A turn of events perhaps unexpected by the reader, but many of the previous mysteries finally find their explanation, and the story has a vision of new life.

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Chapter 24

The Whale

Less than two days after Quack’s return home, a great blue whale swam north off the coast of Washington state. He swam slowly on the surface. If someone had been watching from above, he would have seen a small black and white form lying on the whale’s head, near the blow-hole. If that imaginary person came lower for a closer look, he might have heard the whale’s low voice saying, “Hopper, Hopper, wake up, Hopper.”
Yes, Hopper! The little Rockhopper was alive, although he was unconscious riding on the whale’s head.
“Hopper, Hopper.” The penguin stirred a bit and groaned, “Oooh, where am I? Am I dead? Is that you, Creator? I didn’t think we animals had an afterlife. Ooooh.”
“No, Hopper, I’m not the Creator. I’m a whale. He made me, too.”
Hopper leapt to his feet and saw the waves splashing past him on both sides. “A whale!” His last memory was the whale’s mouth gulping him, and then all was dark and not very nice smelling.
“Don’t be afraid, Hopper. I’m your friend. Didn’t you ever hear about Jonah? He was swallowed by a great fish and lived in there for three days. I figured if a fish could do that, so could I. Now the seals think you’re dead.”
“What about Quack? Where’s he?”
“Well, Quack tried to run me aground for a few days, but I sent him home. I couldn’t tell him you were still alive. I was afraid he’d let the secret out. But he’ll be all right. He’s with his family now. He’ll be amassing a great duck air force to come after me. Then I’ll tell him what has happened.”
“You mean I won’t see him anymore?”
“You knew the time would come for you to go your separate ways. He had to return to his family. You knew that.”
“Well, yes. But we didn’t even get to say good-bye.”
Hopper rode in silence for a long time on the whale’s head. He thought of his great times with good old Quack, Harley Q. Duck, the best friend a penguin could have.
Then he started to wonder about this whale. How did he know what Quack was doing? How did he know about the seals’ attacks against him? How did he even know who he and Quack were? He almost felt as if the whale knew everything he’d been through.
“How do you know about Quack and me?” he finally asked. “And how do you know about the seals?”
“Well, Hopper, first of all, it’s not that I’m that smart or that great, although I am pretty big. In fact, I’m considered the biggest animal in the world. But there is someone who is a lot bigger than I am, even though you can’t see him, and he’s the one who has all the wisdom. I’ve swum with him for a long, long time, and he told me to watch out for you. He keeps me informed of things I couldn’t normally see.”
“But who are you?”
“I’m just a whale. My name is Whilliam Blue Whale. My friends call me Bhill or Bhill Blue. You can call me Bhill if you like.”
“Bhill? Bhill Blue? Dad Emmett told me about you long ago, at least it seems like long ago. I never thought I’d get to meet you!
“Ah, yes. Emmett is a great friend. I haven’t been around to see him in a long time, but I’ve been glad to watch over his boy.”
“So that was you who made that sound whenever danger was near? It was you who saved me from the shark and the squid, and who warned me not to listen to the Quetzal bird. I’m sorry I didn’t heed your warning. And then you remained silent before swallowing me so that the seals wouldn’t know you were coming. Was that it?”
“Yes, you’ve figured it out. And sometimes Hummer has told me more about where you are and what you’re doing.”
“Thank you for saving my life on this journey. I’ve been through a lot, but I guess I’m learning. I hope someday to swim and hop with our Creator as you swim with him now. Too often I forget to call on him, except when I’m in trouble.”
“Don’t worry, little fellow. It’s all in his plans.”
Hopper and his newly discovered friend were heading north off the coast of Washington, near the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where Puget Sound enters the Pacific Ocean. As they swam along they talked of many things. Bhill was able to fill him with rich thoughts just as old Mendicule and Galoppy had. He was thinking how great this was to have such a wise friend and to be able to travel with him in all the oceans. Maybe Bhill would even take him home.
Then Bhill said, “Well, Hopper, my little friend, here’s the Strait. I have to leave you here. I can’t go any farther. There’s no room for a Blue Whale there. And I’m called back to the south. There’s a certain young southern fur seal who needs my help. He was bold enough to speak out against how other seals had treated a certain young penguin. They all turned against him, and now he’s on his own. If they find him, well… I need to help him.”
“Is his name See?”
“Yes, that’s the one. I must go now…”
“But can’t I go with you?”
“That would defeat the purpose of the Jonah trick. The seals think you’re dead. You don’t want them to see you anymore. You have other adventures and other challenges to face, other creatures to deal with. Now you must swim east into the Strait, and I must head south. Good-bye Hopper, little friend. The great one who made us all will be with you.”
“Bye, Bhill Blue, and thank you for everything.”
Bhill lifted his tail in the air and then dove underwater. Hopper was left to swim on his own. He headed east. As he dove under he heard the once mysterious sound again, but this time he knew it wasn’t a warning, but good-bye.