The guttural arrogggh that accompanies efforts to lift heavy weights became the back-of-the-throat snuffle of a 350-pound boar. Frantic, I clawed upward. Gradually, the midnight black faded to murky grey-green as the misty dreamland dissipated. I awoke, gasping for oxygen, as my lungs and collapsed trachea fought a life-or-death battle.

Tony Tinsley is an author and editor whose micro fiction has appeared in 50 Give Or Take, 10 By 10 Flash Fiction, and Bright Flash Literary Review. When he is not at sea, he divides his time between the Pacific Northwest and the heartland of the United States.