Inside the Institute, Hank carried Dory in the coffeepot down an empty cinder block hallway. “Hank, I am so glad I found you,” Dory whispered. “It feels like ... destiny!”
“Shhh,” said Hank, annoyed. “For what must be the millionth time, it’s not destiny.”
“Have I said ‘destiny’ before?” asked Dory. “I’m sorry. I think I’m so nervous because I’m gonna meet my parents. I haven’t seen them in ... I don’t even know how long, because, well, you see, I suffer from —”
“Short-term memory loss!” said Hank, interrupting her. He was sick and tired of hearing Dory repeat herself. “Look, no more talking, okay? I don’t like talking. I don’t like chatter, and questions, and” — Hank put on a pretend voice — “‘How are you?’ ‘Oh, I’m fine. How are you?’ ‘Oh I’m fine, too.’ News flash: NOBODY’S FINE!”
A phone rang in the distance. They heard a voice answer the call. “Oh, I’m fine. How are you?”
Hank grimaced. He’d heard it a million times — and he didn’t believe it. He peered around the corner and saw the staffer on the phone at his desk.
Dory gazed out into the hallway. “Hank, look!” she said. A framed map of the Institute hung on the wall across from the staffer’s office. “There’s a map!”
“Shhh. The plan is you’re gonna read that and figure out where your parents live,” said Hank. “Then I’m on the truck to Cleveland. You got it?”
“Got it,” said Dory. “What was that first part again?”
“Just read the map,” said Hank curtly. He quietly moved toward it and lifted Dory to give her a closer look.
“Look at all the exhibits,” she said, impressed. “How can you do this park in one day? Seriously.”
“Pick one,” whispered Hank, furious.
While Dory scanned the map, the staffer rolled his chair into the doorway of his office and sighed. He was still on the phone and obviously annoyed.
“Really, Jerrie, I can’t believe I actually convinced Mom to hire you. How hard is it to find an octopus?” he said into the receiver. As he leaned back in the chair, the staffer looked directly at Hank and Dory! But Hank had instantly camouflaged, holding the coffeepot in such a way that it looked like Dory was part of the map’s design. The staffer had no idea that anything was out of place!
“Of course I haven’t seen him,” the staffer continued. “If I was looking, I’d find him ....” He then rolled his chair back toward his desk and out of view.
Hank let out a hefty sigh as he came out of his camouflage.
“Hank! There you are,” said Dory.
“Hurry up!” Hank whispered.
Dory read the map. “Maybe they live in the Kid Zone! That’s where I’d live.”
“No, no kids!” Hank exclaimed. “Kids grab things, and I’m not losing another tentacle for you!”
“You lost a tentacle?” Dory asked. “Well, then, you’re not an octopus. You’re a septopus. I may not remember, but I can count.”
“Hurry up!” Hank said again. He was running out of patience.
Dory went back to reading the map and stopped when she saw a picture of a purple shell. “Hey, look. Shells,” Dory said.
All of a sudden, another memory flashed in her mind!
Dory saw herself as a child, looking around in the sand with her parents.
“Hey, look. Shells!” said little Dory. “Daddy, here’s a shell for you!”
“That’s great, Dory!” said Charlie. “You found another one.”
“I did?”
“Yes, you did,” said Jenny. “You’re getting good at this.”
Little Dory watched her father place the shells in a line. The shells led to the door of their coral home.
“Hey, look. Shells,” Dory said again.
Jenny chuckled as little Dory followed the shell path toward her door. “Hey, I live here,” she said.
“Yes — yes indeed,” said Charlie.
“I like shells,” said Dory.
“That’s right, dear,” said Jenny with a giggle. “Do you think you could find me another shell? Purple ones are my favorite.”
Little Dory looked around the yard and noticed a purple shell just beyond the grass fence. “Mommy, look! Purple shells!” she said, heading toward the fence.
Then everything in the memory seemed to shake and quiver. And just like that, Dory was back in the present moment.
“Purple shells! Purple sh —” Dory paused, trying to catch her breath. “Hank, my home had a purple shell!” she said excitedly.
“So what? Half the exhibits here have purple shells in them.”
“No, no — you don’t understand! I remember her now! Purple shells were her favorite! And she had this adorable giggle. And my dad was really friendly,” Dory said.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps clicking along the hallway. Someone was coming!
“And now your wacky memory’s gonna get us caught,” said Hank.
Hank quickly rushed down the hall, using all seven tentacles to move rapidly across the floor. Thinking fast, he slinked behind a door to hide. Then the staffer, who was carrying a bucket, appeared and walked straight toward them!
“Still think this is destiny?” Hank whispered sardonically.
Before Dory could answer, the staffer came through the door! Screaming, Hank slithered out of the way. When the staffer got to the bottom of the stairs, she spotted the slime trail. “Ugh,” she groaned. “That octopus is out again? All right, where are you?” She put down her bucket and started looking around.
Hank camouflaged again, disappearing as he wound himself around the stairway railing. “See what you did?” he whispered harshly to Dory. “This could not be worse!”
The staffer’s bucket caught Dory’s eye and she gasped as she read the word printed on it: destiny! While the staffer continued to search for Hank, Dory was struck with an idea. “Hank! I got a feeling. I think we should get in the bucket.”
“No, stop,” whispered Hank nervously.
“Seriously. It says ‘Destiny,’ and it is.”
“No, no, no, no, no!” Hank protested.
“We’ve gotta get in that bucket,” Dory said defiantly.
Hank refused, but Dory insisted.
“Don’t you jump in that bucket!” Hank warned.
Dory geared up to jump. Hank tried to stop her, but she ignored him and tipped the coffeepot over, slipping and landing safely inside her destination. Destiny.
Dory swam among dozens of floating silver fish. “Hey, guys?” Dory said. “I’m looking for my family.” The fish turned their bellies up, lifeless. “Oh, good idea,” said Dory. “Play dead.”
The staffer, unable to find Hank, finally gave up. She sighed, picked up her bucket, and started off.
Dory swayed from side to side, moving with the water as the staffer carried her along. “Oh, you guys are good. I gotta blink,” Dory said to the silver fish. “How do you hold your eyes open that long?”
Hank panicked, watching the staffer walk away, and immediately took off after them. But the staffer walked so fast that he couldn’t keep up. He quickly scanned the room to survey his options. He curled his tentacles around one of the ceiling pipes and thrust himself through the air — swinging from pipe to pipe — and made up for lost time. When the staffer reached the door, he tried to jump into the chum bucket. But his timing was off! He missed the bucket and smacked into the door, which the staffer had closed behind her.
Inside the bucket, Dory was still whispering to the fish floating around her. “Hey, guys?”
But the fish just bobbed up and down lifelessly. She poked one of them, then realized something was very wrong. “Wait a second —” But before she could finish her thought, the staffer’s hand dipped into the bucket and grabbed Dory, along with a handful of the floating fish — and tossed them into the air! Dory screamed as she plunged into a giant pool.