Day 1,308 of My Captivity

Summary

• The seahorses in the aquarium have once again began their breeding cycle, an event the narrator has seen four times already.
• The narrator takes note of the contrast in development between seahorses and humans. Seahorse larvae look very different from their parents, while humans at all stages of life always look human.
• The narrator observes that humans have a prolonged dependence on their parents, longer than is necessary for simple physical reasons. This extended dependency would be a disadvantage in the sea.
• The narrator, who is revealed to be a giant Pacific octopus, laments over not knowing how its own species spawn and what the offspring would look like.
• When the seahorses spawn, the increased number of visitors will overlook the octopus's tank, except for random individuals who engage in a predictable game of hide-and-seek with the octopus.
• The elderly woman who mops the floors is the only exception. Unlike the others, she engages in conversation with the octopus.