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surface and gasped
for breath.
I lay on my back gasping for a long time, and then I remembered. Mary,
what had become of her? The image of Madoka's torn-off legs hanging from Madoka's
floating flippers was burned into my mind. What had happened to me? I
remembered seeing the fish, I remembered feeling the pain in my legs, I
remembered the teeth ripping into my hips. How had I been rescued?
I was so hungry I could hardly think, and I'd lost my mask and snorkel.
I had enough sense to orient myself, and then I began swimming for the
beach. I could tell that my legs were injured, so I swam on my back,
using my hands and favoring my legs. With what rational thought I could
muster, I hoped to be able to crawl from the beach to the house to get
some food.
I didn't realize I was at the beach until my bottom brushed the sand. I
rested for a moment, and then gingerly pulled myself up onto my elbows so
I could see what my legs looked like. I still had feeling in my heels; I
could feel them dragging on the sand, so I thought that my legs hadn't
met the same fate as Mary's.
The fish was still there! It's jaws gripped me around the hips, and its
pale metallic green belly extended into the lagoon. Two fins broke the
water a
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