Whale Fall

Somewhere, in the endless blue ocean, a gigantic mammal shudders as it takes its last breath. Thanks to science, we know that all dogs go to heaven, but all whales descend through the murky depths until their carcasses litter the seabed. Imagine a giant dying. You can't. They are huge and endless. A towering presence which, so it seems, has always been part of our world. They dominate and are indomitable. It is simply unfathomable that they can ever end. Yet end they must. As the whale dies, we do not know what passes through its cavernous brain. But we do know what the rest of the ocean thinks. Lunch. The death of a whale is a thing to be celebrated. The thump of their still-warm body onto the floor is the starting bell for a feast. Some larger predators sense an easy meal and tear off the choicest morsels. But what of the scavengers? What about the new life not yet established? What happens to the weird little creatures just waiting for an energy boost? In many ways, it was…