Excerpts from Frozen Lake and Meadow
By David Fingerman
The Frozen Lake
The air felt crisp, the sky was overcast and wind swirled around him as he stepped on the frozen lake. Across to the opposite shore Alan saw a wave of fog rolling in. He walked toward it, turning around to make sure he could still see the cabin. Like walking into an abyss, he thought. Moving forward, leaving waffle tracks from his boots in the snow that lightly coated the ice, he met the fog.
Walking into the cloud, Alan let the mist enter his mind. Snow began to sprinkle down as he looked ahead and saw nothing but cloud. Behind him the cabin was hidden behind the gray curtain.
How exhilarating, he thought. Complete nothingness. How existential – how wonderful. Arms stuck out, face tilted to the sky, Alan spun around and around until dizziness took his sense of balance and dropped him onto his knees.
When the sensation of joy and spinning head left him the chill told him it was time to start back. The snow was not too bad but getting heavier as the wind picked up stinging his face as he began to retrace his steps.
The Meadow
Allen Kelly limped toward the door, his wooden cane supporting his weight. Melanie thought he looked older than last week. His eyes had bigger circles, the lines on his face seemed deeper.
“How’s Tobin, today?” she asked as the dog swept between and around her legs.
Dr. Kelly gave Melanie the leash as Tobin jumped up, trying to catch the loop in his mouth.
“Don’t take him too far today, he’s a little slow getting up. I think it’s just too hot for a long walk.”
“Is it too hot for my little baby?” Melanie said in her baby-talk voice. “You’re such a beautiful puppy.” She knelt on the porch and let the dog slobber on her face.
Tobin walked Melanie to every tree along the path as the sun pounded down. The dog panted heavily as sweat lined Melanie’s face. “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,” she explained to the dog as they walked down the road, back to the house.
A slight, dry, breeze sent the scent of clover to tingle Melanie’s senses. So fresh and clean, the aroma contradicted the brown grass and dried brush around them. Across the way, the meadow seemed to issue an invitation. Tobin stepped into the road, tugging Melanie to the long, cool grass.
“Tobin, come!” Dr. Kelly shouted from his front porch.
The dog yanked the leash free and ran to his master. Melanie quickly followed, wondering what was the emergency?
“Don’t trust it,” the Doctor said in answer to her question before she even asked. “Somethin’ ain’t right in there, somethin’ unnatural.”
Melanie thought about it for a moment then nodded her head. It certainly didn’t make sense. There was no logical reason that a small patch of land, no more than an acre, remained untouched from the sun’s aggression.