On Alex’s left, a small group of spinsters was gathered. Grace and David and Caroline all stood quietly, watching the orcas. Caroline was wearing big fluffy dog slippers, like those designed for children. They nodded at each other, murmurs of “hello” quiet and subdued by the gloomy news.
Maggie looked back to sea and crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know if I can bear to watch much more of this.”
Alex blinked back tears. Missing. Presumed dead.
The orcas passed by in front of the onlookers. “That’s Polaris’ family out there. Her mother, her two sisters. Her daughter, one brother. One nephew. It’s like watching the family at a funeral, isn’t it?”
Everyone on the observation deck was quiet. Somber. The mood was black, completely opposite of the excitement in the crowd not that long ago, when they’d been standing out here to look at one of the new babies.
“They’re starving.” Maggie stared at the blackfish, heading down the coast. “And unless a whole lot of people start caring a whole awful lot?” Maggie turned and caught Alex’s eye. “We’ll be seeing a whole lot more of this.”
They stood quietly watching the orcas as they headed south in Haro Strait. There was no sound from the crowd. Some folks continued to stand quietly; small groups of two or three broke off and headed back home.
Maggie sniffled and took a deep breath. “There’s a meeting tonight, down in Sea Rose Harbor. It’s the Department of Fish and Wildlife, taking public comments on the removal of those old dams on the Snake River. The Save Our Wild Salmon people will be there. I think I’ll go. Put in my two cents, for whatever that’s worth. May not do a bit of good, but not doing anything sure isn’t helping. Want to come along, Alex?”
Alex turned and met Maggie’s eyes. Missing. Presumed dead. The words vibrated in her head. “Yes. Yes, I would. I’ll put in my two cents, as well. For whatever that’s worth.”
Maggie raised her eyes to Emmie Porter, standing on the other side of Alex, surrounded by the spinsters. Her left arm was cradled in a sling, still recovering from where she’d been hit by Maggie’s stray bullet. “What about you, Emmie? Want to join us?”
Emmie swayed slightly, two rivers of tears flowing down her face as she watched the orcas. As she searched for the ones that were no longer there, for all those that were missing. Emmie’s voice was barely audible, and she did not turn to look at Maggie when she spoke. “Thank you, Maggie. I believe I would like to go.”
Alex sensed Emmie’s swaying body, as if she was fighting to stay upright, and she stepped closer and put her arm around the woman’s waist. Emmie leaned into her. After a moment, Alex reached out and put her other arm around Maggie, who stood rigid and unbending, but did not move away from the embrace. Alex held them both for a moment. The spinsters, these two women—they were her clan now, her pod. They could lean on one another.
AFTERWORD
All the stories about whales included in this book are based on true events, recorded in published accounts. I changed the timing, to make all of it fit in one story.
For more information about domestic abuse:
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
www.ncadv.org
For more information on killer whales:
Center for Whale Research
www.whaleresearch.com
Orca Network
www.orcanetwork.org
To listen to killer whales on hydrophones:
www.orcasound.net
Movies about orcas:
Blackfish, 2013, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite
The Whale, 2011, directed by Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit
National Geographic Killer Whales: Wolves of the Sea, 1993
Lolita—Slave to Entertainment, 2003, directed by Tim Gorski
Further reading:
Death at SeaWorld, David Kirby
Of Orcas and Men, David Neiwert
The Grandest of Lives: Eye to Eye with Whales, Douglas H. Chadwick
Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us, Alexandra Morton
Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel, Carl Safina
War of the Whales, Joshua Horwitz
The Cultural Lives of Whales and Dolphins, Hal Whitehead and Luke Rendell
IN MEMORIAM
Most recent deaths in Southern Resident Killer Whales, as of date of printing:
Sonic, J52
Deceased, September 2017 (age two years)
Skagit, K13
Missing, presumed dead, August 2017 (age forty-five)
Granny, J2
Missing, presumed dead, January 2017 (age approx. 105 years)
Doublestuf, J34
Found deceased, December 20, 2016 (age eighteen years)
Dipper, J54
Missing, presumed dead, October 2016 (age ten months)
Polaris, J28
Mother of Dipper
Missing, presumed dead, October 2016 (age twenty-three years)
Samish, J14
Missing, August 2016 (age forty-two years)
Nigel, L95
Found deceased, March 2016 (age twenty years)
Unnamed baby, J55
Missing, January 2016 (newborn)
And
Sherry
Missing since August 1987
Age thirty-one years
Unsolved
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Stories have so many helpers, and there are numerous people to thank for supporting me with this one. First, to my agent, Alison Fargis, who believed in me even when no one else did. To my editors at Lake Union Publishing, Danielle Marshall and Christopher Werner, for their guiding hands and support throughout this process. I especially want to thank Jenna Free, whose keen eye helped make this a much better manuscript.
