38. Sam's Epic Sailing Adventure
Today, Sam is going on an epic adventure!
Braving the open ocean in his mighty vessel...
...he is going out to look for one of nature's wildest and most majestic creatures...
...the whale!
Some have declared this quest impossible, saying that this isn't even the ocean, just a pond in the park, and that there are no whales around for a thousand miles!
But Sam is not to be deterred by these naysayers - no, he is going to prove them all wrong!
And so he set out alone to find the great wild whale, with only his keen navigational instincts to guide him out into the open sea.
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Out into the open sea.
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It wasn't long before he caught his first glimpse of his quarry!
Right in front of his ship, a finned beast appeared from the briny depths!
Could it possibly be? Could he really have found it?
He required a closer look to be sure.
Tragically, as the would-be whale vanished back into the abyss, Sam realized he had a case of mistaken identity. This sea creature, though finned, was too small to be a whale. It was nothing more than a mere fish.
Not quick to lose hope, however, Sam quickly turned his gaze back out across the waves, and soon spotted another, larger creature!
It was headed right at him!
With no time to flee, he could only face the beast head-on. Bracing for impact, he awaited as it sped toward him at great speed, intent surely on destruction.
Fortunately, his quick wits and animal-taming skills allowed him to stop the fearsome beast just before it destroyed his boat.
But to his dismay, this was not a whale either. Though definitely more large than the previous candidate, it was still much too small to be a whale.
It was nothing more than a common duck.
Sam now had started to feel a sliver of disappointment, but he did not give up.
Rather, he trekked on, further into the wild blue yonder, headed toward uncharted territory.
Soon, the seaweed was dense, and the water full of obstacles. His quest had reached a dangerous pinnacle, and he did not know if he would ever find his way back to land.
But at this point, he didn't care. He had come here to find a whale, and this was his only goal.
And, when it seemed all was lost, suddenly everything seemed to fall into place.
Something very large appeared to be moving swiftly just beneath the water beside his ship!
He followed close behind, certain now that he had found what he had come searching for.
When he was within range, he readied his camera to take a photo and prove, once and for, the existence of the wild whale to his friends and family back home.
But it was too good to be true.
It was a large creature alright, but even this one was still not as large as a whale.
It was only Uncle Tubby, going for a swim.
~~~
Sam now was very disheartened.
And not only because his ship was now filling with water at an alarming rate because it was not designed to carry this much weight.
No, also because he had failed in his quest.
Though he hated to admit it, those naysayers were not wrong.
There clearly were no whales to be found here.
Sam doesn't remember seeing this when he came in.
~~~
But all hope was not lost.
Bingo knew exactly how to make Sam's dream of seeing a whale come true...
...with three tickets to the aquarium!
~~~
So the very next day, Sam was able to complete his quest, and meet one very majestic whale.
And he was very happy.