Another emergency arrival today.
A pyramid with lights studded down from the point. Easy peasy working this long. But when Link netted our new friend, heaps of long rubbery tentacles spilled out around his fingers. They unrolled at subway speed, spooling out and over the arrival tank.
I started to sweat after Link said he had never seen anything like this before.
The long tank of 4037 was a perfect solution. More a swimming pool than an enclosure, and vacant. But the enclosure was a good ten minute walk away even without a sea creature to carry. Our new arrival continued to unravel, hundreds of wire thin tentacles stretching to every corner like long hair floating in the water.
Nate was our savior this time. He dragged over some old freezers on a battered trolley, and a travel tank, all half full with water. Link pulled out the main triangular body into the main tank, soaking his shirt in the process.
From there we trailed the tentacles into the other containers, each one flaccid like bad noodles. Deni draped some over their shoulders, a mucky anorak their protection from the damp.
The colours on the pyramid flared from a bright neon to a translucent pastel on the way across. Three taught sides went slack.
‘I think…it may need…a drink,' Deni said.
At 4037 we heaved the main section up and over into the water, and flopped over cold, lifeless strands of feelers. On connection with the pool the lights increased their glow ten times over. All those tentacles stretched out across the water, and the creature inflated, bursting with life.
‘Well,’ said Link, making a fruitless attempt to wring out his shirt. ‘At least we know what to do next time.’
This was all before lunch. We still had plenty to get on with.
Had a man who stared at the Butter Mouse for over half an hour. He kept asking me questions about her, from what she ate, to how her clips work. He declined to use the machine. His t-shirt had a smiling yellow mouse on. A fun touch. Nice to have another fan.
Walked a few more times past our new arrival. The tentacles had fanned out, and she floated like a spider in the middle of a web.
Imagine seeing a whole ocean of those things. All those worlds. We get a sip of them here.
Clip: The cry of the Butter Mouse rings clear. But what am I looking at? How large is that thing? How many clips are left to discover?