Little Inklings 2024

THE LOST LAKE By: Beatrice Hill ’29 In the rays of the early morning, The peaceful lake has only a few inhabitants. Oh, there are a few water striders skating around on the water – The occasional plop of a trout sticking its nose up to grab a stonefly, But nothing much else. A little while later, the silhouettes of those people with rods and reels show. These people are very quiet, the sound of silence is still audible. Later, that will not be the case. But for now, the peaceful silence is having its hour. The silent hours will come to an end, eventually, For every time there is peace, there must also be a time for rowdiness. Those fishermen from earlier start heading away from the lake. Sunburnt kids take their place. Suddenly, ripples from the kids’ splashes reach the fish and flies. The kids all seem to be having fun, the callers of the rowdiness this day. The rowdiness callers also have their hour, however. They start leaving. Maybe they will come back, maybe not. The lake doesn’t have that information. At the peak of the day, when the sun is at its maximum, more people arrive. These followers of the sunburnt rowdiness callers. It is all fun and games, however. Just the sun, the water, and joy. The peacefulness is gone, but unlike this lake, there are tides. The ebb and flow of energy. When the sky starts to turn pink, the rowdiness callers come back, Somehow even more sunburnt. They had a fun day. When it starts to get dark, all the feelings of the lake and day wind down. The flies, trout, and fishermen come back. The smell of a campfire and the chattering kids can be heard again. Eventually, the only sources of light are the stars, the moon, and the lake. The next morning, all of this will happen again. Trust the lake, it has experience. 19,000 years of being a Lost Lake. 78