4. The Whale
All the Mariannes sleep peacefully at the Shack . Except for Red.
Night after night, Red battles insomnia at the Jetty Shack. While the other Mariannes rest and restore, Red thrashes around in her sleeping pod, knocking against the five wooden walls. Tucked inside the sleeping berth she twists in her hot, red bedding, plagued with agitation and sadness from the deep cut of being wounded over and over in the same place. She is forced to sleep this bothered way because her instinct is disgruntled, her spirit misaligned. She has aching dreams of a mother whale crying songs of despair echoing deep in the ocean. The chorus feels like wailing from a female humpback's despair. The whale’s call is Red’s own subconscious singing out in agony. It gets louder throughout the night until it's a deafening ring.
The sound waves from Red’s wailing spills from the Jetty Shack windows into the bay. They travel over the water, across the bay in every direction towards the horizon, all through the night.
In daylight, a healer visits the Jetty Shack after hearing the song in the bay overnight. He counsels Red that the whale’s song is of significance. He encourages her to search for the meaning and connection to the song. The healer reaches into his tote bag and gifts Red a pottery whale. He tells her that she can blow into the mouth of the whale softly. When the air hits the blowhole of the whale it works as a flute whistle. Red’s subconscious does not need to wail anymore, she can use the whale whistle instead. The healer can be overheard, saying in an Irish accent, “Essentially, you’ll be healing yourself”.
Iron rich stoneware, sage green glaze ceramic whale whistle.