Chapter 3 - Into the Muck

--Meta disclaimer-- I have some issues with reincarnation stories, and I'm not entirely sure that I've avoided all the pit-falls that I've identified in other stories, but I have considered it carefully. Chief among my issues, and the greatest of my sins, is the idea that a toddler's brain can contain the mind of a foreign entity in full--meaning memories, experiences, and knowledge. In a very technical sense, this is impossible. Neurologically speaking, the brain of a toddler or child simply isn't capable of complex thought or ideas, not to mention the problem of how the physical manifestation of neurological patterns from the old brain is transferred to the new brain along with the 'soul'--which is yet a third problem. Now, given all this, why did I still choose to go with a reincarnation story? Well, it's an interesting idea; one worth exploring, I think. Sometimes, I have to resort to the 'turtles all the way down' excuse, and just say it's magic. Because it is.