As I run my finger around the edges of Nicole’s ring, my eyes fall on the water below me off the end of the pier.

My finger stops.

What is that?

It … It has to be some kind of weed that’s floating to the surface.

I peer closer.

It’s not possible, and I know I’m really tired, but my first thought is, That looks like hair.

The tendrils continue to slowly rise.

It has to be a weed, right? But I swear to God, it looks like a blond hair is rising up out of the depth and any second, I’ll see a head …

Okay. I need to know what this is.

I lie down on my stomach and reach off the pier towards whatever is rising from the darkness below. I grunt as I strain. It’s only inches from my outstretched fingers.

I’m about to touch it when suddenly, it sinks, as if violently pulled back under by some unseen hand.

I’m so startled that I quickly pull my hand back and stand up to get away from it. There’s a light pressure on the back of my neck and a faint snap. I take deep breaths and instinctively put my hand onto my chest. I can feel my heart racing—wait … I can feel my heart. What I can’t feel is Nicole’s ring.

“No …”

I look down. Nicole’s ring and the chain are gone.

“No!”

Through my panic, I know what had to have happened.

As I was lying on the pier, the ring was dangling over the water. At some point, it must have slid between the wooden slats. When I stood, the ring couldn’t fit. The chain snapped, and now, Nicole’s ring is at the bottom of the lake.

Staring down at the cloudy water, I drop to my knees, bury my face in my hands, and begin weeping, uncontrollably.

11

“Do you sell magnets?”

The guy behind the help desk at the hardware store looks up from the car magazine he’s reading. “Sure. What kind of magnets are you looking for?”

“Well … um … the magnetic kind?”

“What are they for? You need them for some cabinets or doors? You mounting something? We’ve got neodymium disks, pull magnets, magnetic tape.”

“I’m trying to fish a ring off the bottom of a lake.”

“A ring?”

“Yeah.”

He sucks air through his teeth and shakes his head. “Magnet ain’t gonna do it for you.”

“What?”

“Gold and silver aren’t magnetic. They don’t stick to magnets.”

“Why not?”

“Because they don’t.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Sorry.”

“Shit.”

“How deep is the lake?”

“It’s deep.”

He puts down his magazine. “All right. Let’s see what we can do for ya.”

*

I grunt and begin pulling the rope.