The Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera

49. A Whale of a Good Time

June, 1987

It's not every day you make an unexpected new friend. But today, Huckleberry Hound was about to make one from right out of the blue...literally! It was a bright sunny day and while the Funtastic World was preparing for the summer tourist season, the hound dog was taking some leisurely time to himself down at the harbor. He sat on the dock with his sailor cap on, holding onto his fishing pole and waiting for a bite.

"I wonder if I'll catch a big one today!" he said to himself. "I hears this is the time of year when them giant tuna come migratin' 'round these parts to gobble up a whole bunch of that er...whacha call er'...them teensy little critters that float around in the sea."

(Huck was referring to plankton of course.)

He patiently waited as he sat there and paused to reach into his lunch box for a quick bite to eat. He never went anywhere without a snack when he was planning to spend a whole day away from home, and he'd brought a nice tasty peanut butter sandwich with him today, along with a bit of candy, since he always had to find some way to satisfy his sweet tooth.

"Ahh...just like the old days," he sighed.

The sun was beating down as it moved across the sky, making him feel quite warm, but a cool, claiming ocean breeze blew across the surface of the water, countering the discomfort beneath his fur from the sun's heat. The salty air, the soothing breeze, the gentle rhythm of the waves...it was all so relaxing to experience. Huck soon felt his eyelids drifting closed as he was lulled into a deeply tranquil state, and soon he began to snore.

But suddenly, he felt a tug on his line! He lurched awake as he sat up, and he let out a gasp.

"Alright!" he exclaimed. "A bite!"

He began to reel in the line, but it was pretty heavy!

"Shucks...must be a whopper!" he grunted, struggling to hold onto his fishing pole. "I bet it's one'a them jumbo-sized trouts! Or maybe it's a big ol' marlin-type swordfish!"

But to his surprise the "fish" was even bigger than that. Because coming out of the water was a huge sea creature! Not just any sea creature...a whale! Huck gasped in shock when he saw the enormous animal on the end of his line.

"YIPE!!" he cried. "Killer whale!!"

But the whale didn't look scary at all. In fact, it looked very friendly! Yes, it was a killer whale, or orca, but it didn't seem like it wanted to hurt Huck at all! It actually gave a happy squeal to him as it sat there at the edge of the dock, and it seemed to be smiling at him!

"Oh!" Huck exclaimed. "So, it's not one'a them vicious-type whales! 'Matter of fact, it seems it's actually a friendly-type whale!" He then leaned over the side of the dock and looked at the whale. "Howdy there, lil' feller! Or should I say, big feller!"

The whale gave another happy squeal and nodded his head up and down.

"I never thought I'd meet a critter as big as you! Where'd you come from anyhow? We don't see a whole lot of whales 'round these parts!"

The whale pointed his little tail far into the water, and started to give Huck a bit of a sad look.

"Ohh...you're lost, ain't ya'? And when you saw my fishin' line, you thought maybe it was a sort of snack to help you get your lil' ol' whale appetite satisfied, so you could keep lookin' for your family, right?"

"Squeak! Squeak!"

Huck chuckled. He really seemed to have a natural ability to connect with animals, even if they all communicated in their own unique ways. Maybe it was just that the animals could sense what a kind and gentle soul he was.