Whale Song

The ocean was deep and blue and endless. Nalu, a young humpback whale, had drifted away from his pod while chasing a school of silver fish.

When he looked up, his mother, aunts and cousins were gone. All he could see was blue in every direction.

Nalu's heart pounded. Then he remembered what his mother had taught him: "Whales don't find each other with their eyes. We find each other with our songs."

Sound travels much farther and faster in water than it does in air. A whale's song can travel for many miles under the sea.

Nalu closed his eyes and listened. He heard the click-click of dolphins. He heard the crackle of shrimp. He heard the rumble of a faraway ship.

Then — very faint — he heard it: a long, low moan that rose into a high, sweet whistle. It was his mother's song!

Nalu sang back as loudly as he could, a deep "Whoooooo-oooop!" that rolled through the water.

He swam toward the sound. It grew louder and louder. He passed a coral reef glowing with colorful fish and a sea turtle who nodded hello.

Finally, a huge shape appeared in the blue. His mother! She wrapped her long fin around him, and the whole pod sang together.

"You listened carefully," she said. "That's how you found your way home."

That night, as the pod swam north toward cooler waters, Nalu practiced his song. One day, he would sing to guide someone else home.

⭐ The End ⭐