the Beach By Luke Pajan

The Lake

Aidan Regan

I WaLked out of our houSe and Into the cooL evenIng Breeze I WaLked aLong the graveL road and Looked uP at the crIMSon red and orange SunSet I arrIved at our SMaLL dock, WhIch WaS So SMaLL It WaS LIke a goLdfISh In the ocean I Sat doWn on our one adIrondack chaIr and Looked around at the LuSh green Scenery By on the dock the gLIStenIng Water refLectIng the evenIng SunSet onto the dock I Watched BIrdS fLy over the vaSt Lake toWardS the MountaInS toWerIng over uS I got uP and Watched the ShIny fISh quIckLy SWIMMIng around the dock ScannIng for anythIng to eat I graBBed My fIShIng PoLe and WorMS, PreParIng the BaIt, hook, and Lure I Stood In the coLd Water, So coLd that It MIght have Been froM antarctIca I caSt My LIne, reeLIng It In SLoWLy and decePtIveLy So the fISh thInk It ’ S juSt a WorM aS I WaIted, I Looked at the Scene around Me I notIced hoW the treeS Look LIke they have Been here forever, and hoW the BuSheS SWayed WIth the WInd I feLt a teenSy tug on the LIne, So I Looked Into Murky Water and SaW a tIny fISh graB onto My hook I SLoWLy reeLed It In and SaW a gLIMPSe of the fISh the fISh WaS a SMaLLMouth BaSS and WaS LIght green WIth dark green StrIPeS the fISh WaS So green that It couLd have BLended rIght Into a foreSt the Sun refLected on the hook and ShIned In My eye aS I reeLed hIM In I PuLLed hIM out of the Water, and he Started SquIrMIng and ShakIng LIke he WaS Struck By a LIghtnIng BoLt I exaMIned hIM to eStIMate hIS SIze and he WaS aBout the Length of a PencIL I PuLLed the hook out and toSSed hIM Back Into the Water I Watched hIM SWIM aWay aS If he Were BeIng chaSed By SoMethIng I dId thIS a couPLe of tIMeS and then cLIMBed Back uP onto the dock BecauSe It WaS gettIng very dark out I took one LaSt Look at the MarveLouS Lake In front of Me I Began to WaLk Back uP to our houSe WIth My fIShIng rod In one hand and the BaIt In the other and I WaLked Back uP the graveL road to the one Story houSe on atateka drIve

Background Photo by Chris Krein