Then BillFi cried out, “Hey!” and Arthur said “Oh, shit!” and Dawn said, “Oh, goddess!” The three of them lunged to the port side and searched the water for signs of their friend. They could see nothing but beams of sunlight filtering through the green murk below. “Where is he?” Dawn asked frantically. “He’s stuck to the damn whale!” BillFi said. “He put his hands down in there, and the net got him! He’s stuck to the damn whale!” Arthur looked in all directions for signs of Ibis. He saw nothing but barren waves. “Whales can stay under for a long time,” he said. “Longer than Jesse can hold his breath.” “Jesse!” Dawn yelled. “Jesse!” No reply. On board the Dreadnought, the crew had gathered anxiously at the rail. There was nothing anyone could do but watch. “The float!” Arthur said. “The big pink float. Jesse hooked it onto the net before he went over. It’s on a long line. It’ll come up before Ibis does.” They scanned the waves, the horizon, the water.
