Thank you for commenting, and I find it such a compliment that you said my writing brought about those memories and emotions. Thank you.

I was pretty happy myself when I gave the SeaLife Center a phone call to ask about Gilligan while writing this. She's still alive and doing rather well. Considering the plethora of baby octopi, there are still plenty left in her habitat after they relocated some to the special tanks. The person I spoke with said she seems to be protecting them--I wonder what exatcly that looks like. It's fascinating that Gilligan is likely experiencing something no Giant Pacific Octopus mother has ever experienced: protecting her young after hatching.