High Tide

That morning when I set out, I expected that the beach would be crowded. What lay before me when I cleared the hill was beyond what I would ever call a crowd. The whole town must have turned out.

I managed to elbow out a spot about halfway in. Whoever thought they were going to organize that cluster fuck was much mistaken. At least the stinking mass of body heat kept everyone warm.

We mingled there for hours in relative silence. A few of the little ones were crying, but no one seemed to notice. Finally, a kid with a binoculars, perched on his dad's shoulders called out, pointing towards the horizon. Somewhere down the beach from me, a girl screamed.

The creature was even bigger than the prophets led us to expect. It was bearing towards us at least a half mile a stride. Dozens of sharks.were hanging like remorahs from its black hide.

In unison, from a mile up and down the rocky surf, the town cocked their weapons...