It's an early dusk at the lake because the sky's marbled with clouds and some of them are dark, heavy, tumescent as skins of flesh ready to burst. I walk along the water's edge, random pebbles tumbling from under the soles of my shoes to break the surface. The ripples cascade outwards, desperately reaching for the opposite shore. They always break too quickly though.
My eyes trace the line of trees across the water and come to rest on a ghostly figure. It flits between the trees pale white and eyes large and luminescent. It looks like an old photograph of my mother from when she was a girl. The haunting image beckons me and feet are moving forward before I can think to tell them to stop. One rubber sole breaks the surface, and the ripples of it do reach the other side.
I'm up to my neck in cold water now, gasping at the frigid tendrils liking up my skin and still I wade deeper.
My foot catches on a rock, slimy with algae and I slip, head ducking under the surface. The current catches me and pulls me along. I close my eyes against harsh cold. When I open them again I see the figure, more defined now under the water. The lines of hands reach out to grab me and I pull her to me. She wraps me up and pulls me to the opposite shore.
The lake is cold and ominous when I'm walking beside it watches ripples reaching out to the other side and then I see my mother who has passed away on the opposite shore the image is ghostly and vague and somethings beckons me to walk into the water I slip and the current drags me under the water is cold and I can't think and I can't get my footing to pull myself back up I close my eyes and see the image of my mother again and she reaches out to me and pulls me to the opposite shore
ReplyDelete