The surface near the black object dropped several inches.
Naomi felt the water moving around her legs.
Not ordinary waves.
A current.
It pulled toward the center.
She twisted her body, freed one foot, and struggled toward the bank.
"Dale!"
The older rancher was already moving.
He snatched a spare rope from the fence post and threw it toward her.
Naomi caught it.
Emmett helped Dale brace the line from stable ground farther uphill.
Together, they helped Naomi reach the grassy edge without stepping onto the cracked section of bank.
She crawled onto solid ground.
Then rolled away from the water.
For several seconds, she lay on her back breathing hard.
The three men stood over her.
Nobody laughed.
Finally, Otis whispered, "Lord Almighty."
Naomi sat up.
Her overalls were covered in mud.
Her gloves trembled.
She looked toward the pond.
The black triangular object was still protruding above the water.
But it was slowly sinking again.
A metallic groan traveled across the surface.
Then the shape disappeared.
The water swirled.
Bubbled.
And became almost perfectly still.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Emmett asked the question they were all thinking.
"What the hell is down there?"
Naomi looked toward the water.
She swallowed.
"I don't know."
Dale stared toward the place where the black shape vanished.
For the first time, his expression showed genuine fear.
Then he whispered, "I think your grandmother did."
They moved the cattle away from the pond that afternoon.
Dale opened the western pasture and arranged a temporary watering system using a trough in a safer location.
Otis helped reinforce the fence line.
Emmett drove to town for additional posts and warning tape.
Nobody argued about whether the pond was dangerous anymore.
The collapse along the bank had made that question irrelevant.
Naomi kept the children away from the back pasture.
She photographed the damaged shoreline from stable ground.
Then she contacted the county emergency management office to report the unstable bank, unusual water movement, and possible buried structure.
A local official advised her to maintain a safe perimeter while the situation was assessed.
Naomi agreed.
She didn't want another person getting close enough to test whether the ground would hold.
By evening, the pond had returned to its usual appearance.
Dark water.
A few patches of floating vegetation.