| General Fiction posted March 23, 2025 |
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A fictional story based on fact
The Great Escape
by June Sargent
"Hey, thanks for the ride. My name's Inky. At least that's the name they gave me at the National Aquarium in New Zealand.
Got caught in a crab pot awhile back and thought I was done for. But a kindhearted fisherman found me and brought me to the Aquarium. They rehabbed me and things were good - free food and friendly people. But I couldn't stay. Had to escape. Thanks for letting me hitch a ride on your back! Time is of the essence here," explained the octopus riding on the back of a short fin Mako shark.
"So, how did you escape anyway?" asked the shark.
"I managed to squeeze through a small gap at the top of the tank, slithered my way down the side and across the floor to a drain pipe that emptied into the bay outside.
I wanted my tank mate, Blotchy, to join me. But he said he'd rather stay and feed on all-you-can-eat cuttlefish. But he swore he'd never snitch on me. Said he was an octopus, not a stool pigeon," said Inky with an appreciative smirk.
"So why are you in such a rush to get back out into the wild?" asked the shark.
"Honestly, I'm in my prime now and have only a short time to find a mate to procreate. Gotta leave a legacy behind, you know," answered Inky with some pride. "And since my incident with the crab pot, I don't swim as fast as I used to. So, your willingness to let me rest while hitching a ride is much appreciated. "
"Well, you had better hang on tight, because we're leaving the bay and heading straight out to the Pacific Ocean!" warned the Mako shark.
"Yippee-ki-yay! And be sure to keep your eyes out for any females with eight beautiful legs!"
Inky actually escaped from the New Zealand National Aquarium in 2016 and was never found. Hopefully he did find a mate. For the club challenge, I needed to create a story explaining why an octopus was seen riding a Mako shark in recent news.
Club entry for the "Ride 'Em Sharktopus" event in "Flash Fiction/Nonfiction". Locate a writing club.
Pays one point and 2 member cents.
Artwork by seshadri_sreenivasan at FanArtReview.com
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© Copyright 2025. June Sargent All rights reserved.
June Sargent has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
