He had gone farther than usual that day, chasing talk that the shoals had shifted toward colder currents. The water out there had felt different. Emptier somehow, too still for comfort. He was less than half a mile from shore when the trawler jolted beneath him.
The deck lurched. A deep metallic groan echoed through the hull, followed by the sharp rasp of iron against wood. Elias cut the engine, heart pounding, and peered over the side. The sea was calm, flat, unbroken until his eyes caught a darker line slicing through the waves.