I followed their line of sight—there was someone struggling in the water. Head bobbing, barely visible. Too far out for anyone on shore to reach.

Suddenly, the dog leapt.

Full-on dive, straight into the lake. It vanished under the surface for a second, then popped up and made a beeline for the drowning person.

I didn’t realize my feet had started moving. I climbed onto the railing for a better view, heart racing.

That’s when I saw it.