I came to in a warm, wet environment. For a moment, I couldn’t open my eyes. But when I did, I shut them again right away.

Dang that’s bright.

The escape pod had a porthole, and sunlight was streaming in and hitting me right in the face.

I shifted so I wasn’t being blinded any more. I already guessed it by what I was feeling, but the escape pod was partially filled with water. It wasn’t enough to sink it, but it was enough to fill it up halfway. The only thing preventing it from getting any higher was that the hole was submerged.

Where am I?

Last I knew, I was about to die of exposure to space, and now I’m on a planet somewhere with breathable air and a warm, salty ocean. Was there a planet that close by?

No, there shouldn’t have been. If there was, we’d have either made right for it or avoided it. Most likely the latter, since the space station was in enemy territory, and we were still in the same solar system.

So how did I get here? Wherever here was.

My stomach grumbled. I dug around and found a tube of food and the scissors to open it. Fortunately I still had a few days worth of food, but I needed to see if I could get to land before it ran out. Water too was important. I might be surrounded by the stuff, but unless I distilled it, I couldn’t drink it.

My eyes had gotten used to the light, so I peeked outside. Yup, ocean everywhere in sight. Well, that was less than half of the surroundings. For all I knew land could be on the opposite side of the port hole.

The hole was plugged by the water, and I wasn’t certain what would happen when I opened the hatch. Ideally, the pod should float. If it didn’t I didn’t want to lose everything.

With that thought in mind, I gathered together everything I could. There was a survival pack with a small amount of food and gear. I added the loose stuff I had to it, but it was too full for much to begin with. The rest I stuffed in my clothes.

Oh, I hadn’t mentioned this, but I had been given some clothes. They were massively large on me, but they covered my body. I was glad for that. I had a sense of shame, and really hadn’t liked how long I had to be running around naked before I got to wear clothes again. Plus it cost energy to keep a ship warm, so the temperature had been kept low.

The clothes were a ship suit. Basically it was like a onesie. Since it was designed for adults, it was very loose on me. The torso had been pulled together and clamped so it would be only really large, not engulf me. A belt was also used to help hold the excess fabric of the torso together. The arms and the legs were easier, they just got folded up until they didn’t drag anymore, then clamps applied to keep them that way. It still left them being several layers thick on my arms and legs, making it a little hard to move. It was better than being only in my birthday suit.

With the size of the suit, I was able to stuff everything else important into the upper torso part of the suit. I’d found that the material did not absorb water, and was actually slightly buoyant, so if for some reason the pod sank, I shouldn’t be dragged under by the clothes.

Survival pack secured to my body, extra food and water pouches tucked in my clothes. The tablet was useless. It was only an access terminal for the ship’s database, so without the ship it was just dead weight, so I left it.

I’d hoped to find some inflatable something, but while I might have something, everything was labeled in the Republic language, so I couldn’t read anything. There was also no tell-tell sign of one, like a pull-tab. I could try opening things at random, but that would be a bad idea in the pod, since I’d be crushed by anything expanding.

I was as ready as I was going to get.

I reached for the hatch and opened it. The pod slowly started to sink. Fuck. At least with the speed it was going it’d take a while to do so.

I poked my head out and took a look around. Ocean, ocean, and more ocean. Not a speck of land in sight, nor birds flying around that might indicate nearby land.

Since I had some time, I started checking the items in the survival pack. If I could figure out what an item was, and it wasn’t helpful right now, I returned it to the pack. I was unable to find any flotation devices. Several of the items were useless once opened unless used immediately, and I couldn’t use them. That being the case, I moved as much of the stuff in my clothes into the pack as possible. I’d found that it at least floated, even if there was no raft.

About an hour after I popped the hatch, the water in the pod reached critical levels and slipped under the waves. I was left to float alone on the surface of the water. I had no idea what way to head, nor much strength to propel myself very far.

This childish body was not strong.

Oh, I’d determined that the body was approximately eight years old. I have no idea where it came from, or why there was so much surgery done on it, especially on the head, but I’d gotten mostly used to it. Or at least as used to it as I could when on a small ship and escape pod with very little room to move about in.

With no better options, I decided to strike out to the north.

The sun had not quite reached its peak when I’d opened the capsule, but I had been able to approximately determine directions. I had about half the day left before night fell. Hopefully I’d spot some land before then, but I had no real hope.

---

Day five at sea.

Being constantly wet sucked. My skin was peeling, and not just from the slight sunburn I’d acquired. The water was causing my skin to slough off the outer layers of dead skin that are usually protective layers over the living skin inside.

My head was feeling fuzzy. I didn’t have the strength to swim anymore. I just let the waves carry me where they would.

I had enough food for three more days.

I wished time and again that I would reach land before I ran out.

---

Day nine.

I ran out of food and water yesterday. I knew better than to drink seawater, since doing so would kill me faster than not drinking at all.

I spotted birds on the horizon. Not sure of the direction.

Oh to be a bird, able to fly in the sky. Reach places far from where one started. I wish I could fly.

Oh, it’s getting dark. Is that what is called a squall?

---

Day ???.

