Claire gagged and turned away. But before she could leave, her leg was grabbed and she let out a cry of surprise and pain. She vanished beneath the river. Her face burned and her head pounded loudly in her ears. She was squeezed tightly and her wounds almost reopened. There was wild thrashing. She reached and grasped the root of a tree.

It felt sharp and she wrenched it away, bloodying her hand, then stabbed the creature. It cried out in agony and released her. Claire swam quickly to the surface and gurgled, as she breathed in air. But the celebration was short-lived. She was grabbed again, so she kicked with her strength and climbed onto shore. She fell forward and breathed heavily, then closed her eyes momentarily. "This place is a nightmare!" she thought, feeling scared.

Claire heard a wail of pain and she suddenly felt bad. She leaped back in and looked around. She saw the creature and waded to it, then pulled the root out. She nuzzled the creature and calmed it. The creature made a sharp noise and flung Claire around playfully. She didn't need a translation to know it meant thank you. "You're welcome" she thought. . Claire swam up and the creature followed her. She breathed in the air again.