Chapter 15
Zoe ushered the crowd in and turned on the red light, bathing the previously darkened room in a rosy glow. Zoe hadn’t expected quite so many people for her first demonstration. She’d practised plenty of times, but there was truth in the old show business adage, never work with children or animals. And it didn’t help that Karen was lurking in the background. She’d been sceptical about the idea from the start. ‘You’d better perform, Einstein,’ whispered Zoe, ‘or I’m going to die of embarrassment.’ The big hooded eyes of the octopus fixed on her as she turned to face the gathering.
‘Welcome everybody to our new Octo Show.’
‘Why is the light all red?’ asked a skinny boy.
‘Most octopuses are nocturnal,’ said Zoe. ‘Their eyes don’t pick up light in the red range very well. It tric
