A Slow Awakening

Cool mist hung close around me. I felt the moist substrate beneath my belly before I could even see it. Carefully, I extended my eyestalks outward into the humid air. In front of me rested a round slice of bright orange carrot. I nudged forward with a deliberate, gliding pulse. My tentacles softly brushed the cool, wet rim of the carrot slice, feeling its crisp edge yield ever so slightly under my touch. Life felt slow, steady, and wonderfully calm.