Warm musical laughter drifted across the crashing of the surf. She sure didn't sound despondent. The water was too cold for a human to tolerate for long, so he continued to watch. One of the benefits that came from being a gargoyle was better-than-human night vision, so he saw her mink-brown head duck beneath the waves. A brief second later, it re-emerged, and he let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

But wait - something wasn't right. The head that bobbed above ...