Thin Ice!
There’s someone skating on the lake
What? No way. It’s too thin
I know!
I can’t look
I stood there staring out the window fixed to the spot in the living room watching and not wanting to watch. He wasn’t close enough to shout at but he was close enough to see. I wanted to be responsible and stay to make sure, but I didn’t want to see someone falling in so far away that I couldn’t do anything. He skated closer to the edge where the ice had melted away and there stood open waters. How has he not fallen in yet?
He skated with such ease and joy. He truly looked like a professional skater. But professional or not it wouldn’t help him if he fell in.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of nail-biting angst, he headed to the opposite shore and sat down to unlace his skates. I began to breathe again, grateful for the reprieve from worry, and even more grateful for no emergency calls to 911.
Sometimes it’s not so fun living on a lake.
Throughout the month of March I will be participating in the Slice of Life Story Challenge with the community of writers over at Two Writing Teachers. Each day I will post a draft of a story detailing a small snippet from my life. This will be my sixth year participating, and each year I marvel at all the small moments I would have missed in my life if not for this challenge. I am grateful to Stacey Shubitz, Betsy Hubbard, Beth Moore, Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski, Melanie Meehan, and Amy Ellerman for hosting this wonderful event!