Summary

In “Day 1,299 of My Captivity,” the Giant Pacific Octopus Marcellus McSquiddles introduces himself to the audience. He displays his unusual brilliance, his ability to read and understand human language, and his grasp on his own mortality.

In “The Silver Dollar Scar,” Tova Sullivan cleans the aquarium on her night shift, thinking often of her deceased son. “Erik. Her only child” (11). She finds Marcellus outside his tank “tangled in a mess of power cords” (7). After freeing him, “she looks down at her arm, which is covered in tiny circles. Sucker marks (9).

In “Day 1,300 of My Captivity,” Marcellus bemoans the “foul creatures” his “captors” feed him, and revels in the delicacies he finds around the aquarium (12). He expresses gratitude for “the cleaning lady. She saved me” (13).

In “Falsehood Cookies,” Tova meets with the Knit-Wits, a group of her friends consisting of Mary Anne Minetti, Janice...