The Girl of the Sea of Cortez [antikvár]

I The girl lay on the surface of the sea, looking into the water through a mask, and was afraid. She was surprised to feel fear—a true, deep fear that bordered on panic—for not in years had anything in the sea frightened her. But then, never in her Hfe had she been actively, aggressively menaced by an animal. Creatures had snapped at her, and some had circled her, hungry and curious, but always a show of strength and confidence had sent them on their way in search of more appropriate prey. But this animal did not seem to want to bite her, or eat her. It looked to her as if it wanted simply to hurt her, to stab her. It had appeared with magical speed. One moment the girl was gazing into an empty blue haze; the next, she was staring at a sharp and pointed bill of bone that quivered three feet from her chest. The bill swooped