Deep beneath the dusty floor of the Black Rock Desert, the Atomic Octopus relaxed in his underground workshop. Usually, he spent his days polishing gears and adjusting steam valves. However, one bright morning, he felt restless.
“I need an adventure,” he declared. The Jersey shore was not enough.
Therefore, the giant mechanical octopus climbed to the surface and looked toward the horizon.
Just then, he spotted something very unusual.
A shark was swimming through the air.
The Atomic Octopus blinked twice.
The shark blinked back.
“Want to go waterskiing?” asked the shark.
Naturally, the Atomic Octopus said yes.
After all, opportunities like that do not come along every day.
Soon afterward, the shark led him to a secret desert lake hidden among rocky hills. The water sparkled beneath the Nevada sun. Meanwhile, a speedboat waited near the shore.
The Atomic Octopus climbed aboard. Then the shark grabbed the tow rope in his teeth.
“Ready?” shouted the shark.
“Ready!” replied the octopus.
At once, the boat roared across the lake.
The Atomic Octopus popped onto a pair of giant waterskis. At first, he wobbled from side to side. However, he quickly found his balance.
Next, he skimmed across the water like a champion.
Soon, the shark raced alongside him.
The crowd of desert jackrabbits watching from the shore cheered wildly.
Then the shark pointed toward a giant floating ramp.
The Atomic Octopus grinned.
“This is my chance for jumping the shark!”
The boat sped faster.
The ramp grew larger.
The Atomic Octopus hit the ramp and launched into the sky.
For a moment, he flew higher than a flock of startled pelicans.
Then he soared directly over the shark.
The crowd erupted with applause.
The shark laughed so hard he splashed water everywhere.
“Now that,” said the shark, “was really jumping the shark.”
Afterward, they spent the afternoon racing across the lake, performing tricks, and sharing stories. Finally, as the sun began to set, the Atomic Octopus returned to the Black Rock Desert.
Although he had visited canyons, mountains, and even flying saucers, this adventure felt special.
After all, not every octopus gets the chance to go waterskiing with a shark.
And not every octopus can honestly say he spent the day jumping the shark.
Another fun use for the tools is proving to invent a backstory or add some words to dress things up.
