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I was born to a lone mother in the wilderness. "You'll be alright, baby," she told me. "I just don't know about me." She did her level best to keep me fed, and when I was a year or two old we welcomed my baby brother, too. Somehow she made it work. "I'm just a mom," she said. "But you can be something." We told her, "We can do it, mom!" I was sure we'd make it.

But she died.

I fed my baby brother berries until he was old enough to follow me and carry a basket. We roamed from bush to bush, desperately searching for the tools and materials we needed to stay alive. Brother was always better at finding things than I was. I got lost and ended up dodging bears for a while. I came across a small farming community once, but when my brother wouldn't follow my loyalty sent me back to the woods.
I abandoned a few babies along the way, sad I wasn't as strong as my mother.
Brother found an abandoned settlement, and his carrot farm flourished. I filled a cart and wasn't too far behind him when another baby came along. We were finally in a place where we could feed another mouth, so I tried to do my mother proud... Unfortunately the cart and child were too much to carry. I got the cart as close to my brother's camp as I could before I collapsed. He was about 26; I was 28. I hoped he'd make it to a ripe old age.

You were right, Ma. We made something of ourselves.

I don't remember much of my childhood. It was rough. In the end, I was alone until I had a child. We worked hard, toiling under the sun on our little farm, three wonderful sons and I. We had a good thing going, but no successors in sight. Our line wouldn't last long, as I was getting along in years. "You bachelors better find some nice ladies, or we're in trouble!" A youngster ran in and out a few times, but she vanished shortly after, despite our pleas. Two of my boys died, and only George was left. I sensed the end was near.

Then, from nowhere, a beautiful sight: a youthful lady with a daughter in tow!
Our savior!
I gave my adopted grandchild all that I had and passed along what knowledge I could before my end.
It was a good life, and I left it with hope in my heart.