P13

	He asked Senior, "Do you like to sing songs and jump in midair?"   "Yes. I am a humpback whale. Among all the species of whales we are the best singers and jumpers."   "Well, can I ask another question?"   "Go ahead."   "How come you can jump in midair when you weigh so much?"   He had seen the whales jumping when he was on the ship, but he still could not believe that a whale as big as Senior could jump so well. "How can a whale, as big and heavy as you are, lift your own body out of the water? It seems impossible to me."   Senior paused and said as if to assure himself. "My friends help. We give each other the signal to start. We swim faster and faster, building up our speed. Then we dart upwards breaking the water's surface, into the air. After pushing our bodies up out of the water, we lower our heads and dive back into the sea while banging our tails on the water's surface. It's fun and gives me a thrill. We sometimes compete to see who are the best and longest jumpers. You are a cat, Junior, so you probably don't understand what a pleasure it is."   It was hard for Junior to imagine jumping out of the water as play. He hated water! He was light and he had easily chased rolling balls, and leapt up into the air to catch flying insects. Whales could do big things with their big bodies, he thought.