––––––––
AS HE WAS GOING UNDER, Kes heard something slap the water. The noise came from near his head. Reflexively, he reached up and grabbed. A line or rope of some kind lay in his fist. The line moved. Either it was alive or someone or something was on the end of it. Was it part of the predatory creature’s ensnaring tactic? Whatever it was, it was his last chance. He held on.
The line dragged him through the water, just under the surface. He seemed to be moving in the direction of the bank. He began to struggle for air again. His legs aching, he kicked, propelling himself upward a few centimeters until his head was no longer submerged. A blurry scene greeted his tired eyes: a dusky sky, a shadowy river bank, the line in his hand black and stretching out toward...Aubriot.
The man was h
