Dancing Tides (14 page)

H
e
look
e
d
ar
o
und to m
a
ke
su
r
e
he
wa
s
a
lo
n
e
. Su
r
e
e
nou
g
h, this st
re
t
c
h
o
f
b
eac
h
w
a
s d
e
s
er
t
e
d.

H
e
g
l
a
n
c
e
d out
a
t the
ho
r
i
z
on
a
nd the
d
r
opping
s
u
n.
T
he
b
r
illi
a
nt pu
r
pl
e
s
a
nd pinks of
a
pp
r
o
ac
hi
n
g
dusk didn
’
t
ca
ptu
r
e
his
a
tt
e
ntion
f
o
r
lon
g
.

I
nst
e
a
d, he
h
e
ld the
.22 in his
f
ist,
c
o
c
k
e
d the
h
a
m
m
er
, point
e
d it di
rec
t
l
y
u
nd
e
r
his
c
hin.
B
ut th
e
n
a
ll of
a
sud
d
e
n,
he
w
ond
e
r
e
d
w
h
a
t
w
ould
h
a
pp
e
n if
the
d
a
mn .22
c
ouldn
’
t
g
e
t the
job don
e
?
W
ith the
w
a
y
his lu
c
k h
a
d b
e
e
n
r
unni
n
g
he
didn
’
t
wa
nt to
c
h
a
n
c
e
e
n
ding
up a
v
e
g
e
t
a
ble
if the
g
un didn
’
t do the
ki
n
d of
d
a
m
a
g
e
h
e
hop
e
d it
w
ould do.
A
nd
w
h
a
t if
it mis
f
i
re
d?
W
h
a
t if
it j
a
mm
e
d?
I
t h
a
d j
a
mm
e
d
b
ef
o
r
e
b
ac
k in
J
a
nu
a
r
y
,
Ne
w
Y
e
ar’
s
D
a
y
to be
e
x
ac
t.

A
bo
a
t out in the
h
ar
bor
d
r
i
f
ting
to
w
a
r
d him
ca
u
ght his
e
y
e
.
H
e
st
a
r
e
d long
a
nd h
ar
d
a
t the
wa
t
er
.

A
n id
e
a
took sh
a
p
e
.

Ga
u
g
ing
t
h
e
tid
e
s, he
wa
t
c
h
e
d
th
e
m
c
ome
a
nd
g
o,
d
a
n
c
e
in
a
nd out, to
a
nd
f
r
o
a
nd
e
stim
a
t
e
d how
fa
r
h
e
w
o
uld n
ee
d to
wa
lk out into the
wa
t
e
r
aw
a
y
fr
om the
pi
e
r
to l
e
t the
o
c
e
a
n s
wa
llow
him up.

H
e
d
ec
i
d
e
d it
w
ould t
a
ke
a
g
ood thi
r
t
y
y
a
r
ds,
f
o
r
t
y
to be
on the
s
af
e
side
to
m
a
ke
su
r
e
h
e d
r
opp
e
d o
f
f
into d
e
e
p
e
r
wa
t
er
.
T
h
e
mo
r
e
h
e
tho
u
g
ht
a
bout it, the
mo
r
e
h
e
rea
li
z
e
d it
wa
s a
mu
ch
b
e
tt
e
r
w
a
y
a
nd not n
e
a
r
l
y
a
s m
e
s
s
y
.
T
h
e
s
i
g
ht of
blood didn
’
t both
e
r
him
e
x
ac
t
l
y
.
N
o doubt if
he did it h
er
e
on this
r
o
c
k,
h
e’
d be
l
e
a
ving a
m
e
ss
f
or
som
e
one
e
lse
to
f
ind.

B
ut if
he
simp
l
y
w
a
lk
e
d
i
nto the
wa
t
e
r,
p
e
op
l
e
w
o
u
ld mo
r
e
th
a
n lik
e
l
y
a
ssume
h
e’
d d
ec
id
e
d to t
a
ke
a
s
w
im, h
a
d too mu
c
h to d
r
ink,
a
n
d simp
l
y
—
d
r
o
w
n
e
d
—
a
c
c
id
e
nt
a
l
l
y
.

A
nd b
eca
u
s
e
he
w
a
s a
st
r
ong
s
w
imm
er
, it
wa
s
a
good pl
a
n, a
v
e
r
y
g
ood pl
a
n he
re
solv
e
d.
H
e
c
ould just d
r
i
f
t out, go do
w
n into the
wa
t
e
r
a
t
his o
w
n p
ace
,
a
nd h
a
ve
h
is p
a
in
f
lo
a
t
aw
a
y
.

“
F
e
e
ling
s
o
r
r
y
f
o
r
y
ou
r
s
e
lf
isn
’
t
c
utting
it,
B
e
n
n
e
tt.
Yo
u
’r
e
a
b
e
tt
e
r
m
a
n t
h
a
n this.”
“
S
cre
w
y
ou
,
”
Co
r
d s
a
id
w
ith a
nod of
his h
ea
d.