Wendy and the Whale

Wendy laid back and looked up at the vast swirl of stars as they drifted by, relaxing her breathing to match that of the great beast's beneath her.

Sometimes, even she got caught up in their quest and forgot to take the time and really appreciate the beauty that surrounded them, so it was nice to just lay there and breathe.

Scanning the constantly changing kaleidoscope of twinkling stars, she caught sight of her tent out of the top of her vision. Her modest little dwelling was a few meters away from where she lay and a wave of contentment washed over her as she looked upon it.

Here, so far away from everything she had ever known, it was all she really needed. It gave her a sense of pride that she was able to get by with just a sturdy, green canvas tent and cot; not even the fact that they were pitched on the back of a giant whale as it swam its way across immensity of space.

She rolled onto her side and patted the whale's rubbery skin lovingly as it sang out its own contentment with its high pitched cooing song.

The massive orb of a derelict moon reflected the solar system's distant sun's light a pale blue as the whale crossed over its expanse; a small silhouette against the moon's surface.

Wendy and the whale had travelled through many lonely star systems together, in search of the lost space cruiser that held her home planet's entire population inside its great, city-sized hold.

The ship had been on its mission to seek out a new, viable home planet after the destruction of their own, when Wendy had accidentally opened the aquarium containment unit while sneaking in to swim with the big whale.

The two vagabonds tumbled out into space as the ship jumped to the next system, leaving them to follow slowly behind; to try and pick up any signs of the engine's particle trail and track them from galaxy to galaxy.

So, in fact, it might have been Wendy and the whale that were lost, though she could not really put any blame on the whale. It was her fault they were wandering through the cosmos, and she was determined to find a way to reunite them with the ship, and their families.

But for now, it was nice to take a break and enjoy the wonders of the universe as she rode through them on the back of a whale.

As the strange creature made its way passed the blue moon, a small ship drifted cautiously in the shadows of a slowly turning asteroid, its pilot sat watching from the cockpit; watching and waiting to see where the beast and its tiny passenger would lead them next...