Men brush past Frank as he hustles towards the steps, seeking refuge from the ship's cramped hold. Frank wonders what will happen now that there are no rowers. He quickly decides he doesn't care, taking the steps two at a time.

  As he puts his foot down on the last step, Frank notices a weird change in the crew--and the ship. Many of the men who forced their way onto the deck are no longer dressed in romanesque garb. They more closely resemble mariners from the early nineteenth century.

  The ship has also altered, taking on a more modernized appearance. At the ship's bow, a fire is blazing, where a lamp was knocked over and poured out its flaming contents.

  Frank steps onto the deck and pushes through the crowd of scurrying, panicking men. The ship is rocked heavily and Frank grabs hold of a nearby railing. As he does so, he makes eye contact with the biggest whale probably in all of existence. A gasp exits Frank's mouth as he realizes the significance of this moment. Not just a giant whale. A giant, white whale. A white whale with land attached to its back, resembling a large island. Oh my. How can this be?

  Frank grips the railing as the whale rams its side against the ship, rocking it yet again. The old man from down below, who encouraged Frank to keep rowing, reappears beside him. The old man also holds the railing for dear life.

  "The crew...They believed they had spotted land. They cast out their anchors and snagged the white beast. They made it very angry. It's going to sink us. We have to abandon ship. We have a better chance in the water."

  Frank is prepared to disagree when the whale rams the ship again. Frank reaches out to steady his old friend. He shakes his head negatively.

  "No. There are sharks in the water. Always are. They'll swarm. Especially, if there are bodies down there. I say we fight. Like in the book."

  The old man scrunches his face with confusion. He grips Frank's forearm and stares up into his younger companion's face.

  "What do you mean? What book? Do you mean a prophecy? Do we survive the whale? Do we outlive the white whale?"

  With such an amalgamation of stories, Frank is unsure which ending he should recount to the old man. Sinbad survived his voyages on the seas. On the other hand, Ahab and his mighty crew perished under the wrath of the accursed white whale. Only one man survived to tell the tale. But, why tell his new friend this?

  "I don't know. It depends. On the choices we make right now!"

  "Choices? We don't have many choices," the old man stammers; his frail body trembling from cold, wet, and fear. "Our choices are to die quickly in the water...Or die slowly when the ship goes down. Those are our choices."

  "No! There's one more. Like I said, we fight," Frank points to the fire burning out of control on the ship's bow. "You see those flames?"

  "Of course," the old man exclaims. "What about them?"

  "We've got gunpowder, right?" Frank asks, hoping the answer is an affirmative one.

  "Yes. So what?" the old man presses.

  Frank's eyes widen as a large white tail rises high into the air. He grabs his old friend and dives out of the way, just as the whale's massive tail slams into the ship--destroying most of the mast and the crow's nest.

  Men scatter as the ship lists and roils. The old man is more frightened than ever. He shakes his head from side to side.

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  "We cannot hope to fight a monster such as this. We must jump overboard."

  "No. We kill the beast and then we salvage any boats. We try to make it to land. We have guns...And gunpowder. We can make a bomb."

  "A bomb?"

  "Yes. A bomb. And when that bastard thing opens its damn mouth again...We're gonna make him eat it. Come on. Show me where the gunpowder is."

  =====================================

  The damaged ship continues to rock heavily as the old man leads Frank to the storage section of the hold. Frank's heart is nearly beating out of his chest. He grips one corner of a wooden barrel and prepares to lift it. He suddenly wishes he had brought more help. The old man aids Frank as much as he can, struggling under the barrel's weight.

  Reemerging on the upper deck, Frank and the old man get the attention of a large sailor. Once their plan is explained to their bulky counterpart, he lifts the barrel effortlessly and heads toward the roaring flames burning the ship to a crisp. Other sailors are futilely throwing water on the fire, keeping it at bay.

  The muscle-bound sailor sets the barrel down out of range of the flames and takes two steps back. Frank unwraps a damaged sail from around his waist. He spreads the sail on the deck and motions for the old man and his large friend to put the barrel on top of it. Once they comply, Frank gives the two men instructions on how to tie the barrel inside the sail, leaving enough of the sail to light. All three men then go to work rubbing oil over the remaining portion of sail, creating a slow-burn fuse.

  "Okay. Now, there's not much left of the mast," Frank says. "But I'm going up there. I'll use what remains of the ropes as a pulley for the gunpowder. Take as many men as you can toward the opposite end of the ship. I want you to taunt that whale. Harpoon it. Shoot it with your little pistols. Throw everything you can at it. I mean everything. I don't care if it's a spoon or your best buddy's Lego collection."

  The old man and the large sailor exchange a confused look and then shrug. Frank continues talking.

  "You keep that bastard distracted. Let me get up there with the gunpowder. When I give the signal. I want you to race toward this end of the ship. Make that thing follow you. I'll launch the barrel when it makes one of those bellowing noises."

  "Be careful, Frank!" the old man says, reaching to pat Frank's right hand.

  "Yeah. Sure. Go. Hurry," Frank says.

  The old man and the sailor rush to obey the order. Frank prepares to climb the mast.

  ===================================

  Finally reaching the top, Frank ties himself to what remains of the mast. Below him, sailors throw harpoons and random objects at the raging white whale. The whale slams its tail against the bottom of the ship and two sailors fly up and over the side, splashing down into the churning water below. One man struggles futilely, before being dragged down by what Frank can only assume is a shark. Several fins are circling just beyond the flame's light.

  "Okay!" Frank yells. "It's showtime. Bring the bastard whale to me!"

  The old man and the large sailor make their way along the ship's railing. Behind them, other sailors break off and taunt the whale also. Frank swings the barrel by means of an improvised portion of the broken mast.

  Right on time, the massive whale opens its mouth and bellows. Frank releases the barrel, and its flaming fuse. The old man watches the barrel sail above his head, mentally crossing his fingers that this fool plan will work.

  The barrel enters the whale's mouth and rolls toward the back of its tongue. The whale bucks as the barrel goes down. Frank waits for the inevitable detonation, his heart racing.

  The barrel explodes inside the whale. A portion of the whale's side blows outward, spilling guts and fat over the ship. Several sailors are sprayed with the boiling innards. They scream as the skin on their face and arms sloughs off. The whale bellows once more, a long sorrowful bellow. Frank's stomach sinks as the majestic creature drops down into the water, spouting one last spray from its blowhole. The water which rains down is mixed with blood. Frank wipes it away and turns from the dying animal. He shuts his eyes in order to will the image away.

  When he opens them again, he is no longer on the sinking ship. An island surrounds him, as far as his eye can see. A loud roar makes him whirl in the opposite direction.

  A monstrously huge creature, on two furry legs, is chasing a herd of sheep. The sheep hustle noisily away from the fearsome giant. Staring more closely, Frank ascertains that the creature has only one eye--in the very center of its grotesque face. Frank sighs and slaps his forehead.

  "Oh boy. Here we go again."

  To be continued................