6 Heads and Tails

Chapter 6 HEADS AND TAILS Andrew, Judy, Thudd, and the booby blasted out of the rear of the whale! "We're whale poop!" shouted Andrew. Above them was the whale's huge gray tail. It was as wide as a street! Judy tucked the flashlight into a pocket of her Bubble Duds. "Catch that tail!" she said. "If we let the whale get away, we'll never get back to the Water Bug!" As Andrew reached for the monster tail, he could see the rays of the sun slanting through the water.

meep… "Whale coming up to breathe," said Thudd. "Blue whale can stay underwater forty minutes. Some whales can stay underwater two hours!" The whale's tail was just inches from Andrew and Judy. As it flapped down, it twirled the water into whirlpools that pushed the kids away. meep… "Tails of whales and dolphins move up and down," said Thudd. "Tails of fish move side to side." "Zip it, Thudd!" yelled Judy. "Andrew! Grab that tail!" Andrew reached for it, but the tail was smooth and rubbery. It slipped away from his fingers. meep… "Grab tip of tail!" said Thudd. "Got barnacles growing on it. Little animals in shells. Help to get grip on tail." Judy managed to latch on to one of the pointy tips. The roughness of the barnacle shells helped her hang on. Andrew grabbed Judy's foot with one hand and hung on to the booby with the other.

Andrew and Judy clung to the tail with all their might. In two flaps, the whale's tail crashed through the surface of the water! "Wowzers schnauzers!" said Andrew. "Yay!" said Judy. "It's so great to see the sun again." PROOOOOOOOSH! Far ahead, at the front of the whale, a huge fountain of mist rose into the air. It was as high as a three-story building!

meep… "Whale breathe out old air," said Thudd. "Whale breathe with spout on top of head. Like nose!" "We can get to the whale's mouth by going over its back," said Andrew. Andrew and Judy dragged themselves onto the top of the whale's tail. They slithered along on their bellies. It was like creeping across a huge, slippery beach ball. They scrambled onto the whale's back. Andrew paused for a moment. He pulled the Bubble Duds helmet off the booby and untied the ribbon that kept the balloon wrapped around the booby's body. "Goodbye, booby!" said Andrew. "Gack!" screeched the booby. It hopped onto the whale's back and stretched its wings. Then it hopped on Andrew's shoulder. Andrew pulled down the helmet of his Bubble Duds. The sun felt warm on his face. A cool breeze ruffled his hair. Judy pulled her helmet down, too.

"Gack! Gack!" said the booby. It lightly pecked Andrew's nose. meep… "Booby say Thunkoo!'" said Thudd. The booby flapped its wings and flew off. Judy waved. "We'll miss you!" she yelled after it. PROOOOOOOOSH! The whale spouted again. "Yeeuuuw!" said Judy. "A really bad case of fish breath!" They crept toward the front of the whale. The whale's smooth blue-gray skin was marked with dark spots, like huge gray freckles. Judy reached the whale's spout first.

There were two openings that looked like gray nostrils. They were as high as Judy's knees. "It's a gigantic nose!" she said. Judy looked in. "These nostrils are so big, babies could crawl into them!" "Look!" said Andrew, pointing to a big lump inside the right side of the whale's mouth. "It must be the Water Bug!" "But the whale's mouth is closed," said Judy. "We can't get in." meep… "Maybe whale eat again," said Thudd. "Let's get closer to the front," said Judy. She tugged her helmet down over her face. Andrew pulled his helmet down, too. They crept beyond the whale's spout. The whale's head tipped to the side. Andrew and Judy began to slide down the side of the head!