Chocolate Lake

The arm of the ocean stretched its soggy hand beside us, all the way to the rotary. Walking over a bridge, scales of grey and murky shades of blue crept towards me. A muddy mess of dark swirling colours, slowly blending together like oil into something solid and crusty, seeping to a stop at the edge of the arm. We walked past them, up the hill towards Purcell's Cove. We crossed the bobsled flow of traffic and made a beeline towards Chocolate Lake. Along the path, the roots were surging everywhere out of the ground like the rocky veins of an ancient hand. The path to the lake ran along the water's edge, all along the skinny strip of land. I watched the rippling blue shaded and shrouded by trees that arched over our heads. Walking towards the sun. I love walking and squinting through the sun. Yellow rays were casting beams of light down to the earth, slicing through the leaves wherever there was open space. The ground felt less calloused and tangled now, more yeilding and soft. I could hear the cries and shrieks of families. One of the guys there was from a pizza store, and he was having a friendly conversation with a middle-aged pale character. The path opened up in the near distance. Ahead, the grass changed slowly to a pool of sand, stretching out in front of my waiting feet and a blue blue lake that hurt my eyes was waiting on the other side. A few families scattered around. Last call. Last swims before the sun comes down. I waited patient and anxious at the entrance, unwilling to break the spell. It felt like an enchanted hideaway. I waited on the edge. Inching forward, bit by bit like a caterpillar. Watching the water come slowly into view.

We plunked our bums down on a blanket of sand. I zigzagged down towards the water, relishing the feeling of dryness right before the big drenchcoat of liquid flowed through my bones. The water was clear because of the low pH. There was probably no life in this lake, only on top. But it was so lovely. It was like Otter Lake. I miss melting on the water. I floated on the surface on my back. Water floated and shimmied up beside my ears. Into my ears. The earth wobbled in my eyes skaking up at the dark skies.