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Untitled – 4

The workshop sat upslope from the lake house, closer to the road. From the outside, it wasn’t much as far as appearances go. Weathered board and batten wood siding clad the entire exterior and rusted metal sheets covered the gabled roof. It almost disappeared into the landscape with native plants growing up all around it and crawling up the side of it. Inside the workshop though, was a craftsman’s dream. Elevated clerestory windows flooded the entire space with bright natural light. Old wood joists and rafters crisscrossed overhead, stamped with the mark of time, and sloping to meet at a ridge high above. Tools, old and new, power and analog, furnished the entire perimeter of the shop. A large loft space hung from the south wall, accessible only by a rickety old ladder, and held a wall lined with reference books, only interrupted by an octogonal stained glass window. Also on the south side sat an ancient looking wood burning stove that would serve to heat the entire shop through the cold winter months. The interior of the shop was about 40 feet wide by 60 feet deep. More than enough space for him to wok out his new schemes and ideas.

Aldo had a workspace very similar to this one back in the city, but it was at the lake where all the real progress was made. The shop in the city would be primarily used by his colleagues to test and fine tune whatever he came back with. This shop was for discovery. For failing repeatedly until the most beautiful and pure solutions came to the surface.

Untitled – 1

The months leading up to winter were when the lake was at its finest. The sun, sinking lower in the sky, sent diamonds skipping off the water’s surface. The trees swayed and bowed gently with the breeze. Leaves twisted and waved, holding on as long as they could before they would let go, float to the ground and join their siblings to form a winter blanket over the earth.

The water remained calm that time of year. The summer boaters, fisherman, and weekend campers had all packed up and returned to their busy lives. Only one soul remained to witness the grandeur of the hillside on fire and growing brighter every day. One person, who arrived precisely at the same time every year, lingered on to watch the reflections in the water evovle with the passage of time.

It was peaceful up there at the lake at that time of year. It was also when he was most productive. There he was disconnected from it all. All the noise, distractions, and constant battle for his attention seemed like a distant dream when he was by the water. All those things that carried such importance and weight back in the city showed themselves to be silly and a waste of precious resources. That place always had the effect of making him feel small and insignificant, just what he needed sometimes.

To be resumed…

Into the Darkness – Part 10

With the shadow gone now, he sat up carefully and repositioned himself. His forehead was sore from where the shadow had touched him. When he rubbed that spot on his head it was warm, smooth to the touch, and slightly protruding, like it was an old scar that had always been there. He struggled to recall th words the shadow had placed in his mind, though it was just moments ago. Its as if a veil had been drapd over his thoughts and a fog enveloped his mind.

While working to regain his stability, he heard voices calling, off in the distance. They were yelling words he could understand, something he remembered. They wee calling out his name.

With what strength remained, he pushed himself up and hobbled in the direction of the voices. After the first corner he turned, he could see bright light from far down the tunnel. The voices grew louder as he got closer to the light and he was becoming more certain it would lead outside. His eyes gradually adjusted to the brightness and he could see out of the tunnel. Up ahead was the same clearing from which he had first entered the tunnel, he was sure of it, though everything outside was upsidedown. The trees he could see were growing in the wrong direction and the sky was level with the ground he was walking on. He could also see that it wasn’t an arch up ahead, but a stairway that led from the tunnel ceiling. He had not the brain power to puzzle together how to get right side up, and he continued toward the exit. As he moved forward his body gently rotated, remaining perpendicular to the tunnel walls, and finally upright, standing on what was previously the tunnel ceiling.

The stairs ascended into the clearing through a stone crater in the ground. The arch was gone. As he crossed the threshold from the last crater step to the forest clearing, he colapsed, no strength to go further.

He heard his name pronounced excitedly. A man and a woman rushed toward him from the tree line. When they reached him he noticed that the crater was gone and with it the tunnel. The three of them were in the middle of a grassy field, warmed with daylight, and surrounded by the forest.

“You must’ve seen it.” the man said.

“I can’t believe we found you!” exclaimed the woman.

The two helped him to his feet and gave him some water. They supported him and assisted him, walking toward the woods. They were both overflowing with questions for him. Questions he had no answers to. The only thing he knew for certain was that soon these two will regret having found him. He wished he could prevent what would inevitably happen, but deep inside he knew things must take their course. He wished instead he could be left here, in this clearing, to rot away, or disappear, like the shadow into the darkness.