The Whale

I am staying with my sister and her family in White Rock when we get the immediate news that there is a humpback whale that has washed up on the local beach.

 We arrive at the beach and there are crowds of people heading down to see the whale.

 There are field trips of kids, families, business people, reporters, First Nations, and the police.

 We get closer and see a huge crowd of people, but can't see the whale over their heads.

 It is a small young whale.

 The police describe how they are waiting for a hover craft to drag it back out to sea to decompose.

 CBC News is there reporting the event.

 Flowers have been laid on the whale. The Semiahmoo First Nations group were there much earlier. These are their traditional lands and they have held a ceremony for the whale earlier in the morning. There is a woman circling around the crowd burning sage.

 The eye of the whale is closed.

 I circle the whale again and learn that this young whale was caught in the nylon cord that was discarded in the ocean.

 I hear people saying it is amazing and all I can think of is how sad it is.

 There are cuts where the rope has dug into the skin of the whale.

 People are saying it got caught in the rope, couldn't swim free and starved to death.

We leave the scene behind.