PodCastle Miniature 014: The Fable of the Octopus
Show Notes
Rated G. Contains philosophical meanderings.
The Fable of the Octopus
by Peter S. Beagle
Once, deep down under the sea, down with the starfish and the sting rays and the conger eels, there lived an octopus who wanted to see God.
Octopi are among the most intelligent creatures in the sea, and shyly thoughtful as well, and this particular octopus spent a great deal of time in profound pondering and wondering. Often, curled on the deck of the sunken ship where he laired, he would allow perfectly edible prey to swim or scuttle by, while he silently questioned the here and the now, the if and the then, and — most especially — the may and the mightwhy. Even among his family and friends, such rumination was considered somewhat excessive, but it was his way, and it suited him. He planned eventually to write a book of some sort, employing his own ink for the purpose. It was to be called Concerns of a Cephalopod, or possibly Mollusc Meditations.
About the Author
Peter S. Beagle
Peter Soyer Beagle is an American novelist of fantasy literature, and a screenwriter and musician. His best-known works are is A Fine and Private Place, I See By My Outfit, The Last Unicorn, The Innkeeper’s Song, and The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche, During the last twenty-five years he has won many literary awards, including a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2011. He lives and writes in the San Francisco Bay Area.
About the Narrator
Serah Eley
Serah Eley is a software developer and writer who once, under the name Steve Eley, started a little science fiction podcast called Escape Pod. You might have heard of it. She was the original founder of Escape Artists, our parent company, before retiring from podcasting in 2010. She’s spent much of the past ten years exploring the frontier territories of multiple-identity and gender, and is just starting to write home about what she’s found. You can follow her exploits at seraheley.com.
