Hello my loyal admirers! I have returned from another daring, dangerous adventure!
I have, of course, successfully recaptured the space octopus. It wasn’t easy, though! It took me weeks to find it. The octopus left burn marks on the pavement in the parking lot when it took off. They were a good starting point but, not being a space octopus myself, it took a while for me to figure out what direction it was heading in. I set off on the search without a direction in mind to escape Maria’s wrath, but I didn’t think it would take me that long to get on track. It was a good week before I was sure of where I was heading.
Finding out where it went was only half the battle, though. The space octopus was fast, and really good at hiding.
The first time I spotted it, I wasn’t prepared. I had taken a minute to sit down and have a snack after a long day of searching. I turned to grab my gear and when I turned back it was gone! Venturing to the spot where it had been, I discovered a hole in the ground. It must have been made by another animal. Chances are the octopus found it abandoned, or ate whatever was inside. As I peered into the hole, I heard a rustle not too far away. This time, I was ready. I slowly and quietly lifted myself off the ground and peeked over the underbrush. There, in another clearing, was the space octopus. Something else must have spooked it, though, because before I could take a step it was gone again.
I spent the next few days finding holes and blocking them off. There are octopuses that can dig, but the space octopus is not one of them. I hoped that if I blocked all the holes except one I would be able to lure it out to capture it.
Of course, plans rarely go exactly as you hoped. I think my plan might have angered the octopus. Unbeknownst to me, it had set up an ambush! One morning, as I peered into yet another hole to check for signs of the octopus before blocking it off, something jumped out at me! It happened so fast, it took me a moment to realize what had happened. The octopus had wrapped its tentacles around my head, using its body to block my nose an mouth. I couldn’t breathe!
Without thinking, I grabbed its helmet to try and pull it off. Thankfully, those helmets are hard to remove. I managed to get enough space to take a breath before it snapped back onto my face like an elastic band.
Then I realized that the last thing I wanted to do was bring an already angry Maria a dead octopus. So, instead of pulling on the helmet, I tried to reach behind my head and pull the tentacles off. The octopus was clever, though. As soon as I managed to pull one tentacle off, I’d hear a sound like a firecracker and feel it burn my hand, forcing me to drop it. So instead I tried to get my fingers in between my face and its body. Once I had my hands there, I was at least able to maintain some breathing room.
The octopus and I were now engaged in a potentially deadly (for me, anyway) tug of war! I would push it as far off my face as I could, and it would snap back. It was all I could do to keep my hands in place so I could breathe. We did this over and over again. If someone had been watching, I’m sure it would have looked comical, even cartoon-like. But I was starting to get tired, and the octopus was showing no signs of giving up.
Looking around frantically, I spotted a tree with a trunk that split into a “V” not too far from the ground. I ran over and jammed the octopus’s helmet into the “V”. I then put my feet up on the trunk to give myself extra leverage as I once again tried to pry it off of my face. This time, I was successful! Both the octopus and I were sent rolling in opposite directions when it finally let go. It took me a moment to gather my witts, and I was sure the octopus would be long gone again. But when I went to see where it had fallen, I found it curled up in its helmet. The poor thing must have been terrified!
Surprisingly, I was able to just pick it up, carry it back to my vehicle and place it in a cage. It stayed curled up in its helmet for most of the journey. I was starting to worry that I had hurt it. When we were almost home, I suddenly heard odd little popping noises coming from the back seat. I turned to see an angry octopus staring at me. Angry, but thankfully with no visible injuries.
When we pulled into the parking lot, Wei and their team were loading up their vehicles. I think they were a little disappointed to see me. Being sent on a search and rescue would probably be the most exciting thing any of them has done this year. But Maria always sends them out too soon. I guess I understand that she worries, but 99.9% of the time, I’m fine, I just lose track of time when I’m on an adventure!
I drove around to the back door to avoid passing by the office. I’m sure Maria being worried does not mean she is done being angry. Thankfully I found Nushi alone in the lab. I left the space octopus with Nushi so she could return it to its enclosure and let Maria know it’s back. I also left my notes from the adventure with her, in hopes that she would do the paperwork for me. I hate paperwork. Nushi doesn’t seem to mind it as much, and she is much better at it.
That’s it for today’s adventure. Until next time!
Remember kids, if you want to go on daring adventures like me you’ll need to learn how to do paperwork!
Jose
