He felt tired, it had been so long since his journey had started and yet the hardest part was still to come. It wasn't that he consciously knew this, at least his brain didn't understand听yet but his instinct knew the path ahead was going to be difficult; fraught with danger and yet ultimately rewarding. He longed to take a deep breath but the pressure squeezed against his lungs. Not long now he hoped. All those months ago he had begun his passage to another world, a new place of which he knew nothing. It would be a strange exciting place of that he was sure and he would need all his strength to combat the adversity waiting for him. More pressure, this time stronger, he shifted his body to a more comfortable position. Waiting was all he could do, forces outside his control were propelling him forwards and he could only hope that the waiting would soon be over. So far it had been plain sailing. Warm and comfortable in his floating chamber, sheltered from harm and protected from hurt he had grown strong and ready for the battle ahead. The future beckoned with danger, excitement but also promise. It would be what he made of it in spite of any obstacles that might appear and he was prepared. His heart was strong and his body, though soft from his confinement, would be more than a match for anything the future could throw at him. Another push and he eased forward, it was getting harder the passageway narrower, yet it was obviously the only way he could go. Perhaps it was a test, this difficult final part to his journey. A test that would prepare him for what was to come and if he made it without too much trouble then he would be more than ready for what followed. He could hear familiar sounds, much louder now and he realised they were coming from outside. It wasn't possible to decipher what the noises were and there were lots of different ones so that it made up a great jumble in his head. He supposed that when he finally made it to the other side he would be able to make sense of the sounds. Perhaps it was something trying to communicate with him, were there others like him out there already; up until now he had understood that he would be the first, he couldn't comprehend how others had got there before him. He had travelled this far alone and the ones outside his chamber must be different. He knew they would not be like him, think like him, look like him. He understood that was impossible; he was unique, made to some one-off plan. More pressure came, this time stronger than anything before and the sounds got louder still and suddenly something else. A bright light ahead not too far away but as yet out of his reach; it hurt his eyes, he closed them. What was this place he hadn't expected that, up until this moment it had been dark and safe, he was sure that light meant danger and wasn't ready to face that yet. More pressure, more noises and the light came closer. He was desperate to scream but his breath was still trapped inside him and now he no longer felt so sure of his strength. The pressure became even more intense, he was being squeezed unbearably and something was poking at his head. He tried to move away from it but he was stuck and there it was touching him again. There was screaming now outside and his ears hurt from the sound. He could feel breath beginning to build up. Soon he would scream louder than them. He would let them all know he had arrived. His head was suddenly free and he found himself staring at a sea of faces and he had been right, they were not like his own. Fingers were still poking at him as the rest of his body followed and he fell onto something soft. The poking stopped now, the faces had a strange look on them which he could sense was not right. 'What the h**l is it?' he heard one of the faces say as he sat up. 'What the bloody h**l is it?!' He couldn't understand the words. More screaming followed, some of it his own. He looked round. The chamber he was in was large and white with three brilliant lights shining down. He caught sight of himself in a pane of glass. He was exactly as they had said he would be so why were the others here so afraid. He spoke and the screaming stopped. He spoke again and this time they backed away. They were just as had been described so he wasn't afraid but what had they been expecting. 'Don't touch it, move away get to the door.' He turned round and looked at the tube from which he had just emerged. Its size surprised him, no wonder it had been such a struggle. Beyond was the mother vessel that had carried him these long months on his journey to this place. The door slammed, he turned round and saw the room was empty. He jumped down from the table and stretched as he had been instructed. His body grew with each movement until his head almost touched the ceiling. His brain clicked into full operation and he now understood the words he had heard. No matter if they were afraid his task was mapped out, it was unstoppable. He felt better as his limbs hardened and he leapt towards the door. All he had to do was find a safe place and wait for the others to arrive. The first part of his journey was finished. | 
