As the hazy light filtered through the trees, Percy floated on the bayou with a line in the water. Though his line was cast, his mind was anywhere but the hook. Instead, he reminisced on his morning with Ella. He had woken early and found her waking as well. They rose together for a change, and he cooked breakfast for both of them.

Since there was still time before sunrise, he approached her from behind as she stood in front of the sink, and lifted her skirts. Playfully slapping his hands away, she turned with a fiendish smile across her face and instead presented herself to him. He took in the familiar sight before lifting her onto the counter and taking her.

The float in his string dipped beneath the surface and he tugged at it as he jolted awake. His little boat rocked as he strained with the catch and he was quickly thrown into the water. Sputtering, he returned to the surface and tried to clamber onto the small craft, but something held him back. He struggled vainly against whatever was holding him, but it dog further into his leg.

Suddenly, Percy was torn from the side of his boat and submerged. The alligator dragged him to the bottom, where it thrashed him around. Still, his thoughts were of Ella. She loved him more than he deserved, and he had not loved her nearly enough. As the light faded from the world, he could clearly see the face of his wife as he had last seen it when he left home only hours ago.