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Waterfall
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Waterfall |
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Doug Pretorius Member
since 2001-04-08
Posts 81Ontario, Canada |
Stepping through the French doors of the kitchen and landing heavily on the covered deck beyond I listened carefully to the gentle complaint the old pine timbers let out and smiled with satisfaction. That creak let me know I was home, the only place I'd ever really felt at home. The lodge had changed over the years but us longtime repeat guests loved the rear deck just the way it was, so it stayed. The soft covered plump chairs and seats that lay comfortably strewn across the deck were so very tempting, but I wanted to get in an early morning hike. The last few sips of Mabel's extra black coffee went down, cough, that stuff was strong enough to remove paint but two cups was required if you wanted her prize-winning pancake and bacon breakfast. The smell of fat and flour still lingered in the air and fortunately masked the distinctive scent coming from the charred coffeepots. One last good long stretch as I looked out over the lake, the water was clear and clean only like you see in outdoor magazines. Without so much as a ripple in the silent, calm morning air, the water reflected the deep majestic blue of a perfect sky. I marveled at all the times I'd seen just such a sky and yet never once did it seem mundane or ordinary, but forever a masterpiece of beauty in its simplicity. "Thanks Mabel, that was the best coffee I've ever had," I said, as I kissed her on the cheek. "You're a liar Mr. Connell, but you're my kinda liar!" She replied with a grin. Back in my private cabin I looked around, looked at myself in the mirror, did I have everything? It was still early and I knew the terrain around the lodge well, but you never want to be caught off guard in the backwoods. As I looked around the cabin I smiled, for a moment I closed my eyes and took in the fresh scent of the cedar paneling. Opening my eyes I remembered another reason I kept coming back here, George and Mabel really knew how to provide a special kind of rustic coziness that made you want to call this place home on a permanent basis. Everything was completely natural from the log walls to the cotton sheets and any modern comforts were painstakingly hidden or camouflaged to leave you with the feeling that you'd stepped a good hundred years back in time. Outside once again and it was a day for basking in all the glory of summer, the crystal cloudless sky was almost a dream too beautiful to be true. Just then a light breeze carried the fragrance of late blooming flowers, filling the clean air with the scent I remember from my childhood when my mother garnished the breakfast table with a basket of freshly cut flowers from her garden. I'll say it again; so much of this place makes me feel like this is where I belong. I began north toward the deep lush forest and listened carefully to the crunch beneath my feet of the lightly graveled path. All of my senses were alive by now, telling of all the delight that surrounded me. The bird songs carried far on the wind filled my heart with cheer and my sense of smell began to distinguish between several of the scents that saturated the air. Cedar of course, pine, last season's leaves that covered the forest floor. I fully realized that this was how man was meant to live. Gradually the path slipped away and I was now blazing my own trail. At times the dense undergrowth made the way difficult, but soon I found a well used wildlife path and once again returned to the enjoyment of my surroundings. If I had been born in the forest I think I could not have loved it more, the peace that makes itself known invites us in, but warns too of the fragileness of this land. Tears fill my eyes whenever I think of how so many people don't respect nature, as they should. Now at last I could here the faint whisper of flowing water and I knew the river was not far off. I persisted on and then the forest opened up to a relatively small, but in my mind, majestically grand and mighty waterrun. I turned and moved along its bank, suddenly freezing at the sight before my eyes. A very large brown bear leaning down for a drink and just beyond it a slight, almost frail looking deer doing the same. I marveled at a world where two so different creatures could peacefully take a drink at this river together, and yet two humans find it so hard to admit to the slightest commonality. Both animals looked up when a twig snapped beneath my foot. The deer slowly made its way off in the forest, but the bear just looked at me. I returned its gaze, making no movement whatsoever. Water dripped from the thick fur on its neck while its posture remained as unchanged as mine. Anyone to happen upon the scene would think they were seeing two statues or perhaps a painting named knowingly "The Look." The bear studied me for a long time before I realized this could possibly be a dangerous situation. Just then, somehow I sensed disturbance in its eyes, so I turned slowly and knelt at the river's edge, leaning down and lapping at the water. When I again looked up, the bear was nowhere to be seen. "Whew," I sighed inwardly. As I continued along the riverbank I truly enjoyed the sound of the water splashing against or falling over the occasional rock. I couldn't resist; I picked up a rock and tossed it into the water just to hear that 'plop' sound. I giggled to myself at how I loved being a kid again and these woods brought it out. At that point I came to an enormous rock which stood at the edge of the river. Climbing up onto it I looked down into the water. So clear I could see right to the bottom despite the depth at this spot of the river. Pebbles on the bottom reflected the sunlight streaming through the turbulent current, I wondered whether any of that glittering, was gold. If so, I thought how much more beautiful it was there than around someone's neck. Closing my eyes and stretching my neck back I took a long deep breath of the still wholesomely fresh morning air. "What is that?" I heard a sound faintly in the distance. Looking toward the sound, it clearly came from further up the river. Pricking up my ears I strained to hear it again, but you know how sometimes the harder you try the more elusive the prize becomes. This time was no exception so I jumped down from the rock and began my new trek to discover the source of the mysterious sound. Coming around a small bend the sound became louder and more consistent. It was a kind of humming like ten thousand birds all lifting into the air at once. I picked up my pace, stumbling over rocks and stumps until inevitably falling and landing on my knee. "Oww!" A trickle of blood snaked its way down my shin from the small cut that ran across my bruised knee. I quickly washed my leg in the river and tore a strip off of my shirt, tying it firmly against the wound. I contemplated returning to the lodge, but I decided that this mishap wasn't going to stop me from finding out what the sound was! I grabbed a branch that lay near me and used it as a cane, hobbling my way onward. The sound continued to get louder when suddenly it hit me, what a fool I'd been, it must be a waterfall! Coming around another small bend and out from behind a cluster of trees there it was! I continued until I was standing just beneath it and took the sight in. I was amazed that such a beautiful waterfall had been here all along and I'd never found it before. Standing at least ten meters in height but only maybe two in width. The water pouring down was only a small tributary stream to the river but in my mind it was the grandest jewel. I stripped out of my clothes and dove into the pool below the falls. The water was clean and crystal clear and tasted like honey ran this river instead of water. I swam up behind the falls and climbed up onto a rocky ledge. The water fell harshly into the pool making great splashes and waves. I stretched out my hand into the water and it was slapped away by the force of the torrent raining down. I decided to go for it and jumped headlong into the fury. The crashing water stung and seared my skin but somehow it felt refreshing. Like being pricked with thousands of pins I could only take a few moments before slipping beneath the surface and swimming to safety. As I lay on a rock drying off, I stared and pondered the waterfall. I felt some sort of revelation in the discovery that water can sometimes be fire, a lesson I could see by the red marks dotting my flesh. The End. [This message has been edited by Doug Pretorius (edited 11-24-2001).] |
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| © Copyright 2001 Doug Pretorius - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Enchantress Member Empyrean
since 2001-08-14
Posts 35113Canada eh. |
Doug! Now you already KNOW I love this! Great imagery, the sights, sounds, and smells...plus a story which grabs you and holds you right from the opening. Sounds like it could be a lodge up in the Muskokas somewhere....well, I let it take me there!  Great writing ability shown here. Bravo! ...and of course, hugs....Nancy. ~We are a soul...dancing in a glimpse of time~ |
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