Day 1,309 of My Captivity

Summary

• The chapter takes place from the perspective of an octopus being held in captivity.
• The octopus describes its observations of humans' enjoyment of cookies and notes its confusion when referred to as a "smart cookie".
• Two individuals, Dr. Santiago and Terry, are discussing a puzzle they have given the octopus, a hinged box with a crab inside it.
• The octopus easily handles the puzzle, seizing the box, opening it and consuming the crab quickly. This seems to disappoint Terry and Dr. Santiago, who expected the task to take longer.
• The octopus explains its intelligence, it can memorize human faces, understand patterns, and decipher human language. It can also use tools and solve puzzles.
• The octopus compares its intelligence to that of a human, wondering if one of its tentacles possesses more intelligence than an entire human skull.
• "Smart cookie" is a phrase used by humans, which the octopus finds absurd given that it equates intelligence to a snack object.