After a three-month visit to the Puget Sound area in 2012, I could not get the smell of cedar and salt water out of my mind, and I returned here to live in 2014. Learning about this area, after a lifetime in Colorado, completely inspired much of what you find in this story. It is a magical place.
A few of the business names in this book were borrowed from actual places, although none of them are in the same town. Here’s a nod to Brewed Awakenings, in Allyn, and Turnip the Beet, in Port Angeles. Moby Dickens was the name of a longtime independent bookstore in Taos, New Mexico, that went out of business in 2016. For years, that place was one of my favorites, and I especially appreciate Willie Wood, with all her wonderful recommendations.
I did a massive amount of research for this story, and many of those sources are listed in a separate page. I also read Buck Brannaman’s The Faraway Horses and watched the documentary about him called Buck. There are so many ways to deal with animals (and humans) that are amazingly kind and gentle.
I want to particularly thank two energy healers who allowed me to observe their work: Jan Gillander and Dixie Golins—you are both amazing. I am also indebted to the Orca Network and the Center for Whale Research for their dedicated love of orcas and whales and the massive amounts of information they have accumulated. To my children, who inspire me always, and particularly for Ho Hos and vegan cookie dough. To the village, for teaching me to spin and for adding important information at several key stages along the way. In particular, I want to thank Marcia Adams and Heidi Dascher, at The Artful Ewe and Ewe II, who took me in when I was a stranger in this wet world. And to my friend Kathleen Reid, who listens to me rant and always finds a way to make me laugh.
BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Emmie Porter, the “village witch,” talks a lot about the effects of trauma, including loss of memory of the actual event, and the way that memories of the event can be triggered. She says that “the body remembers,” in dreams or in physical conditions. Have you seen examples of this type of thing in real life?
Emmie has learned a gentle approach to working with animals, based on empathy, understanding, and sensitivity. Describe some types of therapy or energetic healing work that take this approach
. (Examples: Reiki, acupuncture, massage, yoga.) Have you had experience with any of these types of therapy?
At one point, Alex explains to her friend Rachel why she has not left her abusive husband. Alex has a better situation than many abused women. She is educated, has a good job, and does not have children. What are some of the reasons that a person would choose to stay in an abusive relationship? Can you imagine situations in which the abused does not believe he or she has a choice?
Compare the society of the Southern Resident Killer Whales to modern American society. In what ways can you see examples of empathy, or the lack of it?
What examples of the sensitivity of animals have you experienced?
Discuss issues related to domestic violence. What things can you imagine that might improve this situation?
In what ways is The Music of the Deep an appropriate title for the story? What are some examples of different activities or aspects of the story that would fall under that description?
Have you ever had a “ghost” experience? Discuss the idea that trauma can leave a mark, not just on humans and animals but also on places.
What are some of the issues facing the orcas that seriously threaten their survival?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Hall, bestselling author of Miramont’s Ghost and In the Blue Hour, is a former teacher, communications consultant, and radio show host. She resides on an island in the Pacific Northwest, where she indulges in the fiber arts and keeps an eye out for whales.
The Music of the Deep: A Novel Page 26