By Hannah Muldery
Another boring Saturday.
I yawned, the report blurring before me. The faint buzz of life trickled up from the streets far below.
I continued scrolling. Just a few more before I could clock out and head home. Home, where my video games patiently waited.
But nothing else did.
With a start, I realized I hadn’t actually been taking the words in. Sighing, I scrolled back. How had my life come to this? My only companion, the time-traveling figurine on my desk, waggled his bobblehead at me.
That’s it. I closed the report and shut my computer down. As I pushed my chair back, Time-Traveler caught my eye.
His head was actually shaking. The floor-length windows next to my desk rattled.
Danger.
I whirled around. What the…? I was hearing things.
Duck head.
A female voice. I hunched over just before the windows shattered into a thousand splinters. Shards of glass sprayed the air. I stifled a scream and dove under my desk.
As I peered out, my heartbeat pounded in my ears. A massive shadow silently shrouded the building as a blimp-like… thing… appeared, drifting down, a brilliant purple streak flashing across its deep indigo length. Strapped to its underside, a metal and glass compartment now hung opposite me. Figures swathed in padded cloth and brass darted along a walkway as—
It. Moved.
With a gasp, I stared as a bus-length flipper tilted along the thing’s side.
It couldn’t be real. Some… gadget? A parade float?
A deep, mournful wail reverberated, rattling the skyscraper, my bones, and what was left of the windows.
One of the figures reached out, thin cord sailing from a gloved hand and thunking into the building.
No fear. Seeking you.
I jerked back and clunked my head against the desk above me, then scrambled out, pulse racing. I had to reach the elevators.
A high-pitched screech tore through me. I grasped my head but the pitch worsened. Tears stinging my eyes, I hunched over. Heavy boots approached as a man’s voice rang out.
“I found the Interpreter. Military age, female.”
The ringing stopped and I straightened as the man, towering over me, aimed a brass tube. “No—” I stepped back.
With a whump, something sticky struck me, quickly spreading, even as I tore at it. A living web that tightened until it pinned my arms against my chest.
“Leave me alone, I’ll swear I didn’t see anything,” I babbled. “Look, I’ve got nothing you want, literally. I—”
Go. Follow.
That voice again.
You. Asking me.
The man wrapped one arm around my waist. I dug my heels in, but with a twist he brought me up to the edge of the window. He stretched his free hand out, a cord whirling through the air and catching the railing of his craft.
“Don’t look down.” He jumped, taking me with him.
The whale-like thing shifted above us. Its massive mouth yawned open, and the creature soared forward. As we swung under the flipper, I caught sight of its tail, two graceful flukes almost brushing the high-rises on each side as we rose. Then we were swaying underneath the body, rushing up.
Strong hands pulled us onto the walkway.
“Get her to the helm,” my captor called.
“No, no, no, let me go!” I struggled as someone dragged me along the side of the craft and shoved me through two sets of doors. A dozen people bustled around screens, levers, and buttons, but one stood alone in the midst of the flurry.
“Captain.” I was pushed toward her. “The Interpreter.”
The woman shot me a glance. “What is she saying?”
Traveling now. Enemies.
I set my jaw. Another screech filled my ears and I doubled over in pain.
“Traveling… now…” I bit out. The screech stopped and I sucked in a breath. “… Enemies.”
“They’re after you, Interpreter. Tell her to take us to Sikker.”
Alarms blared as a bright green whale magically appeared right beside us. Figures along its walkway spun dark guns in our direction.
I shut my eyes. Crap, I didn’t ask for this, but… take us to Sikker.
Crewmembers scurried about, snatching weapons and donning clear oxygen masks. Someone slipped one on me from behind.
The skyscrapers stretched, blurred, vanished.
Then everything was quiet.
Black, star-streaked sky slowly shifted around us. I stared, mouth agape.
The captain eyed me. “Welcome aboard my hval. She is our transportation through time and space. We have been unable to communicate with her since our last Interpreter… Well, since then. Thank you.”
At that, everyone turned to face me, a few smiling.
“You…” The realization of what just happened hit me. “Seriously? You just kidnapped me, restrained me.” I wriggled my torso for emphasis. “Dragged me into some war, and you think I’ll just go along with it?” I glared. “Take me back.”
No. You asking.
“And,” I ground out, “get her out of my head.”
The captain crossed her arms. “I can’t do that. Somehow, you called out to her kind. All of them are now aware of you.” She motioned to one of the crew, who stepped over and dripped something on the webs encircling me, dissolving them. “My apologies for the rough treatment. We needed to bring you in before the marauders could. They don’t need you.” Conviction filled her voice. “We do.”
My fists clenched. Who knew what dangers awaited. But… My gaze drifted. This wasn’t a soul-crushing office. Nor an empty home where one endless day dragged into the next. I caught a few hopeful looks from the crew.
Taking a deep breath, I relaxed my hands. “No more webbing, got it?”
The captain nodded. “Of course.”
I straightened my shoulders. “I’ll give this a shot, for now.”
“Thank you.”
Someone ushered me to an empty station, and I sank into the chair, my mind spinning. Yet my chest felt lighter than it had in years.
Interpreter. Name?
I glanced up. Tell me yours first, Space Whale.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Some days I think I’d rather be a space whale, how do we send out this call?
Right?!?
You have to be in a rough spot, but realizing and wishing for a change.
Loved this! Time-traveling space whales! I hope you have more planned for this story!
Thank you! We shall see! The possibilities are endless…
what do space whales eat? space krill?
wildly imaginative, and easy to read. more, please…
Perhaps…🦐
Thank you! I hope to write some more!
Very intriguing and suspenseful. Hope that more stories will be coming
Thank you! I hope so too hehe.
I just got the title! Bahahaha!! I hope you do a sequel. This deserves a follow-up!
Hehehe another writer friend of ours came up with it 😏. So I can’t take credit. But I love it
This was lovely!
I’m not sure why I thought of this, but I’m quite sure that Studio Ghibli would perfectly illustrate this world! (Bear in mind, this is coming from a Studio Ghibli fan, so it’s a compliment, however awkwardly put. 😉 )
Thank you! I’m a Studio Ghibli fan as well, my favorite being Castle in the Sky, so I appreciate the compliment!!