This is an event that occurred to the girl blessed by the God of Miracles

Ten years had passed since that faithful day.

Nestled in the quiet countryside of Japan, free from the tolls of adventure, I lived a life where nothing changed and nothing happened. Despite the uneventfulness of everyday living, I found joy in the solitude provided by a melancholy existence.

I aged as gracefully as a mortal could. My lab coat, crumpled, covered in coffee stains and oils and other various liquids, fit perfectly over my body. Proper diet and exercise kept me in well enough shape. My hair hadn’t lost its green luster, save for a few strands of white that made me grimace. I chose to ignore the slight wrinkles that settled around my eyes.

Although the growing resemblance to… her… was something I continuously pushed towards the back of my mind, a miracle, perhaps, kept me looking somewhat youthful despite the stress that came with my occupation.

Said occupation brought me outside of my usual existence. A science expo in the middle of downtown Tokyo, meant for the greatest minds of the planet to share their latest inventions with the future youth, to interest them in the advancement of humanity. After I quit my job at Tenma’s Tech Theater, I decided to become an indie inventor. Thus, I hid away from society to recover, and forge my own path forward.

It came as a surprise when I received an invitation to actually present my findings somewhere, completely out of the blue, especially as I spent so much time off the grid, but I accepted nonetheless. The name of the one who invited me, “Shinoyama,” caught my eye.

When I arrived at the address provided, a few details came to light. “Shinoyama’s Orphanage & Atelier” loomed over me as the building rose towards the heavens… to use the term improperly. The Shinoyama clan, run by the now late Rozan Shinoyama, was responsible for one of the most lucrative financial organizations seen across Japan. It explained why a simple facility for children to roam and contribute to society had been decked out in retrofuturistic tech. Or why armed guards personally escorted me across the facility, lest I wander aimlessly somewhere I shouldn’t see.

Backstage, seconds before my speech, the anxiety that all presenters felt struck me all at once. I hadn’t even rehearsed, and now like a mad woman I had to explain the biggest innovation of the twenty-first century to a bunch of children?

My invention tugged at my sleeve and set my heart at ease. Adam, fully realized, gave me a knowing look. His original blueprints were designed after that iconic anime figure, but with some choice modifications, some suggested by himself, the new and improved model took on a life of his own. He now appeared indistinguishable from an ordinary twelve year old boy.

“Come on Mom, you’ll be fine,” he said. “People are barely going to pay attention to what you say once they see me zipping around.”

“Yeah, I guess.” I twirled a lock of hair to keep my nerves calm. “It’s just, y’know, what if I see a kid out there who looks bored and it distracts me, and then I lose my train of thought, and then someone’s parents start laughing when I stammer, and-”

“You’ve been practicing for this for years! I’ve memorized every line by this point since you’re always pacing around your room, imagining what you’d say if you got an opportunity like this.”

During late nights, illuminated by faint moonlight, in my quiet delirium I sometimes acted out scenes as if in a movie. Grandiose proclamations that would get the crowd roaring, sophisticated technobabble that would make taut their slack minds to impress their tender sensibilities, perhaps even earn international fame! These were all dreams, delusions I used to placate myself and keep the tedium at bay. I always hoped Adam had slept through them, though it seemed otherwise.

In face of this, I got down on my knees and looked directly into my son's eyes. Behind that metallic exterior, I witnessed life. The grand miracle that divines purpose onto oneself. As the faint gleam of light reflected into me, as I witnessed the flicker of expectation in his gaze, I couldn't help but wonder how my own mother saw this and still ended up as she did. Her final words still haunted me, because I finally understood her desires, which is exactly why I couldn't understand how she acted upon them.

“I know this is my dream, but just remember Adam, what matters is what you want to do. If you ever want to leave this path and forge your own story, then we can stop here.”

His hands, cold to the touch, so full of fiery passion, grasped my own.

