sdgrbbum09 Posted:

Title: The Encephalitic Cephalopod

Word: appoggiatura

Jerry glided across the ocean floor, his eight tentacles streaming behind him. “I am so alone” he thought, as a school of fish crossed his path. “Hello,” he started to call out, but they had already zipped away. He sighed, reminding himself that fish were terrible companions anyway, always acting on instinct and never stopping to think. As he considered this, Jerry noticed it had suddenly become dark. And he was alone. Turning his mbumive head upward, he saw something new. Something was blocking the sky. It was dark and large and sat just beneath the surface. Maybe it was a new kind of whale. Jerry had always liked whales, if from a distance. With a squirt of water, he propelled himself upward to meet it.

As he reached out with a tentacle, something fell from above into the water with a blorp and a whoosh and a watery boom. It was large, but not nearly as large as the thing above. It was traveling downward toward the bottom of the sea at an alarming rate. Had his new friend just given birth? The baby was in danger! Jerry followed the trail of bubbles, going deeper and deeper into the dark, cold sea. He saw it hit the side of a deep trench and plunge further down. Jerry swam headfirst into the darkness, enduring the increasing pressure on his head. He was having trouble seeing now, but he continued on.

And then, he saw it, resting on the sandy floor. Jerry rushed to its side, rebumuring it that it would be all right. And yet, Jerry knew that he could not carry this mbumive creature on his back. His stabbing headache worsened, but Jerry reached out gently with his tentacles and touched the creature. It was cold, like the sea, and hard. It had a strange set of white and black scales, and Jerry ran his eight tentacles over them, counting 88. He pushed down on the scales and a soft sound came out. Was it talking to him? He ran his tentacles over the slippery scales and the creature made more sounds, singing higher and lower, depending on his touch. A wave of happiness came over Jerry as he and the creature sang together, their harmony echoing around the cavern and traveling up to the surface. A lone fish stopped and listened, briefly, wondering at the dissonant appoggiatura that then resolved into an open chord before it finally fell silent.

At the bottom of the ocean, all was quiet. Jerry lay over his charge, never to be lonely again.