Fourteen Moons

Chapter 1 - A Strange World

"Ugh." I haven't slept that well in a long time. I blink several times as I look up at an unfamiliar wooden ceiling. How strange. On my back, I yawn, and stretch my arms and legs. Wait. I blink a few more times as I open and close my hands a few times. That's a strange feeling.

I pull my arms in front of my face and stare at them. One... two. I have two hands... Opening my eyes wide, I bolt upright, "I have two hands!" Immediately, I place my hands on my throat, "Wha- Is that my voice?" I question, "It IS my voice." It's softer. "What's going on here?"

Hold on. I move my hands from my throat to my face as I feel for my left eye. My eye! It- It's there. I alternate between opening and closing one eye, and then the other, playing with my new vision. "This has to be a dream, right?" I question as I quickly move my left hand to where my ear used to be. I feel a long ear with a pointed tip. Okay, now I'm thoroughly confused. Nevertheless, I giggle as I clap my two hands together. As my body slightly shakes, a long strand of hair falls in front of my face.

As I brush the hair out of my face, I feel something tickling the top of my back. "What the-" I grab strands of hair at the sides of my neck and pull my hands back in front of me. Both of them hold soft, white, silk-like threads, "Ow." Wait. This is MY hair? I stare at the strands in my hand. But my hair's blonde, not white?

"What in the all-consuming Abyss is going on?" Realizing the scope of the unknown situation I am in, my heart begins to race. Okay, wait wait wait. "Breathe," I mutter as I take a deep breath, "Okay think, what was I doing? Mom left, I was talking with those kids... then I looked back into... the chasm..." I trail off, biting my lip. "Wait, did I jump? Am I DEAD?" That can't be, right? I know I thought about it, but did I... No, something else must have happened. I didn't jump, I couldn't have.

I sigh as I glance down at my legs, my skin is a clean, unblemished white. Are they smaller? "Why am I naked? ... Wait. Why am I a girl!?" I scream, realizing the drastic change in my body.

I bend my legs, wrap my arms around them, and curl up into a ball. This has to be some kind of dream, right? Maybe I'm hallucinating. Did I eat something strange? Dang it. What happened to me, how did I get here!?

I stay curled up for a long period of time. After a while, though, I lay on my back again and stare at the wooden ceiling. Things look and feel too real for this to be a dream. And even if this is some kind of dream, it doesn't explain why I'm so different.

Sitting up, I glance around the room and determine that I am in a fairly open chamber, but not at ground level. Looking down, I scan the soft surface I am atop. It is a white, spongy material that is circular in shape. Around the perimeter are several thin, sleek, silk-like structures that jut horizontally from the cushiony platform I am sitting on, each one is a soothing cream white.

What is this? I climb over toward the thin structures and, pushing one to the side, look down at the ground, scanning the bottom half of the room. Within the room there appears to be a table with a door directly behind it. Resting on the table, are two objects, though with the limited light, I cannot make out what they are. There is also a raised foundation on the ground directly underneath the structure I am on. I focus on the foundation and see a green pole-like structure atop it that connects to the cushion. Sticking out of the pole, are two leaf-like, green objects.

Wait. Is this- I turn to scan the structure again and my heart skips a beat. This IS a flower! I put my right hand over my mouth, covering a small smile. I've never seen one this big before... Lifting myself back on top of the cushioned florets, I sit straight up. Why's it so big though?