Black water, paralyzing cold. Kick to the surface, limbs trembling. Tread water, so much fog. Which way to swim?

"Dr. Wallace, are you still with us?"

"Uh, yes, sorry. What was the question?"

"Your rowboat flipped and?"

"And I went under, then I surfaced. I was freezing, but I couldn't see the shoreline, it was too foggy. So I treaded water and yelled for help."

"I understand there were salmon in the water. A whole school?"

"Salmon?"

The water frothing with salmon, the fish battering my legs and buttocks.

"There were fish, yes. It's… it's possible they followed the tree up from the depths. Fish'll do that sometimes."

Max leaned in. "Then what happened?"

Sharp pain, like a thousand stabbing daggers …

"Something stabbed me… something below the surface. Coils of barbed wire had wrapped around the log, probably the remains of a decaying farm fence. My left ankle got snagged. As the log re-sank, its weight dragged me under with it."

"Barbed wire?"

"Yes."

"You saw the barbed wire?"

"Of course not, it was too dark and deep, but the fencing entangled me pretty good, stripped the skin clear off of me."

"That sounds positively frightening. You still have the scars?"

"Some. I had to have a skin graft."

"Would you mind showing us the scars, Dr. Wallace?"

The judge and jury leaned forward as I removed my left shoe and sock, revealing a tiny ring of scars that encircled my left ankle, the skin noticeably devoid of hair.

"The plastic surgeon did a nice job. Still, how can you be sure the wound was caused by barbed wire?"

"The physician who initially treated me certified it in his report. There were heavy traces of rust around the edges of the wound."

"I see. And is it at all possible an animal might have bitten your leg, Dr. Wallace?"

A nauseous feeling simmered in my belly as more images from my night terrors blinked in and out of my mind's eye.

Black water. Sinking faster. Struggle… kick… twist, must break free.

"Dr. Wallace?"

"No."

"No, it's not possible, or no you don't remember?"

Deeper… suffocating… ears ringing from the pressure. Suddenly free! Go, Zack… swim away! Get to the light!

"Dr. Wallace?"

The migraine's wave of pain was rising higher by that time, and it was going to be a tsunami. Reaching into my pants pocket, I fished out two Zomig and swallowed them, praying they'd shunt off the coming disaster.

"Answer the question, Dr. Wallace."

"There was no water creature, Mr. Rael," I said, my eyeballs beginning to throb.

"Let's go back a moment, Dr. Wallace. You said you took the rowboat out yourself to go fishing, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"With the new reel your father had given you?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you leave your new fishing rod on the shore?"

"I, uh… what did you say?" A chill ran down my spine.