The Song of the Whale

A Non-Iggy Tale to Share

Sun hanging low over the ocean

Lulu adored games and couldn’t stand being alone. Thankfully, she was gifted with the most beautiful voice in her dolphin pod so she rarely spent a moment alone which suited her best. She’d only need to sing and her voice pulled calves from far across the water to play her games, like the pied piper.

One day she was playing hide and seek with her friends and was quite proud of herself; she’d found an amazing spot behind a forest of bull kelp where no one would ever find her. She knew she had won the game but at the expense of her good mood; she was miserably bored. She couldn’t handle one more second alone. She swished her tail to return to the pod but was stopped by a voice floating on the currents. It was no song she recognized and painful in it’s sadness. How could someone be so miserable on this beautiful day? She followed the tortured melody through the clear still ocean until she came upon the source: a young humpback whale.

The whale turned from her, hiding his pain behind the curvature of his back.

“Hi, I am Lulu,” she said with a cheery and soothing melody. “Why are you so sad, my friend?”

He turned ever so slightly to allow one curious eye to take her in before flicking his chin away from her.

“Friend, please speak to me. Perhaps I can help.”

“You can’t help me,” the poor creature moaned without turning, his hump protruding as he cowered under his shoulders.

“Well, you won’t know if you don’t let me try.”

The whale calf swished around and Lulu stilled as his large eye took her in.

“I am Wuka. I was separated from my pod by a cluster of fishing boats. I was so frightened that I swam away from my momma.”

“Oh, no,” Lulu lamented.

“I’m so tired. I’m sure I’ve been swimming in circles all day.”

“I can help, dear Wuka. I’m very fast and great at hide and seek.”

“I must be so terribly far from her because I have been singing all day and my momma hasn’t found me.”

Lulu’s heart broke. She could not imagine being alone for more than a few minutes, an entire day would be pure torture. She had to make it right.

“Wuka, I’ll find your momma.”

“You will?”

“Yes. Do you see that island over there?”

“Yes.”

“That’s Crystal Island. It’s shaped like a crescent moon. In the middle you’ll find shelter and lots of krill in the shallows.”

Wuka’s eyes brightened. “Thank you, Lulu. I don’t know how you’ll do it but feel blessed with your kindness to try. I’m so tired.”

“Go rest and I’ll bring her back to you.”

Lulu turned to leave but swivelled back. “How will I know your momma?”

“She has a cluster of barnacles on her chin in the shape of a heart.”

Lulu sped away, singing Wuka’s song at the top of her lungs. She was relentless. There was no way she’d let her new friend down. She stopped each humpback whale to search out the heart. If it was not there she’d speed away. She had no time for long conversations and it’s common knowledge that when whales are not feeding they are much too keen to chat. She searched all day. As the sun sank low over the sea she feared that the expansive ocean may be the victor this time. If the game was lost, it would be Wuka, not her, that would be the one defeated. She couldn’t let him down.

She had no idea which way to go. She rested next to an iceberg and sang Wuka’s song. It had no cheerfulness this time. She was tired and sad, worried she had failed her new friend. Lulu’s voice hummed through the water, tossing a small school of fish around in the vibrations like little gyrating dancers.

A tickle slipped along her small frame, quieting her. A voice much louder than hers moved the water in swirls. It was Waku’s song but it couldn’t be him. Lulu was too far from Crystal Island to feel his vibrations. The notes of the sad song wrapped her like an embrace.

A great swish churned the water and she was thrown into a torrent. When the water calmed she was face to face with a giant heart shape made of barnacles.

“Oh, dear, oh, dear,” Lulu sung joyfully, leaping up out of the water. “I know you, mamma humpback.”

“How do you know me?” she asked. “I have no dolphin calves. Where did you come to learn that song?”

“Oh, silly, silly, dear.” Lulu laughed. “I learned it from Wuka. I can bring you to him.”

It was a long swim back to Crystal Island and the sun’s work was nearly complete for the day. It would soon be dark but Lulu was not thinking of home. She was ignited, pulsing even as they sang a new song that had magically come upon the two species as they swam side by side. The song spoke of family and friendship and their joyful, bright future. As they came around the point of the crescent another voice joined in perfect harmony. Wuka’s mamma roared loudly as she neared her lost boy, swimming so fast that Lulu could hardly keep up. As they rounded into the center of the cove Wuka charged, singing loud and strong. They had found each other.

Lulu watched with pride as the reunited nuzzled noses. She'd done what was promised and had won the game. Tears of joy added salt to the water as she quietly slipped away, not wanting to disturb the happy pair. But as she glided out of the cove, Wuka’s voice hit her tail, and bounced her around with a song of a new friendship that would stay strong for many tides. He would never forget her kindness nor her persistence. They were friends for life now.

Wuka nudged her with his enormous snout. “Before I go, promise you’ll listen for me when we return next spring. My mamma will teach me your beautiful song so you’ll know it’s me.”

“Of course, I will listen for you, dear friend.”

Shadows stretched across the bay as they parted ways. Lulu quickly found her pod and they continued to feed and play until the moon rose to take her position in the night sky.

Each spring, Lulu would sing just a little bit quieter for fear that she’d miss Wuka but she never did. His lungs grew along with his body and he was soon as loud as the bellowing of a ship’s horn. The vibrations would pull her through the currents. As she followed his voice, she would weave her own new melodies around his notes and the world below the surface would quiet and listen.