Page 63 of Leveling

Beckett grabbed the pole above the blade with both hands, then placed his feet against the side of the ship and shoved away, adding force and power to the blade’s pull and tear. The blade ripped through a quarter of the rope’s strands.

A cheer rose up from the Zodiac and onboard the ship.

Dan held the other blade the same way, and in unison he and Beckett put their feet on the ship, “One! Two! Three!” They shoved away yanking the knives against the rope. Beckett’s cut most of the way through, just a few strands left. He pulled the rope with his left hand toward the knife in his right hand with another, probably his last, surge of strength.

Finally, with a rip, the rope released.

It yanked from Beckett’s grip, burning across his left palm. At the same time the curved sharp knife sliced through Beckett’s right palm. Then the whale’s fluke flipped upward and splashed downward, so close to Beckett’s shoulder, that the force of it shoved Beckett down into the ocean. Deep below.

Beckett saw nothing but splash, felt nothing but searing pain in both hands and a pressure all around. Then he was deep. So deep that everything became quiet and calm. He opened his eyes to see the whale’s tail move up and down in the water, effortlessly, propelling itself in a big wide circle, until it’s head,

it’s eye,

slowly

looked at Beckett

and Beckett stared down deep into the whale’s eye.

One moment, eye to eye.

The hand crank on what made sense about the world stopped turning.

This was it.

That eye, that whale, looking right at Beckett.

Then the whale swam away, growing smaller and smaller, into the deep endless blue.

Beckett scratched for the surface.

Black neoprene-covered arms wrapped around his chest and pulled him up and he gained air just as his lungs wanted to give up.

Dan dragged him shoulders first into the inflatable boat. Someone tugged his legs aboard. Dr. Mags said, “His hand is bleeding, both his hands are bleeding. Tell Sarah I need my kit.”

Dan dropped into the water, swam three strokes, and climbed the ladder. “Doc needs the first aid kit.”

Jeffrey was beside Beckett his head bobbing, looking away, “You good man—you okay?”

Beckett nodded.

“You scared us, but man, you got through the rope, that was awesome.”

Beckett nodded again, then turned to the side and vomited sea water all over the bottom of the boat.

---