Simber let go of some of his anger, and eventually he and Fifer talked quietly, trying to come up with a plan. Thisbe brooded by herself, thinking all sorts of troubling thoughts, like the fact that she was the cause of this problem. It was obvious that Fifer was annoyed with her, and Thisbe didn’t blame her. She knew Fifer would soften up eventually, but it didn’t make her feel better. Perhaps because of the depressing setting, Thisbe’s mind strayed to thoughts of Alex’s death. About how she hadn’t been very nice to him the last time she’d seen him. This kind of guilt plagued her whenever she was feeling down, and it wouldn’t leave her mind now.

Seth stayed near Thisbe at first, ready to help if she needed anything. But she didn’t seem to want to talk to him. After a while he went to the water’s edge and peered at the surface. He noticed the occasional ripples and squinted at them, trying to get a better view in the dim light. “I think I saw a fish,” he said, looking over his shoulder to where the others sat. It was never too soon to scope out food options—he’d learned that much over the past many months.

Carina got up and joined her son. “Where?”

Seth pointed to where he’d seen a ripple, but it was gone. “Just wait,” he said. “There will be another one.”

They waited patiently. Carina pulled a long, heavy fishing line out of her rucksack and began to untangle it. “I’m not sure I want to eat a fish that lives in water like this,” she muttered, “but I suppose we can’t be choosy under the circumstances.” She knelt and looked around for anything that resembled a worm to bait her hook.

A movement and a small splash a few feet out caught Seth’s eye. “There,” he said, pointing. “Nice and close. Did you see it? It’s big.”

Circular ripples spread out from the spot where Seth was pointing.

Carina tossed her line toward the area, then wrapped the other end around her arm several times to give her some leverage in case the fish was as big as Seth seemed to think. She held the string slack with both hands and waited.

Seth leaned over the water, looking for the telltale flash of a silvery fish belly.

With a loud surge, a giant, bug-eyed eel rose up, its huge jaws agape. It clamped on to the fishing line and slammed its body into Seth, knocking him off balance on the uneven, rocky ground. The eel squealed and sank, pulling Carina in with it and dragging her under the water. Seth’s feet slipped on the damp rocks, and he fell in after her.

Another Try