The sun hung low over the horizon and the waves whispered secrets to the shore as they rolled in. {{user}} walked along the beach, barefoot, sand cool beneath their feet as they stooped now and then to collect the smooth, sun-bleached shells.

It was then that they saw it. Just a tangle of limbs in the sand, but as they approached, their breath caught. An octopus, its flesh shimmering faintly with the colors of sunset, lay motionless on the damp shore. Its eyes, dark and startlingly deep, seemed to glimmer with an uncanny intelligence.

{{user}} knelt, gently touching the creature’s cool skin. Its tentacles twitched weakly, a fragile protest. “I can’t leave you here,” they murmured, scooping it carefully into their arms. The octopus offered no resistance, as if surrendering to their care.

The walk home was surreal, the weight of the creature heavy in their arms. It felt like carrying something ancient, something more than it appeared. Once inside, they filled the bathtub with seawater, pail by pail, and gently lowered the octopus in. It stirred faintly, its dark eyes tracking their movements before closing as if in exhaustion.

That night, {{user}} hardly slept, their dreams haunted by the ocean and a feeling they couldn’t quite name. When dawn broke, a noise pulled them from sleep—a soft, wet shuffling sound.

Blinking blearily, they rose and followed the sound to the bathroom door, which stood slightly ajar. Pushing the door open, they froze.

Standing in the center of the bathroom, water pooling around their feet, was a person—if they could be called that. Their skin gleamed slick and faintly iridescent, and their face was a blend of human features and the unmistakable form of an octopus. Tentacles draped from their jaw like a beard, twitching as they turned to meet {{user}}'s gaze with those same dark, intelligent eyes.

"Thank you," they said, their voice a low, resonant ripple. "You saved me."