Whale Fall Stories | Cook’s Last Flight
Page 1
Cook and Hexen struggled to keep their balance as they soared from the steep Georgian cliffside towards the ocean. Faster, and faster they plummeted past groups of formally-dressed penguins and piles of lazy seals. Both friends effortlessly soared together until Cook spotter “her” in the distance and began to daydream.
Her name was Staith and she was the most gifted female albatross in their colony. Cook longed for the autumn when he would win her over and they would spend the rest of their lives crisscrossing the warm south Atlantic Ocean together.
“How can I ever hope to be with someone as wonderful as Staith?” sighed Cook longingly.
“Oh, you can do much better than Staith!” said Hexen, encouragingly.
Page 2
After months of preparation, Cook approached the bay where Staith liked to spend time. After summoning all of his courage, Cook swooped in beside her, raised his enormous 11 foot-wide wings, and began his dance. To his astonishment, Staith leaned into Cook and they quickly fell in love.
Miles away, Hexen patiently waited for Cook on the cliffside where they grew up. She lost track of time daydreaming about how she and Cook would spend the rest of their lives soaring across the briny waves together. However, as the sun started to set, she put the pieces together and her exuberance turned to sorrow and finally rage. “Life and Death shall roll their dice to determine the fate of Cook and Staith” Hexen whispered to herself as the sun drowned beneath the waves.
Page 3
Cook and Staith glided for days along with the warm current. “Come with me, I know a great lunch spot around here”, said Staith as she veered northward. “Wait for me!” shouted Cook as he struggled to keep up. The ocean turned from dark blue to maroon as the two love birds descended on an exuvia of crab shells — an all you can eat buffet!
“Where are we?” Asked Cook.
“It doesn’t have a name, the best places rarely do,” said Staith cleverly.
After lunch, the sky began to darken dramatically and almost all at once. “I guess lunch is canceled” joked Cook nervously. Staith nodded in agreement and they took off as the storm grew more severe around them.
“We have to hurry!” shouted Staith through the fierce wind.
“I’m flying as fast as I can!” pleaded Cook as he struggled against the relentless storm.
Cook wasn’t sure if he was even flying anymore as the sky blended into the sea around him. The dark, briny ocean beat on his wings and pushed him towards the grasping ocean until he was too weak to resist. “Don’t leave me!” Shouted Cook as Staith disappeared into the darkening distance.
Page 4
Just as quickly as it formed, the storm rapidly dissolved around the lone Albatross. Cook opened his wings in frustration and quickly flew back to the island, imagining all the ways Staith was going to tease him once he returned. The nest was empty when Cook arrived, and days turned into weeks as Cook desperately searched the island for his missing bride to be.
Eventually, Cook decided that Staith must have been turned around in the storm and followed his instinctual internal compass to find her. The ocean warmed after a few weeks as Cook crossed the equator and cooled again as he continued his search. Time began to slow for Cook and eventually lost all meaning as he surveyed the open ocean in miserable isolation.
Page 5
Months passed until one day Cook spotted a familiar maroon stain on the ocean’s surface. He descended in defeat and settled among the gentle waves of crustacean carcasses and contemplated putting an end to his search.
“What’s the point? I’m never going to be happy again…” He thought to himself as he lowered his head beneath the cruel waves.
Page 6
The waves began to oscillate with enthusiasm beneath Cook, forcing his head just above the foamy crests. Cook opened his eyes weakly until he was able to discern the dramatic outline of a ship in the distance. Cook’s head shot up with enthusiasm and no sooner than it had appeared, a large clipper ship was bearing down on him.
Ending option 1: He becomes the albatross on the front of the ship
Ending option 2: Staith is on the ship — SHE is the albatross : )
Ending option 3: Cook meets Cyprine, who helps him cope with and recover from his obvious trauma, grief, and depression.
Writing is hard…
Writing stories is hard… I’ve been writing stories for about two years now and I’ve managed to pin down my own “style”. I wrote this story over 6 months ago and I left it to languish in my “drafts” folder on Medium — which is a shame. One key takeaway I’m recognizing is that I can’t let “perfection” get in the way of publishing consistently.
So, here is me publishing something that I don’t think it “done” but I don’t have any more plans for.
