The ocean was crystal clear as a cleanly cut sapphire. The morning rays of dawn beamed through the undulating waters, cutting through the waves. A pod of humpback whales was swimming gracefully below the surface. There were three whales in all; a mother, an escort, and a calf. The calf had a playful nature- she was spinning and twirling through the water, whistling happily. The mother watched her affectionately, occasionally calling out here and there to make sure her daughter was alright. The escort merely rolled his eyes at the childish antics of the calf. The three have been searching for swarms of krill to feed on, however they hadn’t had any luck thus far. The mother was worried- her calf needed to be fed, yet she didn’t have the means to feed her. She noticed that her calf had gotten far ahead of her. She let out a warning whistle.
“Slow down, my dear.”
The little calf opened her mouth to respond, but she was interrupted by an enormous roar that struck raw fear into the mother whale’s heart.
The Beast.
The Beast is here.
The Beast was the scourge of the ocean, more fearsome and deadly than the biggest shark. It had smooth, impenetrable skin and one large fin in the back, which only moved when it wished to change directions. The Beast was propelled forward by an invisible force that left a powerful jet of froth in its wake. It cut through the water in the most unnatural way, and its pointed head was dreadful to behold. Yet the most feared and terrifying part of the Beast was its large, gaping maw. It was like a large spider web, almost invisible and tightly woven, perfect for feasting on all sorts of prey. The Beast’s maw was able to ensnare and crush all that crossed its path, and it devoured anything that was unlucky enough to get stuck in its great mouth. The mother’s heart was pounding, and sheer terror filled her senses as the Beast reared its curved head. Her calf was the closest to it, far away from her mother and the escort. She was frozen in the water, staring up at the stark white belly of the Beast as it approached. The mother whale called anxiously to her daughter, whistling and clicking with desperate urgency.
“Swim, my daughter! Swim!”
The calf finally snapped out of her paralyzed state and burst forward towards her mother. The Beast was still coming, its jaws open wide, hungry for a kill. The calf swam as fast as she could, but she was exhausted from her earlier play and the Beast was picking up speed. The mother called out again, anxiously encouraging her daughter to move faster.
“Quickly! Quickly, my darling! You’re so close-”
The Beast unleashed another booming roar, drowning out the panicked words of the mother whale. The calf let out a high pitched whistle of pure terror as the Beast’s jaws closed in around her. She thrashed, trying to escape, but it only entangled her more. The webbing kept her ensnared, and it cut into her flesh as she helplessly flailed. The calf wailed once more as the maw began to lift, slowly scooping her out of the water like a giant curved tongue. The mother whale could only watch as the Beast consumed her precious daughter, lifting her to the surface where the rest of the Beast awaited. The calf, still whistling shrilly, disappeared into the unknown above. The Beast roared one last time, before falling silent, unmoving. The mother waited underneath, hoping, praying that the Beast would feel a shred of mercy and return her daughter. Moments passed, but the Beast didn’t relinquish the calf. Eventually, the Beast growled and seemed to reawaken from its previous stupor. The Beast began to move, and the two whales stared hopelessly as it slowly turned away and swam off, taking the poor calf with it.
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Overwhelming grief plagued the mother without ceasing. The escort tried to comfort her, softly whistling kind things into her ear, but it was no use, for her heart and will were broken beyond repair. She never spoke, though she occasionally let out a heart-wrenching, mournful wail of despair that seemed to echo across the sea. The two swam silently together, side by side, as the sun sank beneath the waves and sky began to darken.
The pair approached a clearing, silent and devoid of any fish or cetacean. A pile of pebbles sat on the sandy floor. The pile was huge, consisting of thousands and thousands of smooth stones. The stones were completely untouched, having not a single barnacle, starfish, or urchin. Even the seaweed grew far away from the mound, like somehow it sensed its sacred aura.
The mother whale gently used her fin to scoop up a little pebble from the nearby sand. Somberly, she placed the small stone onto the pile with a certain quiet reverence. Her eyes rested on the pebble, glistening with a deep sadness. She began to sing. At first, it was quiet, but then her voice grew louder and louder as she poured all her sorrow and misery into the hauntingly beautiful notes of her whale song. Her escort joined in, his low, rich tones harmonizing with hers.
Suddenly, the pure voices of unseen whales rang out from the blue, melancholy and powerful. Soon the entire ocean was filled with the bittersweet symphony of the whales, mourning yet another loss. The mother whale felt her heart strengthened by the melodies of her fellow whales, her grief softened with newfound peace. As the song began to fade, she tilted her head up at the night sky, letting it bathe in the soft glow of the moon. Millions of diamond-bright stars were scattered across inky darkness above, glittering in a way similar to how the eye glitters with tears. The mother whale gazed up at them as she whispered her last goodbye.
I’ll never forget you, my sweet daughter.
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