nce upon a time, in the ancient seas of the world, there lived a pod of humpback whales. The whales all lived in harmony, singing happy whale songs to one another and blowing great spouts of water from their blowholes when they surfaced for air. For many years the whales lived this way, but the year in which our story takes place was a particularly happy year, for one of the whales, Brisbane, was pregnant with a calf. Her and her mate Lawrence were overjoyed because they had had such difficulty conceiving a child in previous years that they feared it would never happen. As is the way with all pregnant humpbacks, Brisbane's appetite grew, for now she was eating not only for herself but for her unborn calf as well. Lawrence would help all that he could, dutifully collecting for her all the capelin and herrings he could find. One day, however, Brisbane was struck with a desire for krill. There was krill nearby, but it was forbidden. The krill belonged to an old, lone humpback named Eutheria who's pod had abandoned her years ago because she was a sea-witch. Every whale in the sea, from the Sei to the Blue, knew and feared Eutheria, for it was rumored that she was so powerful that not even Architeuthis, the giant squizard of the deep, was able to subdue her. Regardless, Brisbane's craving for krill was so dire that her health began to wane, and Lawrence feared both her and the unborn calf would die unless he were able to procure some. Under cover of night, he snuck up to Eutheria's krill garden, broke through her bubble netting, and took some krill to bring back to Brisbane. Sure enough, Brisbane's health improved, thus emboldening Lawrence to try and steal some krill the next night as well. Again, Lawrence snuck into Eutheria's krill garden and brought some back for Brisbane. Surely the krill had been enchanted, for now Brisbane was more lively and energetic than ever. So thrilled was he to see his mate in such high spirits that Lawrence decided he would try once more to fetch her some krill. On the third night, however, just as Lawrence was approaching Eutheria's krill garden, Eutheria appeared behind him. She was as displeased with Lawrence as a sea-witch can be, and threatened to kill his entire pod as punishment. Lawrence pleaded for his pod, and pleaded for the lives of Brisbane and the unborn calf. Finally, Eutheria agreed to let Lawrence go on the condition that when his calf was born, it would be given to Eutheria as payment for the stolen krill. Fearing the sea-witch's wrath, Lawrence had no choice but to agree, and ten months later, when Brisbane gave birth, Eutheria appeared and stole the calf away. She called the calf Krillpunzel, and raised her as her own.
or many years, Eutheria and Krillpunzel lived in this way, isolated from the rest of the world. Eutheria taught Krillpunzel the ways of being a whale, and used her sea-witch magicks to groom her into the prettiest and most alluring whale she could be. In time, Krillpunzel grew to be a beautiful young humpback, who's enchanting and complex whale songs could be heard throughout the seas. Drawn by the beautiful melodies they heard carried on the ocean currents, whale suitors would occasionally seek Krillpunzel out, only to be frightened off by the jealous and fearsome Eutheria. Wanting to keep Krillpunzel all to herself, Eutheria used a sea spell to command the coral to construct a mighty atoll in which Krillpunzel would be kept. The walls of the atoll were so high that no whale could breach them, and even Eutheria herself could not gain entry by conventional means. Krillpunzel had unknowingly learned a magic song from Eutheria in her youth called "Let Down Your Baleen," and Eutheria had told the coral who built the atoll to open a hidden door whenever Krillpunzel sang it. Every day, Eutheria would go to the atoll and say "Krillpunzel, Krillpunzel, Let Down Your Baleen," and when Krillpunzel sang the magic song, the sea-witch would be allowed to enter. Eutheria was very happy with this arrangement, as she did not ever have to share the pleasure of Krillpunzel's company with anybody else. Krillpunzel, on the other hand, quickly grew weary of her new living quarters. She was lonesome and bored, and would pass the time the only way she knew how- by singing. Krillpunzel spent many years passing the time this way, with Eutheria visiting every afternoon to bring food and spend time together. One day, a rogue humpback happened to be feasting in the neighborhood of the atoll and overheard Krillpunzel singing. The beautiful melody had an overpowering effect on him, and he fell in love. Determined to find the cetacean enchantress who's song he had heard, he swam all around the atoll searching for a way in, but could not find any. He searched until the sun set and the moon rose, and then he kept searching until the dawn broke and the day began, but he could not find a way in. Then, just as he was giving up hope, Eutheria approached. He had heard the legends about her, and so he hid behind a rock to avoid her gaze. Eutheria swam up to the atoll and said "Krillpunzel, Krillpunzel, Let Down Your Baleen," at which point the hidden door opened and she went inside. The rogue whale was thrilled, and his heart beat so fast that he thought for sure his hiding spot would be given away. It wasn't, and when Eutheria left he swam up to the atoll and said "Krillpunzel, Krillpunzel, Let Down Your Baleen."
rillpunzel sang the secret song, and the hidden door was once again revealed. When he entered, he was taken aback by how beautiful Krillpunzel was, and Krillpunzel was taken aback to see someone who was not Eutheria. He gave her a piece of kelp that he had picked for her, and they talked for hours. Krillpunzel told the rogue whale about how she came to be trapped in the atoll, and the rogue whale, who's name was Timothy, told Krillpunzel of all the wonderful things outside the atoll. He told her that he loved her, and they mated. Krillpunzel loved Timothy, too, but was afraid of what Eutheria would do if she found out about their coupling. They decided that Timothy had better leave before Eutheria returned, and so Timothy left the atoll, promising to return. The next day, when Eutheria came by, she noticed the piece of kelp that Timothy had given Krillpunzel. Knowing that she had not brought the kelp in, she reasoned that Krillpunzel had had a visitor, and she again grew jealous. Furious that Krillpunzel would be so ingrateful as to allow anyone else into the atoll, Eutheria put a curse on her that rendered her mute and then cast her out into the sea. Krillpunzel immediately began to search for Timothy, but not having swum in the open sea for many years, she quickly became disoriented and got lost. Not knowing what had transpired, Timothy returned that night as he had promised. When he called "Krillpunzel, Krillpunzel, Let Down Your Baleen," the hidden door opened and he swam inside. Timothy was surprised, though, for Krillpunzel was gone, and Eutheria, the sea witch whom he feared, had taken her place. Eutheria knew at once that Timothy was the forbidden visitor. Her spite and her rage knew no bounds, and so she blinded him to prevent him from ever finding Krillpunzel again. Determined to prove the sea-witch wrong, Timothy set out to find his beloved Krillpunzel. Timothy swam and swam and swam, but he could not find her. He swam until his tail was sore and his flippers felt dead from exhaustion, but he did not give up. He swam into countless sea-crags and piers for he could not see, but still he searched for Krillpunzel. After years of searching, Timothy finally gave up, and settled onto a sand bar. Just then, in the distance, he heard a song that he had not heard in ages. Finding renewed vigor for his quest, he swam towards the source of the song. When he got closer, he could tell it was not Krillpunzel. The young whale who was singing the song explained that she had known the song since birth, but did not know how. Timothy demanded that the young whale take him to her mother. The young whale did, and when she came home with Timothy following behind her, Krillpunzel recognized him at once. She cried with joy, and when her tears mingled with the seawater they restored Timothy's sight. Upon seeing Krillpunzel, Timothy began to cry as well, and his tears restored Krillpunzel's voice. So happy were they to be together again after so many years of fruitless searching that they mated again, much to the dismay of Krillpunzel's child, and they all lived hapily ever after.
