Supernatural Killer Whale

Raven stood in a kelp forest beneath the waves. He swayed with the tangle of syrupy brown kelp trees that grew up around him, with their tentacle-like arms reaching upward toward the light and their floppy dog-tongue appendages drifting in the current. And there, keeping them buoyant and erect, the kelp bulbs.

Raven used a saw made of teeth to cut into one of the kelp bulbs and discovered a ladder inside that led down to the bottom of the ocean. Raven climbed down that ladder and found a Killer Whale village on the ocean floor.

It looked like a human village, with a long house and huts and killer whales swimming about like people strolling. Raven went inside the longhouse and saw there a killer whale who was entirely white—an albino killer whale. All Tlingit know that the white specimen of any animal is one that has Supernatural power.

“Raven,” Supernatural Killer Whale said, “what brings you to the bottom of the ocean?”

“As you may know,” Raven began, “one of your people told me that you killer whales are quite upset about the state of the ocean, as well you should be.”

“I am aware,” Supernatural Killer Whale said.

“Yes,” Raven continued. “After further reflection, I have decided that your problems lie outside of my purview. You see, I think you have a false idea about me and the powers that I may or may not have. You should think of me more as a First Mover. I start the ball rolling on things, and then those balls roll wherever they wish. And should those balls roll over things and break them or crush them flat, well, the balls are no longer in my control and so therefore, ipso facto, I bear no responsibility and therefore cannot be expected to fix those things that have been smashed flat and/or broken. I just want to state that for the record. And when I say ‘balls,’ you can substitute ‘people,’ or ‘humans.’”

“Raven,” Supernatural Killer Whale said, “You are the yin to my yang. The up to my down. The hot to my cold, the fast to my slow. You are the other side of my coin. You are the man in my mirror, the me who is not me.”

“I have no idea what you’re saying,” said Raven.

“We are separate, but we are the same,” said Supernatural Killer Whale. “What you do to me, you are doing to you.”

“But I’m not doing anything to you or me!” Raven cried. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you! It’s the People!”

“And you created the People,” Supernatural Killer Whale retorted.

“They are their own actors,” protested Raven. “I gave them free will!”

“A hunter gives his harpoon free will when he throws it, yet the intention is set by the hunter, not by the harpoon.”

“Oy,” Raven exclaimed. “You are one tough customer!”

“Keep searching, Raven,” said Supernatural Killer Whale. “You’ll get there.”

Heh.