Fish Out of Water by Pamela Bennett

A hush falls over the back bayou as the sun slides low over green mangroves. A white egret wades slowly in the shallows, long neck curved as it stares downward, then strikes, catching a small, struggling fish, which it swallows in one gulp. Nearby, an anhinga dives with barely a splash, then swims with only its sleek blue-black head and neck above the surface. The birds ignore me as I sit with my quiet laptop on the deck above the