All In A Nights Work

• Jane Thompson, Grade 6, Loreto College
• Short Story
• 2000

1st in the 'Story Writing Comp 2000' competition

"Danny, binoculars, quick" There were two of them, no three, what were they doing? They had something, a whale, it looked like one of those protected Minke Whales. They were dragging it on to their trawler. Why? For what purpose? Danny whispered "that's the lot in the paper Dad read out, remember? The whalers." I felt angry and helpless all at the same time. "Danny we must do something, we can't stand here and let this happen." Before I could say anything else Danny was in the dingy shouting, "quick Greg" In a flash I was in and we were on our way.

We made use of every shaft of light as the clouds drifted over the moon. The air was whipping a chill around our ears as we rowed across the small swell. My arms felt heavy and useless but I knew I had to keep going. The only relief I felt was when the dinghy bumped against the fishing trawler.

Quickly Danny grabbed the net on the side of the trawler. There was no time to feel tired. I grasped the net and followed Danny up the side. My feet hooked onto the net, my body tingled with fear, we raced up like Organ Grinder Monkeys. I rolled over onto the deck, luckily they were all busy preparing to transport the whale. We crept along like mice over to where the whale was lying, trapped like a rabbit in a snare. All that mattered to me was the survival of the whale.

I raced to the whale, my heart was thumping in my ears, my fingers were trembling, but I knew I had to work them to loosen the ropes. Rain started, it was stinging my eyes and bouncing of my fingers like darts as I tried to work. I looked up, and one of them was there standing right in front of me, yelling but I couldn't hear him. All I could think of was that I'd blown it now.

A light, it was a light that froze us, for a second it paralysed us with it's power. My senses were numbed.

Out of this terror came a life saving call, relief, I felt relief, it was the cops. The helicopter escorted the trawler into shore. I whispered to Danny, "were gonna be ok" Danny returned a half grin. We both knelt down along side the whale. Danny reassured it "you're gonna be ok." I felt its body, the tension had left the creature.

We pulled along side the jetty and the police came aboard. Dannys' Uncle Sam was in the force. The men were taken into custody and the Marine Biologist took the whale. We knew everything would be ok now. I looked out at the sea, it was calm. I felt part of that calm. I listened to the rhythm of the waves. The sky was tinted pink with the morning sun. It was over, a new day, a new beginning for the whale.