40 THE UNDERWATER FOREST

CHAPTER 40 THE UNDERWATER FOREST The waters along that coast were home to a lush forest of kelp. Tall stalks of seaweed swayed as huge waves went rolling over. Sunlight filtered through the shifting foliage and dappled the seafloor. And just like forests on land, this underwater forest was teeming with wildlife. Barnacles clung to the rocks.

Schools of fish swirled out from the greenery. Otters dove down and tore clams from the reef. Roz was working her way through the kelp forest when she noticed she was being followed. A creature was darting from shadow to shadow as it trailed after her. The robot tried to go faster, but the water currents and the moving kelp slowed her down. Rather than fleeing from the mysterious creature, Roz decided to hide. She quickly wrapped a kelp frond around her torso, smeared sand over her limbs, placed seashells on her head, and nestled into the ground. For a brief moment, she blended into the reef. But camouflage works a little differently underwater, and soon the kelp was unraveling, the sand was drifting away, the shells were sliding off, and there was our robot, in the open, as an octopus crawled out from the shadows. The octopus had red skin, a bulging head, and eight wriggling arms. But something about her movements signaled that she wasn't dangerous—she was curious. "Who are you?" said the octopus. "My name is Roz. I am a robot." "My name is Limber. I'm an octopus." "I was afraid you might be dangerous," said Roz, "so I tried to camouflage myself." Limber laughed. "That isn't camouflage. This is camouflage." The octopus crawled onto a rocky ledge and squeezed her big squishy body into a small crevice.

Her skin suddenly turned rough and gray until she perfectly matched her surroundings. In an instant, the octopus had become part of the reef. Roz couldn't believe her eyes. "I have never seen a better display of camouflage," she said, "not in the ocean or on land." A chunk of rock seemed to melt, and the octopus reappeared. "You've been on land?" "I have spent most of my life on land," said Roz. "I love land!" said Limber. "I climb onto the shore every once in a while. It's so refreshingly bright and airy. I wish I could spend more time up there." "I am headed to shore now," said Roz, pointing. "Oh, you don't want to go that way," said Limber. "The waves will smash you against the rocks. Let me show you a better way!"

Limber wrapped a strong arm around Roz's wrist, and then the octopus jetted off through the water, dragging the robot behind her. They glided between kelp fronds and over seagrass and into a cave in the side of the reef. The cave was long and dark, with only a few shafts of light streaming down from cracks in the ceiling. At the end of the cave was an opening in the rock, and they climbed up through it, onto the bright, sunny shore. Limber crawled into a tide pool, and she and Roz chatted over the sounds of crashing waves. When the robot explained her mission, the cheerful octopus turned gray and serious.

"So it's real," said Limber. "I hoped the poison tide was merely a rumor. What do you know about it? Will it ever come here?" "What I know is that the poison tide is made of toxic dust that is flowing along ocean currents," said Roz. "What I do not know is whether it will ever come here." "You have to stop it!" Limber shouted. "You have to do whatever it takes!" The octopus turned away and quietly said, "Please forgive my outburst. I have a lot on my mind. A few days from now, I'll crawl inside my den and lay eggs. I'll spend the last few months of my life watching over them. By the time my eggs hatch, I'll be dead. We octopus mothers sacrifice everything for our young. Sometimes, I dream about my tiny hatchlings. In my dream, I hold them close and say that I'll always protect them. It's only a dream, though. I won't be alive to protect them. That's why you must stop the poison tide. Then maybe my hatchlings will have a chance to grow up." "I will do everything in my power to stop the poison tide," said Roz. Limber squinted at the hot sun and said, "I should be going." The octopus started crawling across the rocks, but before dropping into the water she looked back and added, "Good luck, Roz. I'm counting on you. We're all counting on you."