Whale Fortunes

An original neighborhood tall tale

The Curse of the Last Word

An impatient honk starts a conversation with the Whale. Your shoes, chair, and front door spend the rest of the day delivering its reply.

Whale's tale

Made up by Whale Fortunes for fun. No city office, artist, gnome, or meteorologist signed off on it.

Published September 22, 2026 · By Whale Fortunes · Last checked September 22, 2026

Whale's tale

Starting a conversation

Honk out of impatience near the Whale's roundabout, and it assumes you've started a conversation.

The reply takes all day.

Whale's tale

An all-day reply

Your shoes squeak across a perfectly dry floor. Your chair announces every adjustment. Your front door produces a long, mournful note it has never made before.

The gnomes can translate, but decline. ‘It's still on the first sentence.’

Whale's tale

The last squeak

The curse lifts the next time you patiently let someone take their turn. A warning honk never starts the curse—the Whale knows the difference.

You may have the horn. The Whale gets the last squeak.