The Floodwater Tinkerers

The creature had been found asleep inside a fisherman’s boot, soaked through and furious about it. By afternoon, the two brothers had coaxed the river-mud from its fur, untangled the reeds from its tail, and discovered a tiny brass bell beneath its chin. When they rang it, every flooded doorway in the village opened at once. From the dark houses came the sound of kettles beginning to boil, as if the town had been waiting for someone to come home.