A Short Story by Phillip Kanke
Sodden
The rusted aluminum canoe glided through the lake causing a brisk spray of water to land on the faces of the father and son that piloted the metal craft. The boy in front gagged and spat as the water entered his open mouth. He shook his sandy blonde hair and giggled as he coughed the lake water out of his lungs. A few tears escaped his deep blue eyes and rolled down his wind-burned cheeks.
“Ya, gotta keep ya mouth shut boy-o”, or you’ll end up drinkin more water than the f ish”, his father snorted as he dipped his paddle into the water to steer them towards the middle of the lake. “Don’t worry, the water won’t kill ya”, he continued. “Out here, this the freshest water you’ll get!” He motioned out to the vast lake they were on, and the boys’ gaze followed. “My old man used to bring me to this very lake, when I was your age boy-o”. His son looked back at him from the front of the canoe, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
“How long ago was that pa?” The boy blurted out.
His father chuckled and ran his callused hands through his salt and peppered hair. “Well, before I met your mother of course. And long before you were even a twinkle in Gods eye.” He winked at the boy as he said this and dipped his paddled back into the water.
“You see that large mossy rock, straight ahead to the North”, the father asked changing the subject. The boy followed his fathers’ outstretched hand until his eyes landed on the rock.
“Ya, I see it”, the boy answered.
“That’s our next waypoint boy-o. Head for that rock!”
“Aye, Aye Captain!” the boy giggled with a big toothy grin, saying those three words he had heard in all those pirate movies. Their canoe steadily glided through the water, making its way to the next destination. Before long, they found themselves in the center of the lake as the sun peaked out from behind the cover of the clouds. Both the boy and his father squinted their eyes, impatiently waiting for their pupils to adjust to the intensity of the sun.
“I’m thirsty!” The boy whined, finally breaking the silence. “Can we stop so I can fill up my water bottle?” he asked as his tongue dryly smacked the roof of his mouth.
His father let out a sigh and nodded his head. “I guess I could use another look at the map anyways,” the boys’ father conceded as he stopped paddling and reached in the pocket of his denim overalls to grab the map. “Be careful though, I don’t wanna have to jump in after you if you fall in”. His son softly chuckled and brought his paddle back into the canoe. He twisted around on his seat and unhooked his blue Nalgene from the center bar. His fingers slowly unscrewed the lid and grasped it in his left hand as he dipped the bottle into the water with his right hand, filling it to the brim with the fresh lake water. He brought the Nalgene to his lips and started to feverishly gulp down his prize. In his haste, his left hand lost grip of the lid and it plopped into the lake. The boy stopped drinking and looked down into the water.
“Fuck,” said the boy, the curse clumsily falling out of his mouth.
“Hey, watch your mouth boy-o,” his father grumbled not looking up from the map. “What did you do this time,” he half-heartedly probed.
“Sorry pa,” the boy sheepishly apologized. “I dropped my lid into the water, that’s all.” He switched his Nalgene into his left hand and reached out toward the lid. It had f loated just far enough away that his fingertips grazed the rough plastic top, causing it to spin upside down. The boy shifted his weight and stretched farther out over the water; his left arm outstretched in the opposite direction to help stabilize him. The boy gained a few more inches from the adjustment, and again reached out toward the plastic lid. His arm extended out and his hand hovered over the lid as a gleeful grin spread across his face. His hand carefully descended towards the water, seeing as he did not want to send the lid farther out into the lake. As the boys’ hand closed around the lid of his Nalgene, the temperature around him suddenly fell. The boy shivered and a look of confusion appeared on his face. He glanced down and saw his crystalized breath escape his lips. A sudden gust of wind swooped in from the west, abruptly and precisely hitting the right side of the canoe; causing the boy to let out stunned scream as he toppled into the lake.
“Didn’t I tell you to be careful boy-o”, his father said slightly exasperated but still buried in the map. Neither the water nor the boy made a sound.
“Boy-o?” The father questioned, finally looking up from his map. But the boy was not there. An earie silence fell across the lake as the water became stagnant and the wind grew still. A slight scent of sulfur hung in the air and found refuge in the father’s nose. Grimly, a blue Nalgene with a black plastic lid screwed on tight, broke the surface of the water right where the boy had fallen in. The father reached out into the water and picked up the Nalgene. His fingers trembled as he fumbled to unscrew the lid. He finished the last rotation, removed the lid, and peered inside at its contents. The fathers face, which was full of bewilderment, swiftly twisted into a deep look of consternation. The Nalgene was completely empty. And dry to the touch.
~~~~~
7 Years later
The small black head of a common loon poked out of the water, its deep red eyes peering out over the lake. Its gray bottom beak slackened, and a piercing wail escaped from within its throat. The sound echoed across the expansive lake, causing a young girl with pigtails to jolt in her seat, disturbing the stillness of their canoe. After the moment of fear passed, the young girl giggled, realizing where the noise had originated. She twisted around in her seat, her blue rain jacket swishing against the smooth Kevlar canoe; and looked at her mother who was sitting in the back, steering the vessel.
“Look at the bird momma!” she squealed with excitement. The girls’ olive eyes sparkled with a glint of adolescent wonder as she pointed over to the loon. As if sensing the girl’s attention, it let out another wail, and promptly flapped its wings, sending a spray of water high into the air, and took flight.
“Do you know what type of bird that is?” her mother questioned in a gentle tone. The girl shook her head, her pigtails slapping the side of her head causing her to giggle again. “That bird is called a loon”, her mother continued. “There are lots of them on these lakes.”
“What do they eat momma?”
“They eat all the little fishes and bugs that are too slow to swim away from them”, her mother further educated. “Do you see where the loon flew over too”, her mother pointed over to the Northern part of the lake. The girls’ eyes followed her mothers’ fingers, until they landed on the bird. The loon was perched atop a large mossy rock, that was pushed up against the tree line towards the Northern part of the lake.
“Ya, I see it!”
“Let’s paddle over to that rock, and then we can eat lunch”, her mother proposed.
“Deal!” the girl squealed with excitement, knowing that her mom had packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for them both to eat. She eagerly plopped her paddle back into the water and started rowing towards the rock. As their canoe started to near the center of the lake, large gray clouds drifted in and covered the bright rays of light emitting from the sun. As if hearing a command from the sun itself, the wind ceased to flow. The young girl extended her paddle out to the right of the canoe following her stroke behind her. As she brought the paddle back out of the lake, she felt a slight thud against the side of the canoe. Her olive eyes gazed down into the water and a look of confusion spread across her face. She reached her arm down into the water, not caring that her sleeve was now wet, and pulled out a blue Nalgene.
“What do ya got there?” her mother inquired.
“It’s a blue water bottle I guess”, the girl answered still confused. Her gaze drifted down once more into the lake beneath her. Peering up at her from below the water’s surface, with deep blue eyes, was a young boy with sandy blonde hair. He smiled a big toothy grin as he silently waved at her from below the water. The young girls’ eyes brightened, and she too smiled as she waved back to the boy.
End