Jonah opened his eyes to a familiar scene.

The sky was blue with picturesque cotton clouds floating in the air. The sun displayed its rays of glory, reflecting off the shimmering sapphire of the sea, and a cool breeze ran through Jonah's hair.

Jonah stood at the quarter-deck, watching into the distance. The sea was beautiful today.

“It’s pretty isn’t it.” The girl who spoke stood at Jonah’s height, with pale blonde hair and azure eyes that looked like the sea. She gave him a warm smile, her eyes becoming crescent moons before she joined him in facing the sea, letting the wind wave her hair like the ship's ensign.

Jonah quickly looked away, his heart drumming, his face blushing. He didn’t respond, not trusting his voice, and the two stood in silence, simply enjoying the soft swaying of the ship. It was perhaps the first time in his 13 years that Jonah felt at peace.

She pointed into the distance of the setting sun, its warm golden glow slowly sinking away. “Did you know the water stretches endlessly out there?"

Stretching endlessly- that was a crazy thought. But If they could go sailing into the distance like this forever, Jonah didn’t mind.

“There’s also places like this made of sand! Imagine that! A sea of sand!”

Jonah shook the image away before it could form.

What was so fascinating about a sea of sand? Sand was horrible. It was coarse, rough, and basically dirt, but for fish. And that didn’t even make sense. A sea of sand?

“H-how. Can you…” Jonah stopped himself. Of course you couldn’t sail the sand; You needed water to float.

She nudged his elbow, beaming. “Go on,” she encouraged.

“N-no. I was just wondering, uh, how you travel across, you know. A sea of sand.”

Her eyes widened, sparkling. “Camels!”

“Camels?”

“Come, let me show you!” She tugged at his shirt sleeve as she led him towards the cabin and her treasure trove of books.

Jonah took a step, and the world changed.

He was still on the ship, exactly one step away, but alone and in darkness.

Absolute, pure and overwhelming darkness.

Terror filled him but he withheld his scream when the light of a candle flickered into view.

“Jonah!” The sudden voice of the shipwright almost made him jump. “What are you doing here in the dark? Go to bed.”

Jonah looked around his surroundings, not that he could see much. Were it not for the swooshing of the sea and the gentle rocking of the ship, he wouldn’t have known where he was. He had been outside his room in the dark once, the very first night; that one experience was enough for him to hate it.

How did he even get here? Did he sleepwalk?

“Jonah, you OK?”

Jonah nodded, his throat tied up. He wasn’t sure if the man had seen him nod, but he didn’t care. He had other concerns.

An old but familiar feeling of warm liquid ran down his trousers, clinging cloth to his skin. In some ways, it was fortunate it was dark. It gave him a chance to wash his trews before anyone would notice the stain or smell. He would also need to get back to the deck and wipe it, or pray that the sea did the job for him.

The shipwright moved the lantern near his face, revealing his salt and peppered hair immaculately combed back, even at this hour, and his sunkissed skin that was adorned by a large beard.

“It's me, Jonah," he said softly.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Jonah felt insulted by that. He wouldn't have mistaken that voice even if he was deaf.

He also felt that he was being treated like a scared child, told it was safe in the dark.

Although, he did wet himself... Did the shipwright notice?

"Let’s go,” he said, breaking Jonah's introspection.

Jonah took a step, and the world changed.

He was still in the ship, exactly one step away, but with onlookers, and in chaos.

Absolute, pure and overwhelming chaos.

Fires blazed, and the sound of steel ringed the air like the bell of the ship. He could hear shouts of agony and anger, and could see lifeless eyes stare at him.

Jonah could feel warm liquid pool by his feet. When he looked down, he screamed at the crimson red that reflected his face.

“JONAH!” The sudden voice of the shipwright almost made him jump. “ GET IN THE CABIN! NOW!”

Jonah froze at the sight of a reaper.

The man's white beard had splatters of red, his hair was matted against his forehead and his eyes shone with fury. The shipwright was a looming figure, and the shadows of destruction only made him seem bigger.

“RUN!” the shipwright ordered.

Jonah took a hesitant step, and the world changed.

He was still on the ship, exactly one step away, but with silent spectators in a sombre mood.

It was a familiar scene, but something wasn’t right.

Jonah took a step and the world chan-

Jonah took a step, and -

Jonah ran.

Jonah ran and his life blurred before his eyes, moments of horror, delight and everything in between realised in an instant.

His heart raced with him, and he paused for a breath.

Then Jonah stood at the quarter-deck, watching into the distance. The sea was calm today. Far too calm. And the hair on Jonah’s arms rose in anticipation.

* * *

The film of his life finally finished flashing before him.

Jonah opened his eyes and the world around him was dark. He had to blink a few times to make sure his eyes truly were open. After confirming they were, and that he was no longer in a dream, he let out a breath of relief.

Did he? It seemed like he was breathing, but he couldn't feel it; he couldn't hear it. In fact, Jonah couldn't feel or hear anything. Nothing external at least.

His mind screamed at him and the pit of his stomach dropped, a reflection of the void around him.

"Where am I?"

Though his lips moved, Jonah didn't hear himself.

The description of space floated into Jonah's mind, a place that Delia described as silent, dark and with no air. But space was beyond the world they lived in.

"Is this it? The afterlife?" Who was he even speaking to? Even if anyone was there, could they have heard him? Jonah focused his muddled, floating thoughts to the present.

He had his life flash before his eyes. It was a common enough description from those who had near-death experiences. But no one said anything about waking up and floating in space.

Assuming he had died, was he now destined to float in an abyss for eternity? He mentally shuddered at the thought.

He turned his mind back to the dream: or rather, he thought about the life he had lived. Life before meeting the shipwright wasn’t really a life. It was simply surviving.

The second decade was, by no means easy, but Jonah felt content. Delia had said something during the shipwright's commemoration, and it had stuck with him. "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb."

Well, he had certainly grown to have a family. He smiled at that. Who would have thought Jonah Altrich would have a family. Not only that, he had a job! A job he loved.

Though he was a guard, he had fought no more than a dozen times a year. He didn't know how impressive that was, but the captain was proud. The old man spoke about how crews with units of soldiers endured more battles. He attributed it to Jonah's name and the ensign of the ship being feared in the pirating community.

Jonah didn't believe that, but he was still proud of his record. In a decade of service, there were only a handful of deaths. Most ships faced that many almost every year.

If there was one thing he was allowed to change, he would have changed his title. He bristled at even the thought.

Outside of his role, the sea also had wonder and beauty, as did the lands across the waters. He had never ventured far into port cities. But seeing, tasting and learning the different cultures was enjoyable, even if from afar. And especially more so with Delia, with her sapphire eyes shining with excitement.

His mind returned to a younger Delia, describing scenes from out of the world: A sea of sand. A land of trees. A field of something called snow.

The world was so wide, and though he never knew how credible the books she read were, Jonah wanted to see them. He wanted to marvel at the sights and learn.

He also wanted to show her.

He wanted to see the gleam In her eyes when what she read was reality, laid bare. He wanted to see the crescent moons and the warm smile that reached them. To hear the soft giggle of her laugh and see her hand reach her mouth, trying to contain the Joy of the world.

Jonah was content with his life, but he also wanted more: Adventure. Excitement. "Delia."

He said the words softly, and then the world changed.