Chapter 5

It lifted me clear off my feet.

The octopus’s arm was cold and powerful, like an iron clamp.

I struggled to beat at it, forcing words past my throat.

“The… markings…”

Its pupils narrowed slightly.

“What markings?”

“The… rings at the base of your arms.”

“Every time an octopus molts, the old pigment leaves a ring of deposits at the base of its arms, like a tree’s growth rings.”

“Judging by the markings on your arms, you’re at least twenty-nine hundred years old…”

I’d been interested in animals since I was small.

When we were little, my parents hired a finance tutor for my eldest sister, an etiquette tutor for my second sister, and a mecha coach for my little brother.

Only I, with no particular talent, squatted in a corner of the garden watching ants carry bread.

My parents couldn’t be bothered with me then, so I lost myself in illustrated guides to Old World wildlife.

The octopus stared at me for several seconds before finally letting go.

I clutched my neck and coughed uncontrollably.

I’d only been in the deep sea a few days, and this was already the second time I’d felt like this.

The octopus looked down at me, its voice lazy.

“You seem very interested in me.”

I trembled with fear. “No, no, I wouldn’t dare…”

But it took my oxygen mask anyway and threw me into a glass tank.

The lid snapped shut.

I pounded frantically on the glass. “Are you insane?”

The octopus spoke unhurriedly.

“Since you’re such a ‘good student,'”

“I’ll give you a lesson: how to save yourself in the deep sea.”

“There’s a one-fen coin in the tank. Find it, and I’ll give your mask back.”

It sat outside the tank and casually opened an old book.

I had no choice but to hold my breath and feel around inside.

At last, I found a coin on the bottom.

I banged hard on the glass, but the octopus said indifferently:

“Not that one.”

I looked at the coin in my palm.

Fine. It was a British penny!

I kept feeling around and found a recess in the side wall.

But there were more than a dozen coins inside!

Recalling the images I’d seen, I traced the patterns on them with my fingers.

When I found the one I wanted, I gripped it firmly in my palm.

The next second, the lid opened.

I was ejected from the tank.

The octopus fitted my oxygen mask back onto my face and murmured:

“Who knew human paws could be so nimble?”

I passed out from sheer fury.