We all be sailin' aboard me pirate ship, The Flying Down, with Capt'n Dreemie. Sailin' fast for Thursday's port -but we be headin' for a hidden sand bar! Unbeknownst to any pirate, this sand bar was newly created in the last storm of the area, and if we hit it - we'd be marooned there for days!
Lo and behold - a massive whale starts headin' our way...
"Capt'n! Whale off the port bow! She's headin' straight for us!!!"
Right before she hits me ship - she crests the water - almost takin' flight over the ship! She creates a MASSIVE SPLASH and wave that begins to push our ship out of the way of the sand bar.
"Blow me down!!! She's trying to steer us off course! All hands on deck!!!" I spin the wheel back on course and try to put us towards our treasure destination - heading BACK towards the sand bar.
Our story continues from the prompt above...
Quicker than you can imagine, this massive whale began swimming in circles around our ship. She was the biggest whale I had ever seen; her massive tale stirred the water powerfully. Keeping pace with us she stirred the water into a small whirlpool, then bigger, then bigger.
"She's pulling us into a whirlpool, Capt'n!"
"Aye, lad. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was tryin' to keep us from the treasure! But what can a whale want with pirate treasure??"
One of the captain's most knowledgable pirates slid up to have a little talk privately. "You know, Capt'n, there do be talk of a mystical whales of the seven seas. You don't suppose this be one of them?"
"Aye, I've also heard tales of these. There be three that I know of! Devlin - that mischievous rascal will take down a ship faster than we can imagine once its mind is set to destruction. Caper - that one? Less is known, but from the little I've heard - that whale can get you lost for years after blowing you off course! Then there's Aida, the Giving Whale. They say she has a very special sign that gives her identity - but narry a pirate has ever shared the secret. In all me sailin' days, I've never come upon any of the whales meself! If this one be Devlin or Caper - we have trouble upon us, so let's say a quick prayer to Poseidon that Aida be in our midst!"
"But how are we to know ,Capt'n?"
With a grunt, Capt'n Dreemie pulled the wheel with all her might to head into the direction of the whirlpool. "Lad, we've no time to decide. Either, it's Aida and she's helping, or its one of the other two and we have the fight of our lives ahead of us!"
As the ship fought against the circular pull of the whirlpool, her starboard side raised up at a sharp angle. "We're heeling, Capt'n!"
"Aye, mates! Head to the windward side and grab a line! I'll be usin' the speed of this pool to slingshot us right back out, and back on course for the treasure in no time!" The Capt'n muttered quietly under her breath, "..unless the devil has a caper set for us."
Pulling round the curve of the pool and with the wind filling the mainsail, the ship sped up against the force of the whirlpool. The massive whale had done a masterful job of trying to contain the ship, but it was no match for the captain's years of sailing. Cresting the top of the last wave with huge surge, the ship was free!
"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!!!" shouted the crew in unison as they had once again had escaped death with their Captain at the Helm. They watched as the whale swam full speed away from the ship, but unbeknownst to them, they were still headed straight for the sand bar.
"Stay alert, me hearties! I doubt we're through this yet! Keep a steaady eye on that whale, methinks that one is up to something!"
Every sail was open and filled to the brim with wind pushing the ship at full speed. Capt'n Dreemie could see the island coming into view and knew once she got closer to the island they'd be clear of the ire of the whale. She just needed to push the ship with all she had in her! Just then... her keen-eyed pirate in the crow's nest shouted down to all within earshot.
"Thar she blows!!!!"
All eyes turned to the pirate hanging from the top of the mast, and saw the long arm pointing in the direction of the whale. It had turned 180 degrees and was approaching fast! Like a submarine on a mission for destruction, the whale was heading straight for them. Within 30 seconds, it would have a direct impact and crush the ship!
"Sink me, Capt'n!! We'll be marooned!" one of the youngerer pirates cried out.
"Nay!" an older pirate took off his bandana and swatted the pirate upside the head. "I've been with the captain for years and she's always found a way out. Have a little faith and get yerself ready to see somethin' amazin!!!"
The Captain smiled at her old friend, but inside, for the first time - she wondered if they would make it. But what was there to do but try? She pushed the ship to its limit, trying to outrun the whale. And then!
"Land ho!!!!" A shout came that sent ice water through the captain's veins. She knew they were still too far out for it to be the island, so it had to be...
"A sand bar - straight head, Captain!" came the shout from the crow's nest.
There was no time to turn before impact, the ship was going too fast. With a heavy heart, the Captain realized she had finally met an obstacle that she couldn't overcome. Now she could see the lighter color of the water over the sandbar, and determined it would be less than 20 seconds to impact.
"Blow me down, Cap!!!! I see it!! I see the sign!!!!"
All eyes turned to face the pirate hanging over the side of the ship, pointing towards the approaching whale. From its blowhole, under the water, little yellow shapes were spiraling into the water.
The Captain shielder her eyes with one hand, and held the wheel with the other... was it... could it be???
"YELLOW HEARTS!!! It be Aida, me hearties!!!"
The pirate captain did a quick assessment, the whale was less than 10 seconds from reaching the ship - if she was Aida, and the captain knew she was... she knew what the whale was doing!
"Alright Lady Aida!!! I see yer plan and wished I had seen it before! But it's not too late - we'll do this together!" Back at the wheel, the captain headed straight for the sand bar. The newer pirates cried out in anguish, thinking they were at their end, while the older pirates recognized what was happening and shouted out in a huge round of "Hurrahhhh!!!".
The youngest pirate counted down until the ship would have an impact from one end or the other, thinking he was counting down his own demise. "Impact in 5....4....3..."
The whale submerged in the final seconds, pushing deep under the ship and then.... BLEW!
Showers of yellow hearts BURST from the blowhole at full force, lifting the ship airborn with the speed from the Captain and the force from the whale. The pirate ship soared on a blanket of yellow stars with the whale flying beneath them. Both ship and whale formed a perfect arc over the sandbar, with the whale diving down into the water first and the ship splashing down safely beyond the obstacle and heading on course for the treasure.
Shimmering yellow hearts dissolved into fizzing bubbles as they swirled deep under the waves. Before she was too far away, the Captain yelled out to the whale.
"Ye be the best of them all, Aida! We never be forgettin' the likes of ye!!!"
As a final goodbye, she crested the water and shot out one more beautiful burst of yellow hearts.
"Ahhh. So that's why she be called Aida. She be comin' to the aid of sailors in desperate need?" said the youngest pirate.
"Not just sailors in desperate need, me hearty," said the older pirate. "But only the pirates that have hearts as pure as hers."
They all shared a glance amongst each other, happy to be on the sea, happy to be alive, and happy to be pirates that dreem together.
ecency art by @dunsky
This post has been an entry for the NAME THE WHALE contest. The deadline for this contest was Friday on DreemPort - however, you can still join and meet the Ececny deadline for 4pm EDT on Sunday Sept 18th. So feel free to have fun with this and join in the naming contest! Be creative! and enjoy!! Be sure to drop your link on @melinda010100's post above - so that she can see your entry! Also free free to use the #namethewhale tag for visibility too!