Wholesome Short Stories

Clear Lake

Lila looked out across the lake. They called it "clear lake," and it truly was.  You could see right to the bottom, even at the deepest points.

The afternoon was a nice one, not a breeze in the trees.  Clear lake looked as if you could walk out right onto it. Smooth as glass, the only ripples coming from a family of ducks that silently glided by.

Lila had never been so at peace. She was in the mood where she was doing nothing, but it felt like everything. A minute would go by, feeling like both a milisecond and an hour at the same time.  Her eyes traveled across the tops of the trees on the other side, to the tiny ducklings all following their mother.  And at that moment she had the urge to join them.

No silly, not literally follow the ducks. Just to be in the water, cool and weightless. She was already in her swimsuit and she carefully made her way across the rocks to the waters edge.  She slipped her toes in, feeling the water envelope them.  Soon she had waded out to her waist, pushing slowly through the water.

She jumped in from where she was, the splash being startlingly loud in the quiet afternoon.  Then she was swimming.  Lila ducked her head under the surface, feeling her hair float around lightly.  Sometimes, she liked to imagine she was a mermaid with her hair flying about in a graceful fashion. 

She came up for air on her back and floated while looking at the sky. It was quite blue with few clouds. So bright she had to look away because it hurt her eyes. 

She swam breaststroke for a few pulls, slowly getting farther from shore.  Lila liked to see the way the waves rippled away from her when she moved.  Going forward, the lake was flat.  She was the only thing making patterns on it.  Clear Lake was Lila's canvas, and she made art.

The End