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In a crowded shopping mall stood a most unusual store. The Potted Plantimal sold easy-care pets that did not require walks, litter boxes or nasty-smelling canned food. Pat, a potted combination of cactus and octopus, was the least popular plantimal in the store. He was ignored by customers, as smaller, cuter pets were whisked off to new lives in bright, suburban homes.
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"I want a friend," said Pat.
"Who wants to be friends with a cactopus?" mocked the mice-a-daisies. All the plantimals laughed at Pat: the bramble bunny bushes, the mad monkey mums…Even the blossoming blossom-possums joined in (and they almost never did, because they were usually too busy playing dead). A boy with a balloon approached Pat.
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POP!
"I'm sorry!" Pat cried.
"Don't go."
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A young couple peered at him.
"I was hoping for something in a softer look," said the woman, eyeing Pat's spiny tentacles.
The man rubbed his chin.
"Right, let's look at the daffo-ducklings.”
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"Wait!" Pat thrashed his tentacles.
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His pot wobbled and toppled.
Out the front door went Pat.
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WHOOSH! He zoomed through a park. The cactopus was airborne!...but not for long...
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He plopped beside a pigeon.
"Will you be my friend?"
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"Oorhh!" The pigeon flapped off in a flurry. Stray feathers tickled Pat's nose. "Achoo!" His pot tipped.
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Thump! Thump! Thump! Around and around spun Pat. When he looked up again, he was on a sidewalk, where he spied a speckled cat.
"Will you be my friend?" Pat asked. The cat rubbed in greeting against Pat's spiny trunk. "Reeow!" Kitty ran away.
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"Come back!" Pat said. Houses stretched before him like the spines on his tentacles. All were alike. All, that is, except for one. Pat's eyes widened. "A castle!"
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The cactopus bowed to a girl in a pink dress. "Hello, Princess." He leaned a prickly tentacle against the castle wall. "Will you be my friend?" The castle did not like that. Hissssss! It melted before Pat's eyes until it was nothing more than a puddle of plastic.
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An idea sprouted in Pat's big brain.
"I'll build a friend."
"Can I help?" asked a caterpillar.
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The cactopus and the caterpillar worked...
...and shared...
...and giggled...
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Pat pressed a button.
"Let's see if it works."
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"It's okay," said the caterpillar. "I'll help you build something else."
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The cactopus and the caterpillar worked...
...and ate...
...and played...
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"We're finished!" they cried.
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A wheel fell off.
A wing broke off.
The airplane's engine sputtered and died.
"Don't cry," the caterpillar said. "We'll build something that works."
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Pat studied the little caterpillar. As he thought of all the fun they'd had together, another idea took root inside that magnificent brain of his.
"Dear caterpillar!" His eyes widened. "We've already succeeded!"
The caterpillar scratched his head. "How?"
"Guess!" Pat was practically dancing in his pot. The caterpillar blinked his eyes.
"I'll give you a clue," Pat said. "We built a friend..."
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"Ship!" finished the caterpillar. "How right you are, clever cactopus. We built a friendship! And it's the best one ever!"
And so it was that their friendship was more solid than the robot. It soared higher than the airplane. And, it even overlooked the spiny bits.
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Pat's Fun Facts:
Pat is an imaginary creature
that is half saguaro
(pronounced suh-wah-roe)
and half Pacific octopus.
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Pacific octopus is one of the largest kinds of octopus in the world. From arm tip to arm tip, it can measure more than 14 feet. The saguaro is the largest cactus in America. A full grown saguaro can reach 40 to 60 feet in height. Pat is still very young. He has a lot of growing to do. Do you think he'll outgrow his pot someday?
