"Mark? Are you okay?" Marks mom called. Marks mouth snapped shut as he turned to answer.
"I'm fine!" Mark called, walking down a well trodden path towards the beach as if in a trance. He saw something glittering in the sand just beyond the reach of the waves. He knelt and reached curiously for it. as his hand neared it, he heard a slap. He glanced around and, not seeing anything, shrugged and picked up the object. It was about two inches long and an inch wide, blood red, and had a steep curve on one edge. "Oh, its a fish scale!" He exclaimed, recognizing the shape, "I wonder what kind of fish made a scale this size?" Shrugging again, he tossed it into the water. It began to float away as he ran back up to the cabin. What he didn't see was the long-fingered hand sliding out of the water and grabbing the scale.
