“All of a sudden, I was being pushed towards a bright light.” Cynthia wanted to give the very best account of it. She was growing more nervous by the moment. What if she couldn’t remember? The other students, sitting in school house chairs, were waiting for her to falter. “I opened my mouth to cry. I was frightened and cold. This woman held me and smiled.”

Mrs. Oliver raised her hand. “Stop. You’ve skipped many details already. You can be born again tomorrow.”

Adam stood up and began. “Something was happening. After all this time, I was being pushed out.”