P8

	"Wow!" Junior cried. A gigantic creature with huge eyes was gazing up from the water at him. It was a whale. He realized that he was standing on its back. While on the ship, he had gathered that whales were big, but he did not understand how huge they were until he was standing on one of them.   "Gee, this whale will make about a thousand cans of meat -- no, much much more," he blurted out. Realizing he had made a stupid remark, he immediately shut his mouth fearing that the whale might have heard his words. If it got angered, he feared the whale would swallow him in a gulp. In an attempt to appease him, he licked the whale's back several times in spite of the whale's bitter, salty taste. Then he felt a jolting sensation. The whale was chuckling.   "You are the one who saved my life?" he timidly asked the whale.   "No, I did nothing much," the whale replied. "I saw you floating in the ocean, and I just gave you a ride on my back. You were lucky. A god, I say, the god of the cats protected you. But I don't think I can help you any more. I am so exhausted and weak."   Now the whale's voice sounded feeble.