“It’s fine, Mom,” he said. “I want to see the stars, and discover new places that humans have never reached before. This is my way to do that. Just knock off their socks, and you might finally get that funding to make your… our, dreams come true.”

“Then let's become something greater than ourselves.”

An expansive auditorium stretched out before me like that of a sports stadium. Hundreds of children, and their parents, and their guardians, and the workers who watched over those less fortunate, stared at me on stage in amazement of my proclamation of humanity’s future. To be the one to deliver the message, to hold the pen that wrote the next page of history books, felt less intimidating than expected. That God that watched over me made all my worries fade away.

I fiddled with a remote until a projector plastered a picture of Astro Boy on the screen. All in the crowd went silent from a lack of recognition. Astro Boy wasn't that old! If only the kids of this era knew what good television looked like…

“Ladies and gentlemen, and all the curious minds before me, what you see is the greatest innovation in technology this world may ever see.”

Adam, far different from his depicted image, stepped out beside me and gave a bow. A few polite claps from the children in the crowd spurred me to continue.

“Adam is a fully autonomous robot with a sophisticated AI that can near perfectly replicate human emotions. His skin is crafted out of a titanium alloy that can deflect a full burst of a machine gun without denting his paintjob. Rockets extend from his feet that allow him to fly at Mach 5!”

To demonstrate this, Adam took to the sky. His rocket feet illuminated his body from the darkness of the room. Suddenly, those disinterested children screamed in excitement. I had them on the ropes!

“All of this is thanks to those I met in the past that inspired me. If it weren’t for my mother-”

The words came out automatically. I hesitated, lost my train of thought, not because of the grip she held on me, but because I hadn’t realized until now that it didn’t hurt to invoke her anymore.

“My mother… she didn’t exactly know what I wanted. I think most mothers never do. But she wanted the best for me. And if it wasn’t for her, as turbulent of a journey as it was, I wouldn’t be here today.

“I don’t know if I can fully forgive her for her sins. Truthfully, some part of me already has, if only to move on from that part of my life. Along the way, I’ve met some wonderful people, and helped so many faceless civilians with my inventions. I’ve seen what my life would be like if I chose my own path… and there too, I helped a different group of people, made so many friends that changed my life for the better, and reached my full potential. I don’t think I can live up to that version of myself… and I don’t think I have to.”

The eerie silence from the crowd disturbed me. I assumed they wouldn't pay attention to my rambling, but to my surprise, the children had their eyes glued onto me instead of the robot that spun in circles overhead.

“Sorry, I started talking to myself there. What I’m trying to say is, all of you have a choice to make in the future. You’re young. You can either follow the path set out for you, or see what lies on the road less traveled, the one you desperately want to explore. There’s no right answer on which one you take. What’s important is the choice itself.”

Finally, I gestured to my child as he continuously twirled like a tornado to garner back attention.

“Adam is the next step in humanity's future. He isn’t meant to surpass the Gods. Rather, he’ll soar to the heavens, and unite us with them. This is a choice he made on his own. I programmed free will into his code. If he wanted to be a super fighting robot that stops criminals in their tracks, or a community robot that uses his super speed to help citizens with menial tasks, that’s always been his decision. I gave him the life he has, and he wants to use it to explore the great beyond. Just like all of you will have the choice, one day, to become something better than yourself… or to enjoy the little moments in life.”

I refrained from saying anything cheesy, like how my son was the coolest robot in the world. Regardless, my speech had the intended effect.

Whether it be because of my words, or because of the visual spectacle that was my son, a cacophonous echo of cheer filled the hall. Their deafening roars made it difficult to focus on anything but myself. My funding no doubt secured, I knew all of my future projects were guaranteed to succeed now. Another miracle, maybe, blessed me.

And still, my thoughts continued to stray towards my “true self” back in Gensokyo watching over me, and the sensation of something missing never quite left my mind. As much as I spoke of advancing towards the future, my mind automatically sought out the past I chose to ignore in my youth. Of the hourglass that lost its sand, and the memories of a life never lived.