Bangor would not miss being out of the ocean.

He would kind of miss flying, though.

Of course, you could have argued that Bangor wasn’t precisely “flying” right now so much as “floating in midair,” or, even more precisely, “getting carried in a tarp across a cold and windy beach by several straining humans.” Still, very few harbor porpoises had gotten to do even that in their lives, so if Bangor wanted to call it flying, who was going to stop him?

It turned out flying was like swimming, but way less work. Uncle York would have loved it.

Human faces bobbed by as Bangor was carried toward the water. It seemed that half of Ogunquit had showed up to watch the flight of the porpoise. Tourists, members of the press, and even a few familiar faces swam past. But all Bangor could focus on right now was the water, glistening ahead of him in the late November light.

The water, and the souls that might—or might not—be waiting for him there.

Bangor’s flight came to an end as the humans lowered his tarp to the ground with a symphony of exhausted grunts. The loudest grunt of all came from the human who’d carried the most weight: the one they called Adam Wilson.

Bangor had gotten a lot of chances to study Adam up close over these last few weeks. Up very close, actually, considering the amount of time Adam had spent tending to Bangor’s wound and monitoring his swimming progress. What Bangor had noticed was that Adam could be curt with other humans, bossing around his handful of new employees and holding them to high standards if they failed to do something just right. But when those humans went away and it was just him and his porpoise patient, well … Bangor saw a whole different side of Adam then. That Adam was attentive, relaxed, and gentle as he helped his patient to heal. When it came to caring for Bangor, Adam Wilson was just that: caring.

Bangor could relate. He knew what it was like to sometimes feel more at ease with members of a different species than your own.

For the thousandth time in the last few weeks, Bangor felt a pang of guilt as he wondered how he was going to find his family—and whether they would even want to see him after what he’d almost done to Bristol.

While he was focusing on this, all the humans he could see were focusing on Adam, expecting the veterinarian to speak, perhaps, about the momentous undertaking they were gathered here to witness. Or maybe he’d thank his new hires for making this possible. Maybe he’d even warmly greet the press.

“I’m not normally one to give big speeches,” Adam said.

The crowd held its breath.

“Which is good because we don’t have time for them. There’s a porpoise waiting. Let’s get him in the water.”

There was a brief silence, and then laughter, and then full-on cheers. Bangor didn’t know what he’d said, but apparently, little by little, Adam Wilson was improving his people skills.

Together with the help of his new staff, all of whom were dressed in wet suits and warm winter hats, Adam bent down, nodded soothingly at Bangor, and lifted him up again, carrying him toward the ocean. Even with Bangor’s limited sight line, he could hear the water get closer. First there was the sound of the waves lapping at the humans’ ankles. Then it was lapping at their hips.

Then it was lapping at Bangor.

Adam didn’t miss a beat. The moment he noticed the tarp dipping into the water, he whistled for his crew’s attention. With a slap of plastic on water, they let the edges of the tarp drop down flat before pulling the whole thing out from under Bangor’s belly as swiftly as possible.

The frigid Atlantic rose up to reclaim Bangor as its own.

He had been released.

And not just from captivity. He had been released from pain as well. Where salt water once might have stung against his open wound, now there was just the pleasant smooth rush of water on patched-up skin. Bangor rolled a little from side to side, testing out his new conditions. He floated a small way forward, out from between the marine biologists, curious to see what swimming felt like now, after all these weeks away from the open water.

Within seconds, Bangor knew:

It felt even better than flying.

In a movement so slick and quick it got a gasp from the crowd on the shore, Bangor shot down into the sea and then right back up to the surface. Puffing for joy, he began to swim in wide, triumphant circles around his helpers, clicking and whistling in exultation.

Then he came to a sudden halt, because all that clicking had picked up something pretty interesting. He pointed his gaze sharply out at the deeper water.

Four eagerly waiting dorsal fins pointed right back at him.

You stayed! Bangor clicked in wild disbelief.

And in a kaleidoscope of cold November sun gleaming off smooth silvery backs, Bangor was reunited with his family.

First to come was Belfast, tearing up the water, unable to contain his energy. Even York was doing happy little rolls through the waves. The boys were back together at last.

