The Further Adventures of the Intrepid Mr. Seal



A mysterious package arrived.



Fortunately your friend and mine, the unflappable Mr. Seal, was on the case!

It might be books, Mr. Seal supposed. Books are good, and often arrive after Christmas.



Mr. Seal's friend Arkadiy the octopus* was not so sure. This was, after all, a very large box, and if it were full of books it would be extremely heavy.

Mr. Seal had to allow that this was a fair point.

There was nothing else for it; the box had to be opened.



It wasn't books!

Arkadiy was terrified! Even Mr. Seal felt some anxiety as the box opened and from it emerged...




...Oh.

Hello!

Perhaps we can be friends.



*Arkadiy Petrovich, whose father Pyotr Pavlovich was a noted scholar of Old Slavocephalopodic Languages, as well as a friend to musicians and a keen gardener. Arkadiy does not share his father's facility with languages or gardening, but he does like to write poetry.