How a Hard Octopus Became A Soft One
by Cecile

Far away, deep in the see, was a fresh-water dolphin who had followed the river flow into the ocean. The fresh water dolphin could still breathe but it wasn't easy. It knew it was going to die, so the dolphin closed its eyes and waited for the end.

"No! I don't want to die!" Screamed Daphne.

"Wake up, Daphne! You're dreaming!" cried Diana, Daphne's twin sister. They were dolphins living in a small but cozy cove, and Daphne often had nightmares. Like this one, obviously. "DAPHNE!!" screamed Diana. "YOU ARE DREAMING!!" Suddenly, Daphne opened her eyes and realized that she was back home, safe and sound. "What time is it?" She asked.

"It's almost 7:00 am and the alarm will ring any minute. You are and alarm clock, Daphne." Diana grinned a toothy dolphin grin.

"Yeah, except that alarms don't have nightmares!"

"Time to get up! Chop-chop!" called their mom from the other room. The cove had two rooms. One was their mom and dad's bedroom. The front of the cove was where they ate, played, studied, read books. well, you know what I mean.

Daphne and Diana dragged themselves out of bed to once again begin the "Daily Routine".

The Daily Routine was something like this:

• 7:00. Wake up.

• 7:05. Eat Breakfast.

• 7:20. Leave home for school.

• 7:30. Get to school (Called Dolphin Mania)

• 12:00. Eat Lunch.

• 1:10.Go back to classroom, study.

• 3:00.Go back home.

• 3:10.Arrive home.

• 3:15. Do homework.

• 5:20.Finish Homework.

• 5:30. Go out to play

• 6:00. Eat dinner.

• 7.00. Go to bed.

Anyway, at 7:05 the two dolphins went out of their bedroom. Their mom had already put out the yuckiest cereal in the ocean.

"Mom," cried Daphne, "When are you going to buy some decent cereal? This PUKE thing is gross!"

"What did you say? This cereal is PUKE? Young lady, this cereal is called 'Plankton Pansies.' How could it be bad?"

"You taste it, mom, and you'll know what I mean!"

Daphne's mom ate a spoonful. "Ewww!! This isn't PLANKTON, this is. this is. Human oil and Garbage mixed together!"

"Mom, it's PUKE!"

"OK, whatever. Where is the coral box?"

"Right here. Diana handed her mom a big box made of white coral. Her mom looked at the ingredients and her eyes grew big. "Arghhh!" she cried, throwing to box out the door and dumping the cereal in the wastebasket. "Don't ever ask me about the cereal." She ordered. "Now go to school."

"OK, mom."

When arriving Dolphin Mania they noticed a crowd around Octavian's cave. Octavian was the smartest octopus around. or, at least, that's what he said. Of course, all dolphins of the reef knew that he was the bossiest and loved to brag about his huge brain (which was actually very tiny). The dolphins knew, of course, that quantity didn't mean quality.

There was a crowd because Octavian was sick. He had gotten sick after eating a bowl of cereal. The cereal was called 'Plankton Pansies'. Daphne gasped. "Where is the cereal?" She demanded. "Here." Octavian's bodyguard gave the cereal to Daphne. She swam quickly to the school dumpsters. Daphne then mashed the cereal up with a piece of coral she had found and threw everything in the dump- the cereal, the coral-box, and the piece of coral.

Octavian came out of the cave when Diana cried, "Sis! You're back! What did you do with Octavian's cereal?" Daphne smiled. "I realized the cereal was dangerous," said she as she smiled, "so I threw it away."

"Oh." Many people sighed with relief.

"May I have my cereal box back? It is very special to me."

"I'm sorry, Octavian, but cereal boxes contain cereal. I had to throw it away, in fear of infecting you. we'll have no teacher to teach us!"

"It's not like any of you care about me! Most of you think I'm too bossy, and I brag too much!" Octavian shouted. "Well, I heard that this cereal makes you unhealthy, so I decided to try it, to see if you all could care about me if I were sick. But NO! None of you care! See how because they think I'm better now so they drift away!" He suddenly burst into tears. "All I ever wanted was someone to like me."

"Mr. Octavian?" Diana spoke up timidly.

"Yes, Diana?"

"I think you're too selfish. You should think about others. Since you are selfish and bossy, of course no one would like you.

"No more!" Octavian cried. "If you say anymore, I will give you a thousand praising notes. er, I mean WARNING notes! (If you get 5 praising notes, you get a prize. If you get 10 warning notes, your parents are called. If you get 20 warning notes, you get a letter to fill. If you get 30 warning notes, you are expelled.)

"Um. Octavian? Why do you have to give me warning notes?"

"Because you're saying bad things about me!"

"She's telling you why we don't like you. You should listen to her!" The others cried.

"She only wants to make me worse!" Octavian argued.

"Just try for at least a month. Then argue!"

"Well. OK. I'll do it!" declared the octopus. "Everyone. I mean, all the kids. into the classrooms, please! School has been delayed for a minute too long!"

All the dolphins cheered as they took their places. They wondered what they were going to learn today. Yesterday, they read the wonderful play "Domino and Pooliet," the great creation by Dolphspeare. (That's Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare.) During grammer, they had learned swimming verbs and Dolphin linking verbs (Action Verbs and linking verbs).

"Well, today we are going to the library, and you may get any book you like with your library cards. During Language Arts we'll explore and get pictures with throw-away waterproof cameras of any swimming verb you can find. Now, let's go to the library - Oh, and don't forget your library cards!" announced Octavian. He waited patiently.

All the kids rushed. They took the Witch of Blackbird Pond" out. Some had theirs in their coral desks, some in their kelp backpacks. And while they found the library books, they talked and shouted, and Octavian's smile getting wider. He was enjoying himself, and when he saw a timid dophin raise her hand, he swam toward her.

"What's the matter, Angie?" Octavian asked.

"I can't find my library book!"

"Maybe you left it at home!"

"Yes, I'm sure I did. But what will I do?"

"Hmm. I've got it!"

"What is it?"

"I have the teacher's library card. With it, I can check out as many books as I want. Why don't I check yours out for you?"

"Yes, please! And thank you!"

"That's OK. When you choose your book, come over to me!"

"Yes, Mr. Octavian. Thanks a thousand times!"

"No problem."

Octavian swam to the teacher's desk. "Has everyone got their books?" he cried.

"Yes!!" the class cried back to him.

"Then lets go -" said Octavian.

"Hooray!!!!"

The Dolphins cheered and raced to the library. They checked in their books, the Octavian led the kids to the children's section.

Everyone got the book they liked. Diana got "The Witches" and Daphne got "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Dolphin".

Then everyone went to the carpet and sat down. Octavian started to read them a novel, "Far from the madding crowds." The dolphins thought it was a gread story, but some of the boys booed at it when they found out that two people kissed each other.

After the dolphins went home, Daphne declared: "Today was the best day of my life. If everyday is like this, I don't think I'll have nightmares ever again!"