I ever did, the first thing I ever experienced. And what a thing it was. Light hitting my retinas in a dazzling display of uninterpreted, meaningless shapes. I still remember that feeling. The feeling of that first stroke of color being applied to the blank canvas of my soul. The feeling of being new and weightless and inconsequential. Lack of awareness is the epitome of bliss.

Water swirled around my knees, and it would have felt warm, had I known what warm was. The breeze wove itself gently through my hair, and it would have been pleasant had I known there was any other state of being.

I looked up. The sun shone down upon me, watching me as a father watches his child. Full, grey clouds moved across the sky, calling to me like siblings, in a silent voice I did not hear but feel. I blinked mindlessly up at them with eyes that saw but did not see.

I looked away from the clouds and out across the water. Mist shrouded the horizon, but I could make out a shape within it. It was tall and had a pink hue to it, almost like...

A cherry tree.

I didn't know how I knew what a cherry tree was, but I did. Beautiful pink blossoms that yeilded bright red fruit in the summer, and the concept of seasons themselves, were suddenly familiar to me.

Then another thought enerted my mind.

What are we waiting for? Let's get over there!

Now I wanted to walk. I wanted to swim, run, climb, fly, whatever it was I needed to do to get to that tree. Instinct kicked in and I put one foot in front of the other. I felt warm sand between my toes. I moved my other foot and felt more sand.

Sweet excitement took hold in my psyche. I could move! I could go to the tree! I could go anywhere!

I shifted my feet again. And again after that, and again after that, faster and faster till I was practically running through the water twoard the island.

... Wait, was it an island? It was, but... how did I know that? I barely stopped to think on it all, the only thing I cared about at that moment was the fact that I was free!