Am I dead? My vision is gone. There is not a speck of light around me. I still feel like I’m being swept about by the waves, but there is something solid beneath me.

I had lost the survival pack to the squall. Since I was so small, it slipped right off when I kept being picked up by the large waves. It had been all I could do to stay afloat, but I’d eventually lost consciousness, until waking a moment ago.

I heard a noise, but was unable to make out what it was.

Oh, I’m not blind after all. It’s night, but it’s not completely dark. There’s a sliver of light coming from where I heard the noise. I try to reach for it, but was unable to move.

I was still so tired. But for some reason I’m not thirsty.

Where am I?

I lost consciousness again.

---

When I next awoke it was day time. Where I’d seen the sliver of light before there was now a window with shutters wide open. I couldn’t see anything but the sky through it since I was lying in a bed.

I’d survived. I had no idea where I was, but I was still alive.

I’d also been cared for. My burned skin was tender, but it felt slightly oily, like something had been rubbed into it. It gave off a fruity scent. The over sized ship suit was gone, replaced by what I could only call a nightgown.

My stomach rumbled. I was hungry.

More importantly, I needed to go flower picking.

I tried to move. It was difficult, but not impossible. It hurt. Every move I made stretched my sore muscles. At least it was only my face and hands that were burned. If it’d been my whole body, I’d have been in trouble.

I stood, very unsteadily, and made my way towards the door. My knees buckled and I collapsed. Without some kind of support, I was unable to walk. Fine. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl.

Just as I had that thought, I heard a chirp from behind me. I turned to look, but there was nothing there. It must have been coming from the window. Probably a bird outside.

I crawled, slowly, patiently towards the door.

I was halfway there when I heard swift footsteps on the other side, then it opened.

“What are you doing on the floor? You nearly died several ways, you need your rest.”

It was a woman. A human woman. I could understand her, though the accent was a little hard. How? I’d learned that English was retired millennia ago due to being overly complicated and somewhat obnoxious. It had been replaced by what was called Galactic Common. A language one of the species that specialize in trade had developed to make it easy to understand each other.

I’d started learning it as we fled from out pursuers. We couldn’t just sit there and worry the whole time. I could tell it was easier than English, but I’d only learned a bit before I got isolated in the escape pod so as not to die from asphyxiation.

I placed both my hands over my groin. Hoping that such a gesture was still easily understood.

“Oh, needing the restroom are yeh? Well, lets get you up and over there. Then it’s back to bed for you.”

I was lifted as easily as if I weighed nothing. It probably wasn’t too far from the truth. I’d been small from the beginning, and the rations I’d survived on did nothing to put any meat on my bones. Then there was how I’d been without sustenance for several days. Yeah, I could feel my ribs easily.

After using the necessary, I was returned to the bed. I bowed my head in thanks.

“A quiet one aren’t you. Can you tell me your name? I’d rather not just call you girl.”

Looking her in the eye, I held my throat, then gave a sad look as I shook my head no.

“You’re throat hurting too much to talk?”

A shake of my head and flapping my lips while trying to speak. Wind came whistling softly out of my mouth. Evidence that I was trying my best to speak.

“Oh, you can’t talk at all. I’m sorry, child. Just rest a bit, you’re likely hungry. I’ll be back with some food shortly.”

She bustled out the door. I lay where I’d been put. I couldn’t move without a lot of effort, so staying still suited me fine. She returned a few minutes later with a bowl and a cup. I’d have liked to feed myself, but I was far too weak. My hands shook when I tried to raise them, so she fed me instead, lifting spoonful after spoonful of porridge to my mouth.

Once the food was all gone, she held the cup to my lips, helping me drink.

“This is fellis juice. It will help you sleep. I’ll be back to check on you later, so just rest. We’ll have you back on your feet as soon as we can. A child your age won’t want to be stuck in bed for long.”

I don’t want to be stuck in bed, but it’s not because of my age. It’s because if I remain constantly in bed, my muscles would atrophy and I’d be left unable to walk at all.

I fell asleep, and while sleeping, I dreamed.

What I was dreaming was not something I had ever seen before. I saw dragons flying in the sky. Not just dragons, but also dragon riders. The dragons had saddles on them, and astride them were people. They were clad in what looked like leather armor, but they weren’t fighting each other. The dragons were breathing fire at what looked like silver threads that drifted down from the sky.

I saw one of the thread’s brush up against a dragon’s body. It cried out in pain, then disappeared. Huh? Had getting hit made the dragon vanish somehow? No, that wasn’t the case. I saw other dragons disappearing and reappearing as they fought the silver rain. They could teleport.

Ah, that’d be an amazing ability to have. The three teles would be amazing, especially with my lack of vocal cords. With Teleportation, I could get anywhere quickly. With Telekinesis, I’d be able to move things with my mind, great when you’re a shorty like I currently was. Finally, with Telepathy, I’d be able to talk to people, not rely on gestures or writing.

That’d be great.

I was refreshed when I woke up. I still hurt, but it was slowly dissipating. I stood up and walked for a bit, making sure to keep a hand on something to sturdy myself. I was only up for five minutes before returning to bed.

