Suddenly, something swept past the narrow gap in front of him. This time Nathaniel saw it clearly. A shark. His breathing stopped for a second. The animal turned and came back, circling close to the whale. “That’s what I saw,” Nathaniel whispered.
Then the whale shifted its body between Nathaniel and the shark. Its tongue pressed him more firmly into place. Nathaniel stared into the darkness. A strange thought came to him. “You didn’t take me because you wanted to eat me,” he murmured. “You’re keeping me away from that.”