"Get it, Danny!"

Danny stretched his arms as he fell, trying to knock the ball away from Jeremy. Jeremy always won when they played river ball, but not this time. This time Danny and Phil had a plan. He could feel himself slipping in the mud and turned to look at Phil. He was still on his feet and closing in on the ball. Maybe they could win without the plan. Danny's heart raced as he flung himself up out of the muddy river water and raced to help his friend.

Just then, movement in the water next to the boys caught his eye. "Croc!" he screamed and scrambled up the bank.

The boys immediately abandoned the ball and pivoted toward the shore in a panic. Crocodiles in this area of the river were rare, but all of the children knew their deadly power and nobody hesitated to get out of the river when one was sighted. The ball floated lazily toward the center and Phil laughed and turned back to get it.

"You really had us going, Danny." he said.

"Phil, no. I'm not kidding. Get out of there!" he pleaded. Dread filled him as Phil inched closer to the ball. By then, Danny was crying, "Phil, get out of there!"

Phil looked back over his shoulder at Danny, his smile fading, but before he could change direction, the crocodile breached and grabbed his arm in it's powerful jaws. It pulled Phil under the water as the boys watched and screamed. Jeremy turned and ran toward town, screaming for help as he went. He was a swift runner, but all of the boys knew his efforts were in vain.

Later, the boys sat by the riverbank huddled in towels while the police spoke with their parents.

"How could this happen?" Danny's father asked the sheriff.

"Well, the preliminary investigation shows that the containment gate at the inlet was open. We're not sure who opened it or when, but until we know, these waters are off limits. We'll start reviewing the tapes to get some answers"

Danny shivered and buried his head in his arms. He knew it wouldn't be long before they had answers and he should say something, but he couldn't. He just wanted to win the game. Nobody was supposed to get hurt.