Odd Birth: A Super-Short Story

Odd Birth: A Super-Short Story
By: Jackie Loggins
2/13/2013

It's been twenty-four hours since Harlow came into the world. The doctors couldn't explain it and our senior pastor was even more confused. Despite the confusion there has been constant prayer in our home since yesterday. I guess I should thank the Lord that she only had gills and not a fish head or fins. Just the thought of it being worse gives me chills. Hell, I don't even remember eating much fish during my pregnancy. And as far as our parents knew, there is no history of such a thing in either of our families. She's like something straight out of a science fiction novel. Despite her gills and us having to put her into the fish tank for 90 minutes everyday, she's perfect. Her beautiful face, light-brown skin and coal black hair is all I could wish for as a mother. I am so worried about my baby. How is she going to go through life with this handicap? How is she going to find someone who truly love her with this oddity? By now these thoughts sadden me even more. But I have to take it one step at a time. I have to get myself and my baby through today before I can begin to worry about 15 or 20 years from now. Luckily, we didn't sale that old fish tank in the yard sale last Spring. I begged John to get rid of it, but he refused. He loves fish even though all of his died because the pH in the water was off.  Now it seems we'll get a lot of use from it, until she gets bigger.