I was unable to anything but just lay there. My legs were burning. It seems it wasn’t that they’d atrophied during my long swim, it was that they were in constant use, and really overworked. My arms were similarly feeling the burn, but only lightly. I’d used them as well, but it was my legs that kept me going.

As the sun began to set I heard many voices coming in through the open door. It seemed that the woman who’d been caring for me was not living alone.

Interestingly, this house, or at least what I’d seen of it, was not made from the usual materials. Instead it was made by carving into stone, and the shutters were made of metal. Had this been the preference of the homeowner?

Dinner was brought to me. It was stew with chunks of meat and plenty of vegetables. It was delicious. It was so delicious, I started crying. I hadn’t eaten anything so good since waking up in that lab.

Seeing my tears, the woman, who gave her name as Joyce, thought something was wrong with the food. She reached out for it, but I hugged it to my chest, refusing to let it go. I devoured the stew. When it was all gone, I looked at the empty bowl with a sad face.

“Do you want some more?”

I wanted more, but my stomach wouldn’t have been able to handle it. I gave a sad shake to my head. I mimed that I was full.

“Not being able to talk is really inconvenient. Can you write?”

I nodded. I could definitely write. Or at least my mind knew how. I wasn’t certain how well this body would be able to do it. It wasn’t my original body, so there were some inconsistencies I hadn’t worked out yet.

She left and returned with not pencil and paper, but a clay tablet and stylus.

What kind of world did I land on? Did civilization regress? No, I should have noticed this before now… There were no lights visible, there was what looked like a basket on the wall though. With my condition, I shouldn’t be in someone’s house, but in a hospital. How could I not notice this? My skin and muscles weren’t the only parts of me that were injured. My brain was fried as well.

With these thoughts in my head, I lifted my hand to take the objects from her. I was feeling strong enough that I was able to take hold of them without dropping them, if only barely. The tablet was heavy. It was a thin layer of clay in a wooden frame. The stylus was no more than a sharpened stick. Well, it was better than nothing.

I tried writing. My writing was shaky. Well, I’m in recover, so forgive me.

[My name is Telarynn]

“It’s nice to meet you. Ah, I never did introduce myself. I’m Felara. Can you tell me what you recall?”

[Our ship was attacked. I thought I was going to die, but I ended up in an ocean. My escape pod was damaged and sank, so I swam to try and get to land, though I didn’t know which way to go. I swam for at least ten days. Then when I woke up, I was here.]

“What!? You ship was attacked? Who’d do such a thing? What was the ship’s name, out of what port? Do you know who attacked you?”

[I don’t know what they were called. It was those guys with purple skin and horns. The guys who’d rescued me from those guys never told me the ships name or where it was based. Well, they’re all dead now. Both ships were destroyed.]

“Huh? Purple skin? Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?”

[If it was a dream, then I’d like to change to a different one. I had a great dream about dragons that looked fun after you gave me that felys juice. They were big enough to ride and could teleport. It’d be amazing if that was real.]

“It’s spelled f-e-l-l-i-s. Uh, are you sure you’re all right? It seems like you are mixing up dreams and reality. There’s no people with horns or purple skin, unless they’re using dye and accessories, but there are thousands of dragon riders. I don’t know what teleport is though.”

[Teleportation. The ability to go from one place to another in a moment, rather then having to move through mundane means.]

“You mean going between? All dragons can do that. Fire lizards too. Watch. Jen, can you please come here?”

She called out, and it appeared. A tiny dragon. By what she said, it was likely what she called a fire lizard. My eyes opened wide in shock. I must be dreaming. Either that, or had I somehow ended up either in an alternate dimension, or were psychic phenomena real, or, or, or…

She laughed at the look on my face.

“Surely you’ve seen one before. They’re quite common, especially along the coast, since that’s where they lay their eggs.”

I gave a shake of my head, but my eyes were glued to the creature. It had landed on Felara’s shoulder, wrapping it’s thin tail around her neck to hold itself still.

We stared at each other for a bit. I could see that its green eyes were faceted and had a gentle whirl to them. I reached out towards the creature, but was too far away to touch. I got laughed at again.

“Okay, so you’ve never seen one before. That kind of reaction is not one that a person would have if they had. Where’s your home? Who do we need to contact to let them know you’re alive?”

[My home was Earth in the Sol System. I was a colonist heading for Alpha Centauri, but something happened while we were in transit. I woke up in a different body then I went to sleep in. I was a man in my thirties, not an eight year old girl. My family is long dead, thousands of years ago. It’s a miracle that I’m alive, especially with what I went through after waking up in this body.]

“Okay, your mind is still muddled from your brush with death. That’s quite an imagination you have on you. You just go ahead and rest. We’ll see how you feel in the morning.”

She didn’t believe me. Was I on such a backwater that they didn’t teach their children anything? Or there were the other options. Interdimensional travel, dream world, and so on. Well, I didn’t want to end up in a nut house, so come morning, I’d just feigned amnesia. It shouldn’t be too hard, right?

Telerean

That's it. Hope you enjoyed. Also, the author who wrote the series this is based on, Anne McCaffrey, is one of my facorites. If you haven't read her stuff, you should.