I died from the poisoning—angry, confused, knowing someone had set me up. As everything faded to black, I saw a light. Reaching for it, I opened my eyes... back on the day my sister-in-law first mentioned the mushroom-picking trip. This time, I smiled and agreed.
“Wild mushrooms are full of nutrients. It’ll be a perfect brain boost for her after those exams.”
My head was still spinning. The memory of my stomach churning and throat tightening from the poisonous mushrooms hadn’t completely faded. My sister-in-law, lounging on the couch, snapped me back to the present by tossing a slipper at me.
“Are you even listening? You’re slow to respond—typical for someone without much education.”
I glanced at the slipper in my hand and realized I wasn’t in hiking gear but in an apron and plastic gloves. My body didn’t ache and there were no needle-like pains from the toxins. Yet the memory of that awful smell made me dry heave. That physical reaction, combined with everything else, made it clear: I got my second chance as I had been reborn.
***
My dry heaving alarmed everyone. My mother-in-law rushed forward. “Sarah, are you pregnant?”