whale

I was a young male whale, swimming in the protected shallows off one side of a coastal point. The other side of the point faced the ocean. The older and bigger male whales had gathered and I was among them, excited as this was to be my first swim out in the deeper and wilder waters of the ocean. We swam around the point and into the sea, and then headed straight out into the tumultuous ocean. The waves were enormous, rising and swelling before cresting and crashing. I bravely ventured further out and found myself slightly ahead of the pod. Suddenly I could see a vast cliff ahead with tall terraced houses perched on top - a city towering above the ocean. The cliff was crumbling and the houses and buildings were falling into the ocean, shooting debris down into the water, which ricocheted and tumbled through the waves dangerously. The other male whales headed back to the coast but I was too far ahead to retreat. I dived down as far under the water as I could go, swimming hard and avoiding the rocks, bricks and rubble that shot like bullets through the dark. I knew that the other whales would be concerned and, when I could wait no longer, I swam directly up and up, not sure if the danger had subsided or at least calmed. I burst through the surface of the water and launched into the air, triumphant that I had survived such a disastrous first swim. I could sense the great relief of the other whales who waited for me some distance away.