The Moon, the Lake, and Lydia

Hey everyone!  I have had an insanely busy past two weeks, and it’s not over yet.  I’m sorry for posting sparingly; I’ve been thinking about my blog constantly, but I haven’t had much time to write.  To make it up to you, I’m posting a lovely fall story I wrote for my fiction writing class last semester.  Comment and let me know how you like hearing a short story once in a while; I’m thinking about making this a thing.  (Or don’t.  I’m not your mom.)  Cheers, and happy reading or whatever.

The Moon, the Lake, and Lydia

The clear blue afternoon sky reflected in the lake as a deep indigo.  Lydia squinted in the cold autumn sunlight, watching the water swirl and ripple.  She imagined what lay on the bottom of the pond; lost wedding rings, water logged tree branches and Dixie cups, forgotten promises and goggles, first kisses and jagged rocks.  The lake didn’t tell its secrets.  Lydia sniffled.  You wouldn’t know that just from glancing at it, just like you would never guess what the girl with the fair skin and rosy cheeks standing at its edge had done.  The sky began to look like a painting, and the sun radiated lies.  The lake caught them and buried them within its depths.  She raked her hands through her curly, black hair and started towards her car.

When she reached it, she sat on the trunk, facing the chilly October wind.  She pulled her fleece tighter around her slender shoulders, trying to hide her scars and bruises.  With glazed eyes, she stared at the bright orange trees dotting the horizon.  Lydia was ready to give the lake another secret, once the sun went down.  The sedan groaned when she shifted her weight.  It already had a heavy load in the trunk, and it didn’t need the added pounds.

Shivering, she watched as the trees abandoned yellow and orange leaves with cold gusts of wind.  When she was a little girl, she used to wonder where all the autumn leaves went.  Now she knew that they didn’t go anywhere; they just returned to the soil.  What powerful knowledge it was, to know that life could so easily turn to dust and dirt.  She glanced at the horizon once more, and waited patiently for the moon to watch her purge her secret.  The moon, the lake, and Lydia would be the only ones to know.