My time is near, I must tell you quickly.

Every twenty-six years our species sloughs off it’s skin and are reborn, thus making us nearly immortal. The process was a very painful one for our previous bodies, so it hurt until we separated ourselves from the carcass.

Perhaps, I’m not explaining the process well. Our chest cavities are hollow save for our brain. For a period of about half a year our new selves grow inside the chest, and eventually grow to incorporate the brain into it’s chest. By this time we are the younger self, ready to break free of the old body. Everyone does it slightly different, but the gist is that you pop all the ribs off of the sternum and then open the chest and we’re free. It does hurt since our brain is still receiving nerve impulses as we do this, and when we’re finally out we can finally sever the last connection and become new again. New only in body.

Oh, my time has come, I must withdraw to a maturation chamber.