Underwater, he felt safe. The dread of the last few days slipped away under its protective blanket. Matt held out his arms and closed his eyes. Love you mom, he thought. Love you too Andrea. Stacey and Dad, I’ll be seeing you real soon, I hope. I’ll be seeing you too Elmo. I’m sorry.

But he didn’t feel sorrow, instead he sensed hope in resolution to impossible conflict. This is the way to go, he thought. This is humane.

Matt took a big gulp and then another. Tiny bubbles escaped his mouth, rising to the silhouette of the floating jug and dim slats of light.

As he prepared to die, something bit his ankle, shooting bright pain through his leg.

The thing bit again.

He kicked to the surface, coughing and flailing his arms, desperate to get away from the biter. He aimed for the big island.

It’s back, he thought. It wouldn’t even let me kill myself.

Another bite on his ankle, and this time he was sure the creature hit bone. Matt groped and slapped at the muddy shore, pulling himself up the bank. There he wheezed and slumped to the spongy soil, wet hair splayed over his forehead, water dripping off his nose like a clogged gutter.

Blood seethed from several cuts on his ankle, but the wounds were not serious. They’d been inflicted by a much smaller animal than he’d imagined, but that realization took nothing away from the painful bites. He expelled the last bit of water from his lungs and slicked his hair back, clearing the bangs from his eyes. Then he checked the ground for a stick. Soon he found a fat one under an live spruce tree. He gripped the stick like a spear fishermen and stood at water’s edge, preparing to stab whatever it was if it came back to bite him. He clenched his jaw and waited.

Across the pool, movement caught his eye. A slick, elongated animal broke the surface. Two smaller versions followed the larger. The details were scarce in the weak light, and Matt wondered if there were other hostile creatures, things that had come here with the thing that was trapping him. Anything was possible in this shits ’’ giggles game of “Matt’s Screwed.”

The animals emerged from the water onto the grassy bank. The big one gazed at him, paws perched out in front. Matt squinted at it.

An otter, he thought. A freaking otter.