20,000
Sephia never had an accurate sense of the number 20,000 until she started to die.
She had been through most of the depths on her own, tasting abundance while dancing solo amidst kaleidoscopic sunbeams. She had hidden to survive the cold terrors of the night, vigilant to mounting pressure from every direction.
It was an unlikely life, well-lived. Now, she hovered, nodding in acceptance.
Her mind wandered, trying to understand.
Maybe it's like having 40 heads, each with a thousand tongues that can taste a whole world with one simple touch.
She looked down to see the dangling eggs, tiny perfect strands of ballooned pearls waiting to be uncased.
Or is it like the distance between morning and night, stretched out ten times over?
She tried to intuit the vastness she had created before a deep pull of energy swept by from below.
Sephia pulled her arms out with divine intuitive ease. She touched nothing yet encased everything important, fanning her arms like ribbons in the sea.
Then, the seance began. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her body went limp.
This is it.
In fact, it wasn't quite it. But Sephia had no prior experience to draw from to know any better.
Pain welled behind her eyes and she felt the compulsion to withdraw before a sharp snap pulled her down and back, dragging her to the beginning of her own timeline.
Mother?
Sephia's arms fell loose by her side. She could feel her hearts undulating in excitement as they picked up more oxygen.
Oktha's energy had grown from nothing, pooling from below like an innocuous spill that had slowly rippled out until Sephia was surrounded by warmth.
Her mother watched as the color drained and reappeared against Sephia's cheeks. It was the first and only time they'd properly meet.
What is it like, to give yourself away?
Sephia's bashfulness had shifted into curiosity. This was the final stage before self-surrender, but Sephia didn't know it yet.
Oktha stared back, flashing her turquoise top as though missing the days of flaunted confidence. She fell back, landing softly on the memory of having a body just for her pleasure alone.
For a moment, Sephia lived in both worlds, past and present. How long had she been in this dream state?
She reached for her mother's arms, inviting them to gently fan new oxygen into the eggs.
Oktha writhed back, pulling away with equal parts power and grace. She shot by Sephia's right side, circling her with a look of honest admiration.
And then Sephia understood.
Oh. So 20,000 is just a fraction of a percent of a decimal of what's possible now.
Oktha wrapped her tentacles around Sephia's heavy head, reveling in the beauty of her daughter's miracles.
She looked around and saw the first egg push through.
Tiny life, thousands of times over, starting again.