Chapter 0: The Introduction

          The fact that she existed troubled Finley. She hadn’t a moment ago. Or had she? Well, if she had, then she certainly didn’t remember it. Perhaps she simply lost her memories. That sounded much more reasonable. Although, it seemed more complicated the more she pondered upon the possibility. No, she felt too new for amnesia. Right out of the shrink-wrap new.

          Finley supposed that if she had been spontaneously created, then standing around wondering about it wouldn’t do her any good. It’s not like she was going to get any proof that way. Some gigantic hand wasn’t going to reach down from the sky and hand her a certificate that said, “Congratulations, you’ve been gifted the gift of life!” If she wanted answers, then she was going to have to search for them, and the house looming in front of her felt like a good place to start.

          While she made her way up the front steps, a busty woman jogged past on the sidewalk. Finley wondered for a second if she were new too. Perhaps the whole world had just been plopped down where there was nothingness before. The woman seemed to know what she was doing, probably having a pinpoint location as to where she was headed. She wasn’t idly moving, slightly stumbling on a step from having been too lost in her thoughts, like Finley. 

          When she finally made it to the door, she wrapped her hand around the doorknob without hesitation. She hadn’t even bothered to wonder if the house belonged to her. Something in her made her feel as though this were right. And when it opened flawlessly, it felt like confirmation of this.

          The front door peeled back and opened up to a kitchen-living room combo. Something in her fell just the slightest bit. Everything was muted, plain, and boring. She loved colors! Where was the brilliant pop of magenta or the warming ambience of flame orange? Again, Finley didn’t question this recent tidbit that became fact in her head. If she had just been created, then how did she know what she liked? How did she recognize that dinky little box as a television, and how could she know that she shortened the word refrigerator to fridge? She simply did and that was good enough for her at the moment. 

          Finley tried the first closed door in the cramped hub of the house. It was just a half bathroom, which wasn’t very interesting at all. She slipped back out and tried her luck again with the next door. It appeared to be a bedroom. It was a step up in wall color at least, but it still wasn’t lively enough to sit well with her. At least there were a few windows to see out into the much more beautiful outdoors. Too bad all her neighbor’s plants were overshadowed by the asphalt of the street. 

          There was a long narrow room connected to the bedroom. She had no idea what that could be used for, but she figured she could come up with something later. Who could complain about more space?

          Seeing as she had no idea what she looked like, except for having pale hands, Finley’s curiosity drove her to checking her new self out in the tall mirror. To be honest, she didn’t find herself to be that bad looking. In fact, she kind of adored her freckle covered face. And she could stand the bit of a gut she was carrying, especially seeing that she had a slightly above average backside. This time, the thought that she knew what comparatively made for a good butt tripped her for a moment. Still, with more time spent wondering how she’d gotten there, she became even more certain that some mysterious creator had been kind enough to give her life, a body, and a house.

          Taking a step back from the mirror, Finley felt a desire pulsate from her head and down into the rest of her. Although it was strong, it was also a bit fuzzy. She thought maybe… no that couldn’t have been it. For a quick moment, she thought maybe she wanted a baby.

          The second bedroom confirmed it though. It was easily the best decorated room in the whole plain house. Surely the way that everything was lovingly arranged meant that she wanted kids. Had she always? Standing in the room, seeing the adorable stuffed animal and sweet wallpaper, made her longing for a family unbelievably fierce.

          No, she didn’t want kids. The desire was too strong for a woman who had only been in existence for less than two hours. It almost felt artificial. A family had not naturally crossed her mind, not like her notice of enjoyment gained from the outdoors or love of colorful things. Her creator. It must have been her creator who longed for babies. And a lot of them. They hid it inside of her, hoping to masquerade it as her own driving force. 

          Finley found herself overcome with the need of a good sit, and so she nearly collapsed onto the twin bed. She forced herself to sit up straight, hoping not to let her creator, if they were even around somehow, see that she was slightly troubled by their desires. She hadn’t yet even met a child. How could she possibly raise a family?

          Her creator had done something wonderful for her though. Truly, what could mean more than life itself? Finley sighed, not exactly happy to come to a conclusion, but determined nonetheless. She would let her creator know that she appreciated what they did for her. And who’s to know, maybe she would come to actually want a child out of her own volition. 

          Finley did not wish to think about things like that any longer. She’d just been made—she needed to get out and experience life! The muted main room greeted her, and she felt the urge to get out into the world grow stronger.

          She stepped back out onto the porch and cast an eye around her yard. Like the house, it was all too plain. She supposed that she probably didn’t have much in the means of money though. In fact, the whole neighborhood seemed to be about in the same value range as her house. She must have been dropped off in a working neighborhood or something. At least there would probably be other families in the area for her future children to play with. A shiver ran down her back at how quickly that thought was shoved into her head.

          Finley was about to wander off in exploration of something more interesting than her lot, when something caught the corner of her eye. She ran off toward the magical sound of rushing water. She hadn’t noticed the stream behind her house during her first cursory glance.

          “Fishing?” she muttered to herself, lost in the mental image of herself holding up the biggest shiniest fish around. She instantly threw a line in, not bothering to be curious as to where the rod came from. Several hours passed with what felt like a few blinks. She pulled up three minnows, taking pride in each one. “This definitely makes my house a million times better,” she happily hummed to herself. The fears of her creator’s wants moved to the very back of her mind.