First Breath (HL100 cut)

by LJ

These are his first thoughts.

The moon is high in the sky, too. He's a city kid; he knows constellations of street lamps and porch lights. He used them to navigate by night for years. The stars and the moon: these are strangely new.

He blinks. Suddenly he feels his chest burning. He tries to remember; it begins to fade.

Then:

He remembers and the pain flares, only to continue dissipating.

His heart beats. He chokes, his lungs forcing life back into his still body.

This is his first breath.