THE WHALE THAT WAVED BACK
OLD CHAK'CHAK WAS STANDING IN THE SURF with his net catching smelt fish when he noticed a whale some distance offshore. The whale rolled over in the water slowly and lifted its fin. It was waving. So old Chak'chak lifted his arm and waved too.
The whale must have seen it because it spouted a huge plume of water from its blowhole before swimming away. Old Chak'chak didn't think much of it until he started seeing the whale more often.
Over the next couple of days, he spotted the whale waving from the shore. He spotted the whale waving from the rocks. He spotted the whale while he was on the beach frying fish. Each time, old Chak'chak waved back. The whale would see that and know it was him and spout water.
Then came a horrible storm that ransacked the coast, snapping trees in half, and capsizing any ship that was still out there. Old Chak'chak was sucked out by a big wave while trying to secure his boat to the dock.
He was close to drowning when the whale saw him flailing in the water.
The whale swam underneath old Chak'chak and lifted him up. It carried him faraway to where there was no storm and where the weather was warm. It carried him all the way back when the storm was over and dropped him off in the shallows. Old Chak'chak swam home where his neighbors were surprised to find him still alive.
After getting to shore, old Chak'chak turned and waved. The whale waved back.