Eddie on the Edge of Everything

16: Octopus Speech

Not a word was said for a long time as the Pizza Ship zoomed through space. Only Novus's loud snoring echoed through the cabin. He passed out shortly after launch. I guessed getting tied up and interrogated will wear any guy out. Stella stayed at the controls. Her tentacles steering the ship along a dotted path displayed on the monitor above her head. The small triangle bleeped along the screen avoiding any space junk that happened to be floating by.

I stayed by the window staring out at a shrinking glowing dot that used to be the Wingspan Resort. My heart full of worry and anxiety hoped Leo had found his parents and gotten to safety. Since his parents traveled a lot for their medical research, who knew what planet he would end up on next. I wondered if I would ever see him again.

A tentacle tapped me on the shoulder snapping me out of my thoughts. Stella floated beside me. The monitor showing the ship's path now displayed the following words: Autopilot Engaged. Her big puppy dog eyes studied me and her bulbous head tilted to the side. I turned away staring once more out of the window.

"Oola," she said, slapping the glass.

While I couldn't understand her I sensed she was asking me how I was doing.

"I'm sad, Stella," I said hugging my knees. They smelled of sweat and dirt desperately needing to be cleaned. "Everyone I care about always ends up leaving me."

"Ooooolllooo," she protested.

"You know I can't understand you," I said resting my head on my knees and giving her a confused look. The octopus rushed over to the shelf where Novus kept his holo-books. She ran a pair of sticky suction cups along the spines before choosing the right one.

"Oooola," she said turning on the tablet and flipping to a particular screen. "Ooolalaloo," she said into the device. A calm female voice exited the holo-book's speaker.

"Hello, Eddie, can you understand me now."

I leaned in and chuckled. The screen showed a voice icon and the words, Translate from Cephalopodian.

"Stella is that really your voice?"

Stella spoke into the device once more.

"No, this is an advanced translating software. I can sound like a guy if you like." Stella clicked an icon on the screen. "How does this sound," she said in a deep male voice. I laughed.

"Change it back," I hollered clutching my stomach. "Change it back."

"Better?" said Stella reverting back in her female voice.

"Much better," I agreed.

"Don't be sad, Eddie." The octopus hovered close to the window. "You will see the boy again. When you make friends with someone they always come back."

"I wish I had your confidence."

A loud snore interrupted our conversation. We looked over at Novus strung over the couch. His mouth wide open dripped with drool onto the cushions. Definitely not a pleasant sight to see. On the other hand, Stella gave the sleeping man a loving glance. I'm sure she was smiling the best way an octopus could smile.

"Novus and I are your friends," she said hovering close to my ear. "We will never leave you."

"I thought you hated me," I said to the octopus, rubbing my legs.

"You saved us from the Wish-Hunter. Friends for life now. Forever and ever."

A warm feeling burst across my cheeks. I was blushing with joy. Who would have ever thought in a few days I'd be best friends with a floating, talking octopus. I glanced down at the tablet. The name, Luna, was engraved into the side.