Of course, the pod consisted of more than just boys. Bangor peered nervously through a storm cloud of Belfast’s bubbles, looking for the family member he both dreaded and wanted to see the most, when a loud voice burst over the water.

“And— Oh, my goodness, folks, this is something really special—it looks like we’re just in time to see Bangor welcomed back by his pod! They seem to be overjoyed to see him!”

Visually, the Searchin’ Urchin was just a blur on the southern horizon, maintaining a respectful distance from the porpoise family reunion. But a combination of Bangor’s excellent hearing and Bob’s trademark megaphone allowed him to hear that smiling voice loud and clear:

“Now, you may have heard about this pod, and their friendliest member, Bangor, who’s been having a stay at Ogunquit’s brand-new aquatic animal hospital. But what you may not have known is that those other porpoises in his pod, who are traditionally much shyer, have been seen waiting outside the hospital every day for the past two weeks! The mayor of Ogunquit has enacted a slow-traffic zone for this whole area to make sure the porpoises are completely safe while they wait. But how did they know Bangor was inside, you may ask? I’d like to know, too! My theory is that an open window or air vent has allowed them to communicate with Bangor via echolocation. It may seem far-fetched, but stranger things have happened—and maybe stranger things did! Part of being a scientist means keeping an open mind to …”

Bangor may not have spoken human, but the same question had been occurring to him as well.

Wait. He tilted to the side curiously. How did you all even know where to find me?

Ask her, Belfast chirped, and rolled to point his snout north along the shore. Bangor followed his indication and saw a brown blur, hanging back in the distance.

Was that … Marina? Bangor seemed to have remembered Marina bringing Natalie and Lars to him on the night of his accident, but it seemed so extraordinary and he’d been so woozy at the time that he’d come to wonder if he hadn’t made it all up. Could it be she’d done all that—and more?

She’s an odd one, Belfast reflected. A couple weeks ago, Bristol came tearing up to us, squealing her head off about something happening to you in the humans’ cove. We all rushed to find you, but when we arrived, you weren’t there. She was, though, running up and down the shore like her fur was on fire—and she seemed just about ready to explode if we didn’t follow her up the coast here. Seems like she really cares about you.

Why’s she hanging so far back? Bangor asked.

Beats me. For such a pushy otter, she can be kind of shy. Too bad we can’t talk to her.

Bangor’s thoughts were cut off as York floated right between him and Belfast.

In the meantime, though, York said drolly, I know someone you can talk to.

And there, swimming up at last, were Kittery and Bristol. They seemed a little hesitant to approach, and it made Bangor hesitate as well. Even after playing this moment out in his head for weeks on end, he still had no idea how it would go.

Bangor’s gaze fell, away from his mother, down toward the ocean floor.

Mom. I’m so sorry. After everything you warned me about … I was wrong to act like you were crazy to be scared of humans. I care so much about you, and I don’t want to lose you just to have them. If you want, I’ll never leave the pod again. I—

Was it the humans who healed you?

Kittery’s question stopped Bangor mid-apology.

I … yes, he answered. Yes, it was.

Then, Kittery clicked, moving closer, it seems like I’d be lucky to call some of those humans members of my pod. It looks like we were both a little right … and both a little wrong. I’m sorry, too.

And then she had closed the distance between them and was nuzzling her snout against his. And as soon as this had happened, Bristol shot forward and rocketed into Bangor’s good side as well, causing the three of them to tumble through the water, laughing and squeaking. And then all five of them were playing together.

“If you’re having trouble seeing this amazing sight,” Diver Bob boomed, “feel free to look at the zoom lens on the Searchin’ screen, camerawork courtesy of my lovely first mate, Maria. Now, I know some of you kids wanted to meet the famous Porpoise Girl—my very own incredible stepdaughter, Natalie. But we’ve been trying to give her some days off recently, so Maria is helping out! And before any of you express disappointment, just know that she’s my wife, I love her, and the hiring culture around here is entirely corrupt and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

Now there was one word Bangor recognized: Natalie.

Wait, he said, pulling away from the pod to scan the surf. Where is …

And then a cacophony erupted from behind the dunes on the beach, causing heads to turn.

“Ruff! Wroof, wroof—RUFF!”

“Coming through! Sorry, excuse me! Are we late? Coming through!”

Ah. There they were.

Now Bangor’s whole family was really reunited.