Whalefall

Inside the whale’s stomach, Jay uses the sharp beak of a giant squid to saw at his neoprene wetsuit. With his vision and coordination failing, he struggles to cut a patch to staunch his bleeding neck. During his efforts, he nearly dislodges the dive fin that is wedged between the stomach walls.

Jay successfully cuts off a rectangular patch and presses it against his wound, using the BCD cylinder on his back to hold it in place as he waits for his blood to seal it. As the patch adheres, he resumes breathing “sleepy."

As Jay drifts toward unconsciousness, he hears a voice that he recognizes as Mitt’s, saying, “Well done.” Jay realizes that he has managed to save himself without help. A surge of gratitude for the giant squid beak washes over him, and he kisses the object before naming it “Beaky.”

The act of naming the beak unlocks a long-suppressed memory. In the darkness, Jay decides to explore this memory, hoping that it might help him to survive.

The narrative enters a flashback to 2014 and is set in a young Jay’s bedroom. Jay is crying as Mitt counsels him on how to deal with teachers, whom he calls predators.