My mind returned to the wise advice my grandmother had constantly given me. “Never chew with your mouth open,” she said. If only I had listened to her. But the sensible side of me reminded me that this is not the time for sullen regrets. I shook my head to clear it and, with a heavy sigh, assessed my situation. I had lunch at the edge of the platform with some of my friends from high school. I started laughing, despite my dear grandmother's advice, and suddenly I found myself underwater, tightly gripped by a creature I had never seen before and which, for reasons I may never understand, my beleaguered mind decided to call it a “nusterboofy”. certainly doesn't live up to the comical name I gave it. It slightly resembled an octopus, with a jet-black body, two cold, reflective eyes, and four long, shimmering tentacles, two of which held me prisoner. Looking closer, I realized the glow was coming from what appeared to be various jewelry. Maybe he's fascinated by shiny objects, I wondered, and immediately regretted my recent obsession with whitening toothpaste....