Anna’s voice entered my head. The octopus needs to be cleaned before…’
‘Are you ready to clean and cook this octopus for dinner tonight?’ I asked.
‘Yes,’ they said.
I repeated Anna’s instructions and watched as the two boys cleaned out the spongy mass that was the insides of its head, popped out the beak and cut away its eyes. Stripped of its skin, the empty, cleaned head pouch soon lay to one side.
‘Now for the tentacles,’ I said. ‘See how the suckers are filled with sand?’
Heads together, the boys peered hard.
‘Submerge the tentacles in the hot water. Count slowly to thirty, then remove it. You’ll see the sand loosen and float out.’

– Excerpt from Love Me Not, by Jacqueline Falcomer