I was on a small ship in a small sea, like the Mediterranean but colder. I sensed that it was turbulent, and then noticed concrete bumpers everywhere. Strangely, my ship never hit them. I was afraid, though, because I knew that if I fell into the water I would die almost instantly from the cold.

An enormous fish leaped out of the water and flew by. Later I would tell someone that it was airborne for 300 to 400 yards, although in the open water (with the concrete bumpers) I had no way to judge distance.

The fish continued to fly around, each time landing a bit closer to the ship. After I woke up, I realized that its landings in the water never created enough disturbance to rock my ship, nor did the turbulence I had sensed, although they should have. Even more than that, I was struck by the intelligent, malevolent expression on the fish’s face as it looked intently at me on its flybys. This was no fish, but a sentient force for evil.

Again I felt my awful fear of the icy water even as the fish looked knowingly at me.