Goodbye to Pasta

On the seventh morning, Polly came to the tank early. The lab was quiet.

På den sjuende morgenen kom Polly tidlig til tanken. Laboratoriet var stille.

Pasta was at the front of the tank. This was new. For six days, the octopus had been folded in her pipe, or in a corner. Today she was pressed against the glass. All eight arms were spread. Her eye was level with Polly's.

Pasta var foran i tanken. Dette var nytt. I seks dager hadde blekkspruten vært sammenkrøllet i røret sitt, eller i et hjørne. I dag var hun presset mot glasset. Alle åtte armene var spredt. Øyet hennes var på nivå med Pollys.

They looked at each other.

De så på hverandre.

What passes between a parrot and an octopus is probably not friendship. Octopuses can sense warmth through their skin. They can sense movement through their suckers. The octopus was collecting information.

Det som skjer mellom en papegøye og en blekksprut er sannsynligvis ikke vennskap. Blekkspruter kan føle varme gjennom huden. De kan merke bevegelser gjennom sugekoppene. Blekkspruten samlet informasjon.

Polly hopped along the rim. The octopus's eye tracked her. When Polly stopped, the eye stopped.

Polly hoppet langs kanten. Blekksprutens øye fulgte henne. Da Polly stoppet, stoppet øyet.

For seven minutes they watched each other.

I sju minutter så de på hverandre.

Then the octopus did something new. She slowly unfurled one arm. She pressed the tip of it against the inside of the glass, exactly opposite Polly's foot. The suckers spread, then stilled.

Så gjorde blekkspruten noe nytt. Hun rullet sakte ut en arm. Hun presset tuppen av den mot innsiden av glasset, akkurat motsatt av Pollys fot. Sugekoppene spredte seg, så ble de stille.

Polly touched the outside of the glass with her beak.

Polly berørte utsiden av glasset med nebbet sitt.

The arm stayed for one long minute. Then it slid back into the water.

Armen ble der i ett langt minutt. Så gled den tilbake i vannet.

Chiara came in with two coffees. "You are leaving," she said. "Travel safely."

Chiara kom inn med to kopper kaffe. "Du skal dra," sa hun. "Reis trygt."

Polly flew out of the institute. The Bay of Naples opened in front of her. She climbed and found the wind.

Polly fløy ut av instituttet. Napolibukten åpnet seg foran henne. Hun steg opp og fant vinden.