Morning all and welcome to Wednesday. It feels like this week is really flying by fast. Well fast and slow. I am waiting for news which always slows things down but I have a lot to do while waiting which means it goes fast. So I guess it has been a stop and start week? Yeah I could take a while explaining my brain. Why don’t we just jump into the morning prompt. Timers set and off we go.
Wednesday, February 19th: The lake was calm.
The lake was calm. It was strange to see. Frank could never remember coming out here and seeing it so calm. There was usually wind and a lot of activity on the lake. It was a popular destination. In the warmer months there were a lot of people vacationing. Some brought boats capable of hauling water skiers across the lake, others brought jet skis. There were families crowding the sandy shores and swimming in the cordoned off swimming area.
When the weather turned too cool for playing in and on the water, fishermen took over. There was fall and spring fishing and even in the coldest months, some ice fishing.
The weather this year had been strange. It was warm for a while but cold winds swept down unexpectedly early chilling the swimmers and vacationers. The fishermen weren’t prepared for their departure. By the time they were ready, the weather turned unseasonably warm and the swimmers returned.
There were battles and arguments over usage. It remained warm enough for swimming longer but the warmth was never steady. As a result, no one could plan.
Looking over the lake Frank thought that it looked like everyone had given up in exasperation. ‘Including the wind,’ he thought.
He sat on his front porch. His house had been there since the area was first settled. It was modified and improved over the years and looked just as modern as many of his neighbors. Not that he had many neighbors. His family owned much of the land and despite many generous offers from developers, his family had never had the need to sell. So they maintained a large swath of the forest. The other side of the lake was developed with vacation homes and rental properties. For now, they were empty. Locked up and silent.
He knew some people complained about all the activity, most of his fishermen friends actually. Frank was amused that they objected to those swimming and boating while still wanting to fish. He never minded the people swimming. He liked looking down the mountain and seeing the activity. As his property held only woods with no real scenic beauty spots to serve as hiking or picnic destinations he never really had a problem with people. The occasional hiker got lost and the sheriff called him for help in finding them, but that was rare. People were more interested in using the lake below and in taking advantage of the established trails established by the town.
Frank’s view encompassed a large chunk of the lake, a section of the summer homes and a chunk of the cleared and established trails. His view of it all was at a distance. ‘Which I suppose is why I don’t mind it.’
He had to admit, seeing it so still, so quiet was a little chilling. It felt almost like some sort of apocalypse happened and no one bothered to tell him. The lake was a mirror reflecting the blue cloudless sky today. Given the lack of clouds looking down into the lake almost gave Frank a bit of vertigo. If he stared too long he was certain looking down would start to look up. He lifted his coffee mug to his lips and let this eyes scan the shore.
Ten til Midnight 