eye, and listening to the stirring tones of her voice kept me still.
“I forgot to tell you,” I said. “Verne told me to tell you to pay Jenny and the cook two weeks’ pay.”
She didn’t look at me. “Yes. All right. See, we’ll park here a while. I’ll take you down and show you the lake.”
There were pines, and a glen that fed shallowly across the road, but showed great depth on the hillside. The lake flashed blue in the sun beyond the treetops.
“All right.”
Petra turned and shouted to the old woman, “I’m going to show Mr. Bland the lake. We’ll only be a minute.”
The old woman moved her mouth in what looked like some kind of secret smile.
Petra’s chin trembled. She opened the door on her side, ran around the car and down the slope into the trees. She ran toward the lake. Her skirt furled around her legs and her legs flashed in the early-afternoon sunlight.
She vanished into the shadows of the trees, whirled, and called, “Come on, slowpoke!”
“Be right with you.” I turned to the old woman. “Excuse me,” I said. “We won’t be a moment.” I had forgotten that she was deaf. She didn’t hear me. She was watching the darker shadow of the woods where Petra had disappeared.
I went on down, following Petra’s course. It was very cool. As I neared the water the air was still cooler and I could smell the water. It was a spring-fed lake, Petra had told me, and very clear and cold. Very fine for swimming if you like fresh, clear, icy water.
“It’s a little late for swimming, isn’t it?” I’d said.
“It’s always whatever you make it.”
I went into the trees along the glen with the stream of water from the glen running over black slate to my right. I came out on the shore of the lake. It was about a mile and a half wide. The larger of the three hills on the other side looked like some huge green monster, like a buffalo, perhaps, hunched over, asleep.
I didn’t see Petra at first. Then she called to me from nearby, “Hurry, Alex. Hurry!”
She was standing naked on the shore of the lake.
I stood still for a long moment because I couldn’t move and couldn’t think. The sun shone on her back over the tops of the trees.
She faced me.
“Come here, