Chapter 1: Mixed Feelings

They'd been here for a week, and already, they were the most popular things here.

I'd been a star attraction at this zoo for years now. Who doesn't love an octopus? We can do really cool stuff! We're also pretty intelligent. Yet they kept getting the attention because they're "cute."

So, what did I get to do? Laze around at the bottom of my habitat while the zoo visitors walked right past me as if I didn't exist to go and see the "widdle baby penguins." I wasn't even sure why they kept me around anymore. I heard a rumor that I would actually be transferred soon. That's why they put the penguins on a little island-type thing at the surface of my habitat. I rarely go to the surface, so I wouldn't bother them. And then the habitat would be all theirs when I got out of the way.

But right when I thought things were at their worst, the unexpected happened.

So I'm just sulking around my habitat when I hear this muffled gasp from the surface of the water. I looked up to see the smallest penguin sinking through the water. My first thought was that penguins were supposed to swim, but I guessed this little guy was too young and hadn't learned yet. As much as I despised him for taking away the attention, I couldn't just let the little guy drown. So I floated myself up, gently wrapped an arm around him and carried him up.

When I surfaced, everyone around me fell silent. I started feeling pretty awkward as I laid the tiny penguin on the island. I realized now that he was unconscious. The other three penguins ran to him and turned him on his side. I could feel the tension rising around us. Finally, the tiny penguin coughed and sputtered water and I felt the density of the air lighten immensely as everyone released the breath they were holding and cheered.

Great, I thought. Now they're even more popular.

But before I dove back under, I caught some of what the humans were saying.

"The octopus saved the penguin!"

"Dude, octopi are so cool!"

"It's octopuses."

I looked around as people started to fight each other over the best angle for a picture. I turned to the penguins. The tallest one and the one with the tiny feather mohawk were helping the smallest one stand up and breathe slowly. The other one held his tiny flipper to his forehead in salute.

"Thank you for saving the youngest member of our family," he said.

My eyes flitted between him and the other penguins before I finally settled on him again. "You're welcome," I said lamely. I heard the humans around me continue to go on and on about me saving that tiny penguin. A few seconds later, a zookeeper came and picked the littlest penguin up and started carrying him away.

"Where are you taking me?" he cried. "Guys!"

"Hey! Give him back!" the three other penguins cried angrily as they tried to chase the zookeeper on their tiny feet.

I swam to the edge of the island and put an arm across their path. "It's okay, guys," I said. "Alice is just taking him to the zoo infirmary to make sure he's okay."

The little penguins looked from me to the zookeeper.

"Are you sure they won't hurt him?" the tall one asked.

"Yeah," I assured them. "They'll take care of him for a while. Then they'll bring him back here, safe and sound."

They seemed to relax. I retracted my arm.

"Um, I hope your friend's okay," I said awkwardly. Before they could respond, I dove back under the water and settled back down in my habitat.

The rest of the day was a complete one-eighty from how things had been going for the past week. I received more visitors, but only because I saved that little penguin. They didn't seem to want to see me for me. Nonetheless, I did a few of my trademark tricks for the little ones. They seemed to be only half paying attention, as they were still too focused on my "heroic" act from earlier and tried to coax me into going back to the surface, to which I refused.

Finally, the zoo closed. I wrapped my eight arms around a rock and rested my head, trying to make myself tired. Soon after, a corn dog stick floated past my head and I scowled. I loathed those messy humans that thought the world was their garbage can. I snatched the stick in an arm and floated to the surface.

"All right!" I said, waving the stick around in anger. "Who's the idiot?!"

"Um . . ."

I turned around to see the penguins on their little island, the fourth one having returned to them.

"Sorry," the flatheaded one said. "That was us. We weren't sure how to get your attention since we can't swim yet."

I looked at the stick in my grasp and back to the penguins, unresponding.

"We just wanted to thank you again for saving Private," the flatheaded one continued. I assumed the littlest one was supposed to be Private. "We also realized that we never caught your name."

I cleared my throat as my eyes flitted between them. "Dave," I replied finally.

"I'm Skipper," the flatheaded one said. "This is Kowalski and Rico," he said, gesturing to the tallest one and the one with the mohawk, respectively.

"Thank you for saving me, Dave," the littlest one said. He had an accent I didn't recognize.

"Really, you're all making a big deal out of nothing," I insisted.

"Saving Private wasn't nothing, sir," the one called Kowalski said. "He would've died."

I met each of their gazes. They seemed . . . well, I wasn't sure. They seemed grateful, but at the same time, it seemed they were uncertain, maybe even a little scared. Of what, I wasn't sure.

The one called Skipper continued. "Um, look, Derrick —"

"Dave," I corrected.

"Sorry," Skipper said nervously, "Dave. I was also hoping maybe you could — answer a few questions for us? It's just that . . . we have no idea where we are or how long we're going to be here."

I hesitated for a moment. This was the longest I'd ever spoken with anyone since I'd arrived here. I'm not the best at the whole "social" thing. But these little guys were small, scared, and confused. I couldn't find the heart to leave them that way, even though I had three. I floated myself forward and propped myself up on the edge of their island using my arms.

"Well, have you ever heard the humans say anything about New York or the Central Park Zoo?" I asked.

The penguins nodded.

"Well, that's where you are. You're in the Central Park Zoo, which is where the humans come to look at different animals that aren't indigenous to here. Here, meaning New York," I explained.

"What's a 'New York'?" Private asked.

I looked down in thought. Explaining things to children was difficult.

"Uh, well," I started, "it's a big city where the humans live." I turned and pointed to something in the distance. "See those big things rising up to the sky? They're called buildings. It's what the humans made so a bunch of people could live and work in the same area."

The penguins followed where my arm was pointing. Then they turned three-sixty as they tried to see in the distance all around them.

"So, I take it this is the first time you guys have been in a city?" I deduced.

They exchanged glances before nodding.

"We're from Antarctica," Skipper said. "We became stranded on a block of ice and these humans on a big — ah, what was it called, Kowalski?"

"A ship," Kowalski answered.

"Yeah, this big ship passed by and rescued us," Skipper finished.

I nodded and thought for a moment. "What about your parents?" I asked.

They looked at each other. Then Skipper turned back to me.

"None of us ever knew our parents. Some of the other adult penguins said that we were too young to understand what happened to them. Now that we're here, we'll never know," he answered.

I studied them for a moment. I think I started to understand what was going on inside their heads. They were scared because they didn't know anything about the world out here. They were just dropped off in an unfamiliar place and expected to just go with it. They were scared of the unknown.

"I, um, I understand," I said hesitantly. I wasn't good at the whole "sympathy" thing either. "Octopus mothers die shortly after they release their eggs."

"Where do the eggs come from?" Private asked.

I blinked, realizing this conversation had taken a wrong turn. I was not about to explain reproduction to a bunch of baby penguins.

"Um, that's — not important," I said, avoiding eye contact. "Next question."

"How long are we staying here?" Skipper asked.

"Well, unless you end up getting transferred, which I'd doubt, you'll probably stay here for the rest of your lives," I answered.

"The rest of our lives?" Private repeated in distress.

"As in forever?" Kowalski asked, holding Private.

The four penguins started to sniffle and my hearts each skipped a beat like dominoes.

"I don't want to stay here forever!" Skipper cried.

"Oh, no, no, no!" I said, reaching out with my arms and then retracting them as I realized I had no idea how to comfort children. "I mean, yes, but it's not so bad!"

The penguins continued to cry, leaning on each other and burying their faces into each other's shoulders.

"I-I mean, you get fed, they clean your habitat!" I tried again. I put an arm to my head as I tried to remember what the humans did whenever their children cried. They usually . . . hold them, and um . . . stroke their heads and backs. I looked at the suckers on my arms and doubted that would at all be comfortable, but I had to do something.

I wrapped an arm around the four of them and awkwardly held them close. I was a little wet, but they either didn't mind or were too preoccupied with their tears to care. I tried to pat their little feathery heads with the non-suckered side of my arm.

"Hey, don't be sad," I encouraged — well, at least tried to. "I bet everything will work out just fine."

They all looked up at me and wiped their faces.

"You think so?" Private asked.

"Well, sure!" I replied, forcing a smile. I looked around, trying to think of what to say. "Uh, well, the humans love you, and, um . . . I'm sure you'll make lots of friends in the zoo."

"Are you our friend, Dave?" Private asked timidly.

I felt my hearts drop as I looked into his little face. I wasn't really sure what to say. I'd never really had friends. I studied each of them as they willed me to say yes. I've seen cute before, but this was just not fair. How could I say no to these little guys? — especially when they're so small and helpless? I forced a smile, hoping it didn't look creepy.

"Sure," I said finally. "I'm your friend."

What the little guys did next sent me in a state of paralysis. They smiled broadly and wrapped their tiny flippers around me — well, as far as they would go, anyway. I had no idea how to respond. I'm not the friendliest looking creature, yet these guys seemed to see right past that, if they even realized it was there.

I had friends. Real friends.

— § —

The rest of that afternoon was packed with questions and answers that led to even more questions.

"Why do the humans find looking at animals so amusing?" Skipper had asked at one point.

"Well, they like to consider themselves intelligent, when in reality, they're actually quite ignorant. They're gullible, easily entertained, and generally self-absorbed," I answered.

"What about the animals?" Kowalski asked. "Surely not all the zoo's residents are okay with being forced to live here."

"Yeah," I sighed, "goes back to that whole 'self-absorbed' thing. They just care about their own entertainment. On the bright side, we don't have to hunt for food, and our habitats are cleaned daily."

"How long have you been here?" Private asked.

I shifted in the water a little. "Um . . . as long as I can remember, I guess. I was pretty young when I arrived."

"Are there any other octopuseses here?" Skipper asked. I couldn't help but smile at his attempt at saying "octopuses."

"No," I answered. "Just me."

"Aw," little Private said, "you must get so lonely."

"Nah, not really. We're not very social creatures," I replied.

"Why not?" Private asked.

"Well, um," I started, trying to think of a good answer, "I'm honestly not sure. I think it's just in our nature."

"Does that mean we're bothering you?" Private asked with a frown.

"Oh, no. You're not bothering me," I replied. Oddly enough, I meant it. Usually, I wasn't too keen on having long, drawn-out conversations with people, but these little guys intrigued me. We were so different in so many ways — age, species, social conduct, among many other things — yet they seemed to be very comfortable around me, and I can't say the feeling wasn't mutual.

The little Private smiled, and the other three followed suit. I have to say, at that moment, I think I started to understand why the humans were so head-over-heels for these little guys. They were perpetually irresistible. How could anyone possibly say no to them?

The night lamps flicked on in the zoo and I suddenly realized how late it was getting. The penguins looked at the lamps, and then back to me.

"It's dark," Private said, shrinking into himself. Kowalski hugged him close.

"You've been here for a week, I thought you'd be used to it by now," I said curiously.

"How long did it take you to get used to it?" Skipper asked. "After being stripped away from everything you've ever known, being forced to live and sleep in an unfamiliar place?"

"I don't like the dark," Private commented as he buried himself into Kowalski's tiny feathers.

I had a momentary flashback then. I was a young octopus that had just arrived here. I remembered a lot of sleepless nights at the bottom of my tank — alone and frightened in the darkness. Even though I was used to being alone, this was different. In the ocean, even as a young cephalopod, I had the general knowledge that there were other life forms inhabiting the ocean with me, even if I was never around them. Here, I was truly alone. I never tried to make friends with the other zoo animals, and none ever came to try to befriend me. I honestly don't know how long it took for me to get used to it.

"I don't know," I finally answered. "But at least you have each other."

The penguins exchanged looks but then turned back to me.

"I guess that's true," Skipper replied, "but it's still scary. There are all these sounds that we've never heard before. We're afraid one night they're going to come for us."

"Who?" I inquired.

"We don't know," Kowalski replied. "Whatever makes those sounds, I guess."

I looked down and tilted my head as I listened. In the distance, I heard the sounds of honking cars and sirens wailing. I smiled calmly.

"I promise there's no one coming to get you. All you hear are the sounds of the city. You get used to it after a while," I explained.

The penguins seemed to relax a little, but they still seemed afraid. I guess I could understand. No matter what I could say to assure them that they're safe, they're still in an unfamiliar place, and I couldn't change that.

"Well," Skipper started timidly, "I believe you, but I still think I'd feel more comfortable taking the first watch."

I pinched my brows. "First watch?"

"We've been taking turns sleeping," Kowalski explained. "Skipper always takes the first watch, then me, and then Rico."

I arched an eyebrow. "But you're just kids. You need to sleep," I said.

"But we're scared!" little Private protested. Kowalski hugged him a little closer. Private looked up at me with pleading eyes. "Dave, could you sleep with us tonight?"

I looked between the four penguins, whose expressions were still riddled with childlike fear. These poor little guys were taking this harder than I had. I looked at the water, thought for a moment, and then I sighed.

"Sure," I agreed. "In fact, I'll watch for you guys. I'll just take a nap in the morning before opening hours."

It looked like a wave of relief washed over the penguins and they rushed over to hug me again. I looked down at them, trying to figure out how to respond. It was kind of weird for me, actually. I could entertain children just fine, but when it came to actually interacting with them, I drew a complete blank.

"O-Okay, that's nice. You're welcome," I said, gently shoving them off. They looked up at me gratefully before huddling together in the middle of the island.

"Good night," Kowalski said, snuggling next to Private.

"Good night," Private said with a yawn as he situated himself between Kowalski and Rico, who said something that sounded like 'good night.'

"Good night, Darren," Skipper said with a yawn and a stretch.

I was about to correct him again, but they'd already fallen fast asleep. I questioned whether it was because it'd been a long day, or if they hadn't gotten much sleep in the past week due to their little "sleeping system," or if it was because I was more boring than I thought. Well, at least I thought they were all asleep.

"Dave," Private called softly.

I climbed out of the water onto their island. "Yes, Private?"

"Can you sit with us?" he requested.

I hesitated. "Are you sure? I'm a bit cold," I said.

Private yawned. "We're penguins, Dave," he said tiredly. "The cold doesn't bother us."

"And wet," I added. "And clammy."

"It's okay," Private insisted. "Friends don't judge."

He was half asleep now. I stared at their tiny forms all huddled against each other. I started to feel a small smile pull at my lips. I have to say, they were really adorable. I carefully sat myself next to them and wrapped my arms around them, forming a sort of nest. They didn't seem at all bothered by the texture of my skin and nestled themselves down. I had this weird fuzzy sensation then, and not from the penguins' soft feathers. It was like the realization of the fact that I had made friends in these four little guys.

And to think I ever had any negative feelings for them.

— § —

Note: Alice is a character in the TV series, who's a zookeeper at the zoo. In fact, the line, "Who's the idiot!" was stolen from her from one of the episodes.