Otto Octopus Keeps the Beat: story transcript
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Otto Octopus Keeps the Beat
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Early one reef morning, Otto Octopus popped awake with a splash. He had eight arms. He had twelve drums. He had a grin so big it nearly bounced off his face. "I found more drums than arms!" he trumpeted. That sounded exciting. It also sounded like trouble.
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Otto tried to play all twelve drums at once. Tap! Thump! Ping! Plonk! One arm hit the big drum. Another bonked a tiny drum. A third sneezed on a cymbal. The reef band wobbled. Bubbles popped everywhere. "I am a very fast drummer!" "You are also a very loud noodle."
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Just then, Miri Minnow zipped in. She did not flap. She did not wobble. She listened. Tap. Thump. Ping. Plonk. Otto’s beats were stepping on one another like clumsy crabs in tiny shoes. "Hold still, beat giant." Otto froze. One drum arm was still tapping. Very rude.
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Miri lifted one fin. Tap. She tapped the reef floor once. Tap. Then she tapped again. Tap. "Not all at once," she said. "One beat. Then the next beat." Otto blinked. He tucked in seven arms. His belly made a tiny wobble. "My belly hears it," he whispered.
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Otto nodded very seriously. His eyes got round. His drumsticks got ready. He lifted one arm for the first beat... and achoo! A tiny drumroll burst out of his sneezey arm. Brrrra-dum! His hat flew sideways and landed on a coral twig. Otto gasped. "My hat has escaped!"
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Miri swished closer. She gave a tiny tap with her tail. Tap. Then another. Tap. Otto listened with his whole squishy face. He tried again. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. His eight arms stayed still. Well... almost still. One arm cheered anyway.
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Then the reef band tiptoed in. One shell drum. One clacky reed flute. One sleepy sea star on a maraca. They all listened to Otto’s thump-thump. Tap! Tap! The music lined up like marching snails. Otto beamed. "We are making a song!"
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Otto grinned and chose just one drum. One! That was hard for a fellow with eight arms. He passed the other drums to the band. Plink! Clack! Tap! The whole reef bobbed along. Even the sleepy sea star bounced. "Listen first," said Miri. Otto nodded. "Then play!"
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At last, Otto and Miri bowed to the reef. Otto bent low. One arm bonked a drum. Boing! The coral looked like it was clapping with tiny pink hands. The band laughed. Miri smiled. "Hear the beat, and the beat hears you!" "And nobody gets squashed!"
