And then I see him. The swirls in the water alert me to his presence. They lead my gaze to a small, pointy face with over-sized whiskers poking out just above the water line. He is aware of me too. Our eyes lock.
He breaks the spell, diving. Only to surface a few yards closer. Then he begins his show: swimming toward me in long s-shaped sweeps. I am shivering now, but this little being won't let me go. He pulls me in, keeps me on the pier watching his lazy arcs, dives, and teases. Sometimes he resurfaces closer to me, like the first time, and sometimes he's farther away.I wonder about him. Is he as curious about me as I am about him? Does he love this lake, this water, the way I do? Are we cosmically linked? I smirk at the idea, but am unable to leave him.
Then he dives and doesn't resurface. Huh? Was I just ditched by an otter?
I uncoil and pedal home. Eighteen years later, I remember our encounter. And the 17 year old girl who couldn't wait to get to the lake to swim after barn chores were done. Who loved animals and solitude and sunlight on red lakes. And who was chosen by an ottter - if only for a few minutes' teasing.
5 comments:
What a lovely memory -- thanks for invoking it so the rest of us could share in the encounter, however vicariously.
OMG I thought for a minute you were lake swimming in WI in December!
Our best memories aren't necessarily defined by the what of the event but by the who of it - who we were at the time and who we shared it with, even if it was an otter; heh, or a squirrel in my case...
How cool, that must have been such an awesome experience. Especially to stick with you all these years later. Maybe you're part otter?!
The simplicity of life, sometimes the most cherished memories. And to be young again, not a bad memory either.
TT,
I love the bursts back into your past.
And if only we could swim as easily and freely as an otter.
>And who was chosen by an otter -
>if only for a few minutes'
>teasing.
I'll be your otter for tonight. :)
M-
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