The submarine sank deeper and deeper until the water was dark blue, almost black. Sara and Chad looked out the window. “I can't see anything, Papa. I don't think any fish live this far down,” Sara said.

Chad put his face right up to the window. “She's right, Papa. There's nothing out there. Let's go up towards the surface.”

Papa steered the submarine upward until the water wasn't so deep and blue.

Chad and Sara looked. “I still can't see anything,” Chad said.

Sara said, “I see something. It's a big whale and it's blowing bubbles and smiling at me.”

Just then the whale dove under the submarine. Chad looked. “Sara's lying, Papa. There's no whale out there.”

“You two stop your arguing or I'll not allow you to come with me again in the submarine,” Papa said.

Chad pouted and went to look out another window.

“There's the whale again, Papa. It's smiling at me.” Sara watched four bubbles float past the window.

Chad pushed her out of the way. “Let me see.”

The whale swam right past the window. “Wow! It is a whale and it's smiling and blowing bubbles, just like Sara said.”

“That's good. You two watch the whale while I do my work.” Papa started looking at his instruments and writing things down.

The whale followed the submarine for several hours and then it swam away. Sara and Chad sighed. They were about to complain to Papa when he said, “My work is done. Let's head up to the surface.”

That night both Sara and Chad lay in bed dreaming about the smiling whale and anxious to go for another ride in their papa's submarine.