Day 1,300 of My Captivity
Contains spoilersOverview
Marcellus decries the monotony of his captive diet and contrasts it with the ocean’s abundance. He admits to escaping after hours to procure better food, even scavenging from the trash. A risky foraging attempt nearly becomes fatal, but the cleaning woman rescues him, revealing both his resourcefulness and dependence.
Summary
On Day 1,300, Marcellus catalogs the foods a giant Pacific octopus should enjoy and contrasts them with the meager offerings he receives in captivity: mostly defrosted herring. He notes the sharks get fresh grouper while he is given cheap fare, reinforcing his resentment and longing for the ocean’s variety.
Marcellus explains that caretakers sometimes bribe him with a pity scallop for cooperation, and that Terry occasionally slips him mussels. Unwilling to settle, he takes matters into his own arms, escaping after hours to harvest crabs, clams, and fish eggs, which he prizes for taste and nutrition.
That night, an irresistible smell from the rubbish bin lures him to scavenge human leftovers. The food is delicious, but the venture nearly becomes his undoing, implying he becomes ensnared or endangered. At the crisis point, “The cleaning woman. She saved me.” Her intervention spares him, underscoring both his ingenuity and his vulnerability in captivity.
Who Appears
- Marcellus
Giant Pacific octopus narrator; decries herring diet, forages after hours, nearly imperiled by trash, saved by the cleaner
- Tova Sullivan
Night cleaner; rescues Marcellus during a risky after-hours food search, reinforcing their emerging connection
- Terry
Aquarium staffer who sometimes slips Marcellus mussels and treats to encourage cooperation