Some say God has a purpose for all of us; my life a perfectly forged tooth, part of a cog, that’s part of a gear system, that slowly but surely executes a divine master plan. If this is true, what cosmic scheme could possibly require of me a most morbid and tortuous death?

I was snatched in broad daylight, hanging with my family at the Southern edge of our land. Nothing but blue sky and ground below, it ached to be so alive. Basking in the sun, my nature-fed bliss was quickly torn away. Too quick for reaction, an assailant appeared from behind and yanked me downwards, easily tossing me aside and stuffing me into a burlap sack – forever severing my connection with my home.

The journey wasn’t long, but it was terrifying. Dark, lurching, cramped. My skin was covered in bumps, fear had me frozen. My tormenter stopped his vehicle, the door slid open, and with a ravenous laugh I was hefted onto his shoulder. Unbeknownst, each booted step led me closer towards shimmering, slicing steel. And then we arrived.