He was lying in his cradle. He was meditating about the concept of time.
He had overcome the obsession for measuring it or understanding it by boredom, since it was seeming a useless exercise in his current situation.
What really was mattering was to feel how his body was growing and strengthening every day.
While the initial boredom of being a baby was vanishing, he began to adapt to this new existence.
And thus, the days continued passing.
Atom arrived at a discouraging conclusion: not existed such thing as an indoor bathroom.
From what he had observed, the house was composed of a single room that was functioning as dining room, kitchen, and pantry. Three doors were leading to the different bedrooms, and there was no other additional space.
The first time that he achieved to crawl, he felt an indescribable joy, and the exuberant celebration of his mother made that moment even more memorable. Each small achievement was reason for joy for both.
The decisive moment arrived when he pronounced his first word. After weeks of secret practice, he gathered the courage to say:
"…Mommy."
For a moment, he doubted.
It was a word that he had abandoned in his past life, and he was not sure how to feel upon reclaiming it.
But the radiant smile of his mother that was shining like a sun in a gray sky, dissipated any discomfort.
In that moment, he knew that he had taken the correct decision. To recognize her as his mother was the first step toward embracing completely his new life.
Thanks to her constant conversation, he mastered the language with rapidity.
Each day was bringing new opportunities to refine his control over this body in growth.
His name was Atom. The name, that at the beginning seemed to him somewhat naive, began to acquire a special meaning.
There was an angel in front of his eyes.
Her features were revealing her wavy black hair and cerulean eyes like the sapphire.
He had found an old hand mirror in a shelf of tools in a corner of the house. Anxious for observing his own appearance, he approached and grabbed it with both hands.
Atom discovered that he was more handsome than he was expecting.
After thinking it more, probably he should not have been surprised that he was more cute than the majority of the people, given that he was a child.
The humans were one hundred percent more cute during their childhood. Even the bearded men of rugged appearance were adorable in their childhood photo albums.
He could not predict how his appearance would change throughout the years, but while he was maintaining a healthy weight, everything would be fine.
It seemed, his parents also had been born slaves and never accessed a formal education.
They were showing evident difficulties when dealing with units and standards, which was revealing a profound lack in their formation.
Although he was only counting with one year of age, it was resulting premature to formulate questions, but he had already noticed that those topics rarely were appearing in the conversations between them.
He had discovered the system of time recently, although he was still not understanding concepts like the money, the weight, or the distance.
"All those cheating situations where the guy reincarnates in a noble family and obtains all the knowledge of their library seem to me impossible in this situation."
The mornings of the slaves were beginning very early. As for how early of the day, Atom had not seen his father even one time. It was probable that he was leaving around the six, or even before.
In a recent conversation, Atom had listened that Vanessa also was working in the field while he was remaining asleep, since she was having some years more.
The days were passing, and his appetite was seeming insatiable. His small stomach was devouring everything that he was eating and, almost immediately, was demanding more.
One morning, he awoke with a voracious hunger. His mother was not delaying in coming to his side, as always, she was having a charming smile on her kind face.
"Do you have much hunger, my little one?" she asked sweetly while she was lifting him in her arms.
In a matter of minutes, his small stomach remained satisfied. Her tender embrace and the soft pats on his back enveloped him in a sensation of peace and warmth.
Atom supported his cheek on her shoulder and closed the eyes, feeling completely secure in her arms.
"My little one, are you not eating too much?" she joked with a soft giggle.
Her comment resulted to him so amusing that he could not avoid joining her laughter with a childish gurgle.
While he was savoring these intimate moments with his mother, his mind was losing itself in reflections more deep.
He was feeling that he had remembered something very valuable, something that he had forgotten in the path.
For some reason, he was feeling desires to cry. He pressed the lips with force, trying to retain the tears, but it served for nothing.
They slipped to his eyes.
He thought about his previous life, a life that now was seeming blurry and distant, about his death and that nebulous limbo from which he could not escape.
So when he awoke in this world, he suspected that it could be a punishment from God.
But this was not a punishment.
He was not knowing where he was. He was not knowing what was happening.
But he was sure: this was an act of grace. An impressive and marvelous grace.
By the kindness of her heart, someone had returned to him what he had wasted so carelessly in his previous life.
Without tangible proofs that were supporting it, he was believing without any doubt that this was a precious gift.
His previous name had vanished in the oblivion, but now he had a new one, Atom, and with it, the opportunity of a new beginning, free from the weight of his past, his errors, and his guilt.
This small body, that at the beginning felt strange and foreign, now was seeming to fit to perfection, as if it had always been destined to be his.
The sensation was so overwhelming that he could not contain his emotions.
"Ah… Ah…"
He tried to articulate something, anything, while the tears were continuing to flow.
It was not mattering to him to cry; he forced his immature vocal cords to produce some sound that could express the intensity of what he was feeling.
In that moment, he said to himself… This time, he would do things well.
Nothing was making sense to him yet. He was not knowing what kind of world was this, nor why he had been born here. But he was knowing that he would have much time to discover those things.
His knowledge was scarce and he was not having skills, but he was having all the time that he was needing to learn.
He had already had enough of remaining stagnant, of yielding before the adversity and of embracing his own knees.
It was not mattering to him if he was failing, it was not mattering to him if he was stumbling in the path. It was not mattering to him how many obstacles he was having to face.
This time…
This time would be different.
This time, he was going to live.
He would live taking advantage of every moment in this world!
He expressed his resolution with the sob that only a baby could produce.
His mommy perceived the intensity of his emotions although without understanding their true nature, held him more strongly against her chest and whispered words of comfort and love.
"It's okay, my love," she murmured while she was caressing his back with softness. "Mommy is here. I will always be here for you."
Atom clung to her and permitted that his tears flowed freely. In that embrace, he felt that all the fears and doubts that he had accumulated since his rebirth were dissolving little by little.
He was not knowing exactly to whom or what he was directing his gratitude.
Perhaps to the universe, perhaps to some superior power, or perhaps simply to the life itself for this second opportunity.
With a small smile on the lips, he surrendered to the sleep, secure in the arms of his mother and full of hope for the future that was awaiting him.
This time, this time he would do it well.