Breakfast will be served.
Gloria Gordon smiled at the sign and squinted at the rising sun. It was the perfect time for a swim: a cool breeze blew over the bay, and the other tourists were still snoozing in their air-conditioned rooms. If only for a few minutes, the water would be all hers.
She slipped an orange out of her bag and dug into it with her fingernail, tossing the peelings into the sand. The fruit felt cool and sweet going down her throat. With the warming sun on her skin, she was cool on the inside and hot on the outside. She licked her fingers, dropped her bag, and stepped into the water.
She walked slowly, sidestepping a crab or two, until the water reached her chest. Then she kicked off of the seaweed and sand and swam out into the waves.
For ten minutes, she swam to and fro as the sun rose higher over the horizon. A seagull circled overhead, casting no shadow on the sparkling bay. Other than the cries of the birds, Gloria Gordon's gentle splashing was the only sound the first tourist heard as he awoke in the beachfront bed-and-breakfast. He shuffled onto the balcony, passed the breakfast sign, and waved at the small figure in the water. Then he retreated to the bathroom.
Gloria Gordon sighed. Her time alone was over. She turned to swim back to the beach, but from the dark depths of the seawater, a long tongue snagged her foot and dragged her under without a sound. The sea serpent swallowed her whole, chewed her apart in its rocky gullet, and tossed up her salty skin onto the sand. Her guts felt cool and sweet going down the serpent's throat. Flicking his tail, the serpent swam deeper under the warming bay.
Back at the bed-and-breakfast, the hostess set out a new sign on the balcony: breakfast is served.
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