Pip slid off the icy ledge and splashed into the blue water. Below him, a small black-and-white bird bobbed on its side. "Peep!" it cried, and pointed its beak toward a glittering tunnel in the ice.
Pip swam toward the tunnel, and the bird zipped ahead into a coral cave. Orange and purple branches swayed in the current. The bird tapped a stalactite, and a cloud of silver bubbles floated up.
The bubbles burst into a wide channel, and a massive whale surfaced, water streaming from its blowhole. "Race you," said the bird, and took off.
Pip pushed hard, but the bird was faster and the whale was even faster. The bird looped back and bumped against Pip's flipper. "Again?" it chirped, and took off.
This time Pip didn't try to win. He swam beside the bird and watched the whale's enormous tail sweep past like a dark umbrella.
They darted back into the coral cave, but the bird got stuck in a narrow passage. It kicked its feet against the rock and let out a muffled squeak.
Pip pushed from behind with all his strength. With a loud pop and a shower of pebbles, the bird came flying out and landed upside-down on the sand, legs in the air.
The bird righted itself and waddled up to Pip, resting its beak gently against his neck. Pip swam forward, and the bird hopped onto his back. They glided out into the open ocean.
The whale's song rumbled through the water like a big drum. The seal and the bird swam on together into the deep blue.
Above, the ice glittered like a ceiling of stars. Below, the ocean hummed with secret songs. The seal and his new friend swam on.