Brian

All the visitors gone. The chatter and wails of small children no longer echo off the gently glowing tanks. Elephants and chimps have been put to bed. The staff all left, keys jangling and doors slamming.

Brian slides a tentacle forward and shloops after it with grace and purpose. There's something damn near seductive about it. Sneaky, even.

During the day, Brian is ignored. The flamingos command attention with distinctive colouring and frankly ostentatious uni-ped fuckery. Spider monkeys are adorable, the otters juggle pebbles, and the big cats draw undeserved crowds given that they just find a likely patch for napping and hardly move from it.

Brian sits brownly at the back of his tank and watches the world go by. Unnoticed. Quiet. Blending in.



Brian is far too clever to let on he could leave his tank any time he wanted. If the keeper found his newspaper damp, he put it down to working in such a damp place. If his sudoku puzzle was finished or there was slightly less feed than he thought, he assumed he'd made a mistake. It wasn't much of a stretch.

So, here we have Brian schlepping out of his tank and going for his nightly stroll, avoiding the cameras with ease.

He never goes far fom the aquarium. That wouldn't be the smart move, and Brian always chose the smart move. Why do you think he's still here?

He helps himself to an extra fish portion. Who's to say if he didn't close the chiller properly after?

He enjoys doing the sudoku grids that always fox the keeper. Rifles through the coverall pockets out of sheer nosiness. He finds a stray key, and puts it in the cupboard (he knows the combination). On his way back to his tank, he puts an empty crisp packet in the bin.

Next day, he's disgsruntled at being given spoiled fish. He's the wrong shape to stomp, but he gives it a jolly good go. He hurls the offending fish at the man's head, and retreats back to his tank.

The keeper tells no one. He fetches fresh fish for Brian, and leaves his puzzle book open on the desk to dry.

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Word count: (excluding author's note): 366

Submitted on: 20th May at 22.38

*Quick Author's Note*

First, and most importantly: thank you so much for reading my story! The ha'penny that Vocal will toss in my hat for your eyeballs landing on this humble piece will be well-spent. Might have a go at that sticky market thing. "The Fluffy Poodle of Wall Street".

If you enjoyed this one, the very best compliment you can give me is to share it, or read another!

A Year of Stories: I'm writing a story every day this year. This one continues my 143 day streak since 1st January!

Please do consider lending your support to the other creators who are also on this madcap "a story every day" adventure. They are putting out excellent content every day!

Rachel Deeming

Gerard DiLeo

Leave a comment: Please do leave me a comment. It makes it easier for me to reciprocate the read.

The story behind the story: You might have seen the story floating around the internet about a disgruntled octopus chucking fish at his keeper. No idea if there's any truth to it, but no doubt they are clever enough creatures for it to be feasible. I enjoyed imagining what "Brian" might get up to after hours.

Thank you

Thank you again, most especially if you are one of the wonderful people who has been staunchly reading these daily scribbles since the start of the year. I see you, and appreciate you very much indeed! 😁

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