When a true child of the Leviathan falls, he sings. Not with his throat, but his body. It is an older music—a tone poem of sorts. The rushing of liquid over thousands of scoring cuts and scars creates a deep hum in deeper water.
>./ishmael.AIC
LAUNCHING ISHMAEL.AIC…
>f 03122012 -v
RECOVERING CAMERA FEED-OBSERVER 03122012 FROM PARENT NODE Pequod…
Error! Excessive file corruption.Would you like to recover associated metadata? (Y/n)
>Yes
Recovering personnel manifest… Failed.
Recovering ship specifications… Failed.
Recovering cargo manifest… Failed.
Recovering unified auto-generated audio, visual, and sensor transcription…Success!
Would you like to open file: ts.txt? (Y/n)
>Y
The scene opens in dark water of unclear depth. In the water, an unnaturally white sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), can be seen slowly sinking. The skin of the whale holds excessive scar tissue across its entire body. There is no movement in the whale's body or eyes. It is likely dead.
ENGAGING AUTONOMOUS TRAILING SYSTEM (v3.1231.6533f)
Due to the viewpoint of the video sinking with the whale, the whale appears almost fixed in space. Piezoelectric readings are picking up unnaturally deep vibrations in the water with no apparent source. Small schools of various fish are beginning to flock to the whale, orbiting it in an unnatural "spiral" pattern. As time passes, more and more aquatic species can be seen orbiting the whale including groups of small grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos).
This song is no requiem, but a calling, an invitation to a grand feast.
[30 minutes omitted]
The ocean's floor has come into view, and the spiraling creatures begin to stray from their orbit. Dozens of sharks feast upon frantically scattering schools of fish, as the whale's body hits the ocean floor. The impact sends deep vibrations through the water, and the displaced sand clouds the view of the camera.
DISENGAGING AUTONOMOUS TRAILING SYSTEM (v3.1231.6533f)
No concrete information is parseable from the video for the next half-hour. However, the shade of the sand and various detritus in the water has grown increasingly red. Slowly, the particulates in the water begin to settle, revealing the whale's body, which has remained untouched despite the large quantity of sea creatures in the surrounding area.
Many of the smaller fish begin to nuzzle against the whale's extensive scar tissue and nip at its flesh.
To eat is to take a piece of the world for yourself, into yourself, and there are none that eat as much as the spawn of the Leviathan.
[1 year omitted]
Hundreds of hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii/Eptatretus burgeri) and dozens of sleeper sharks (Somniosus pacificus) can be seen swimming around the unrecognizable corpse of the whale. None of it’s skin remains and large chunks of flesh have been eaten away. Parts of the whales skeleton are now visible.
[7 years omitted]
No flesh remains on the whale’s bones. A slimy mass is covering and adhering to most of the bones and the surrounding area, likely a form of biofilm. Various mussels, clams, and limpets feed on this biofilm. They do not match any known records of currently classified species.
[10 years omitted]
No relevant info.
[20 years omitted]
No relevant info.
[30 years omitted]
No relevant info.
[40 years omitted]
No relevant info.
[74 hours and 14 minutes omitted]
Camera feed lost.
The skeleton is picked clean, pale bones like abalone shells looming crooked in the murk. In the waters above, a single white whale swims in a wide circle around the carcass. More shapes in the blackness. One, two, three, then dozens, then hundreds of others, joining her in her procession, singing their songs of mourning, a column of titans revolving in the dark. All pale, like ghosts in the void, shining like pearls, like gentle moonlight. A shadow falls over the column, unfathomably vast, covering the titans, drowning their gentle light. Blackness beneath blackness returns to the abyss.
When a true child of the Leviathan falls, the ocean sings back.