Sensational stories spread overnight. “Man Swallowed Alive by Whale!” dominated newspapers and screens. Some painted him as Jonah reborn, others as a miracle survivor. Nathaniel cringed at the headlines, knowing each distorted the reality. People craved drama, but he had tasted something gentler, stranger, harder to explain in neat lines.
When pressed for interviews, Nathaniel spoke carefully. “It didn’t try to eat me,” he repeated. “It carried me.” Yet skepticism greeted his words. Scientists demanded proof, reporters demanded spectacle. Few believed his tale of intention. Yet within his crew’s eyes, he saw recognition. They, too, had glimpsed something extraordinary.