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Back The Octopus and I Save as PDF
Chapters (19)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. PRAISE
  3. TITLE PAGE
  4. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  5. DEDICATION
  6. CONTENTS
  7. ONE
  8. CROSSING ISTHMUS
  9. THE OCTOPUS INCIDENT
  10. TWO
  11. A SEAL’S TAKE
  12. THE MULTI-COLOURED KNITTED KNOCKERS
  13. NO BIRD IS ONLY AN I
  14. THREE
  15. I AM SHE
  16. SPUN AIR
  17. THE OCTOPUS AND I
  18. NOTES AND REFERENCES
  19. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The sand turns hard and rough and is like limpets on the rocks to touch but it tastes different and wrong of tar and oil and—

What is it?

Something grabs at me and clasps one of my arms and gently pulls at me.

I touch her see her taste that she is she like me and I curl my arm around her wrist and she is warm unlike me. I taste she is curious is scared is sad is frantic her skin tells me even though it is dumb skin it tells me. I stroke her and her skin welcomes my touch and I feel her pores open letting me in and I ripple against her shining the dust from her skin the dust of her skin and I taste her see her touch her and she is worried is frantic and—What is it?

I see I feel too much cold light and we are hit I see I taste I touch metal and oil and we are in the air and I am not heavy not flat not fixed not pinned to the ground and for a moment my arms can spiral and dance on the air and I taste a flash of shock and the fear on her skin and I do not let go of her and I am with her.

The ground meets us and I try not to let go of her and I hold onto her seeing her tasting her touching her and my arm does not let go of her but is pulled from me is pain is gone. I roll and slide on a wave of air crashing and bubbling across the ground and I am caught up in a current and I roll on and cannot make myself stop and I am bashing across the ground and grazing bleeding hurting stinging.

I am still.

I see her stir and then she is still and I see the shapes of others like her about her.

I press on. I drag myself across the hard rough ground that tastes of tar and oil and onto the sand and the pain clots my skin and is sharp is searing where my arm no longer is. The ocean rumbles and calls and thunders and beckons beyond the land I feel it I feel it I press on and the sand is beneath my suckers and the pain sears and bites and the ocean bellows and billows so close and I press on.

The waves rush with inhale in exhale as the surface rises and falls against me and the water boils and foams with air then I am immersed and it is right.