a fortnight later....
On the viewing platform, the small, rotund man in the checked waistcoat leaned forward and gazed at his own reflection in the still, mirror-like surface of the water below.
"You've more than earned back your expense, my lovely," he said. "Your counterfeit has appeared in all the major newspapers. Articles about you can be listened to at every talking hoarding in London. Hundreds of thousands of Britons have heard of you. Are you proud? I am. You're the most popular creature in England, just as I'd envisioned you would be and I'm richer today than I could have imagined, so thank you. Even though I understand I'm only thanking myself."
The man fell silent, gazing for a little longer into the depths at the silent bulk sleeping in the shadows.
"But that was only act one. Now it's time for the second act to commence. I shall hate to give up such profits, but...what a man will not do for fame, notoriety and a chance to show the imbeciles who dared deem him less than themselves how very wrong they were." A tiny smile appeared for a moment on his lips before dissolving.
In one sudden jerk, the man raised his arms up above his head and shouted "Arise! Arise and conquer!"
A storm of air bubbles quaked the water as the octopus stirred, twisting itself out of its slumber and rising as it was bidden.
Its tentacles slithered up the walls and curled over the railings of the viewing platform, allowing it to pull the rest of itself upwards. Finally, its great bulbous head broke the surface and loomed over the small man who stood unmoving with his arms still raised, fixing him with its cold, shiny black eyes.
The octopus paused, swaying slightly as rivers of water poured down its skin. Then one of its tentacles slowly released itself from the railing and snaked forward to wrap itself around the unmoving man's middle, gently picking him up like a mother reaching out to her tiny child.
For a moment, the man and the octopus were eye to eye.
And then it swallowed him whole.
YOU ARE READING
Teacups & Tentacles | ONC 2022
Historical FictionSteampunk light/ Comedy. A terrifying new exhibit on at London Zoo is the talk of the town. Amelia Tooting-Spur couldn't care less...until the creature escapes, throwing the Metropolitan Police into a panic. With the help of some of her eccentric f...
