We pull off at the side of the highway in Somewhere, Maine looking to sing to the snails. There's a deep shoulder of gravel here, so we assume it to be a parking lot. The sky and the water and the ... [+]
Anne E. Johnson writes stories, poems, and novels in New York City. When not writing, she plays and teaches Irish music. Her website is AnneEJohnson.com. "Comfortable Otter" is in Short Circuit #13, Short Édition's quarterly review.
Tremaine was an otter who would do anything to be comfortable. He used fluffy cottonwood seeds to line his hole in the rocky river wall. When the river roared too loudly, he tucked wet leaves in his ears. To keep out the morning sun, he hung up curtains he sewed from pale green reeds. His best friend, Biggins, loved to tease him. "Have you ever watched him catch a fish?" Biggins asked his sister Grace when Tremaine came over for dinner. "He doesn't chase and pounce like a normal otter." "I'm no normal otter," said Tremaine proudly. "Then how do you catch a fish?" asked Grace. "Get this," said