You Look Delicious

Dumbo octopuses:

Cute, harmless, and bioluminescent, they were completely unlike the other creatures of the deep sea.

And because of their springy, chewy texture,

they were the most popular food in the deep sea. Scratch that, species.

So every day, Ningning's parents reminded him:

Stay away from the big guys,

especially the ugly merfolk in the deep sea. They're fierce and brutal, and they love eating little Dumbo octopuses just like you: springy, cute, and chewy!

If you see one, turn around and run, or you'll never see your parents again!

Little Ningning nodded hard. “Stay away from big guys, stay away from ugly monsters. Ningning will remember!”

One day, Ningning went out for a stroll. As he swam along, he accidentally got lost.

By chance, he met a beautiful fish he'd never seen before.

Ningning was dumbstruck. The deep sea was full of strange, ugly creatures. Where had this handsome fish come from?

Blushing shyly, Ningning swam up to him. “Hello! Could I come over to your place?”

And so the merfolk saw their young clan leader return just after leaving,

with one of their favorite little Dumbo octopuses following behind him.

The merfolk gathered around, laughing. “The young clan leader has quite a catch! Though this one's a little small. Are you going to season it with salt and pepper, or eat it raw and marinated?”

Ningning's heart gave a thump. Only then did he realize something was wrong.

The “handsome fish” who had brought him back gave him a meaningful look. “Let's raise him first.”

This blurb was screenshotted and uploaded on 2022.09.27.

Theme: Biodiversity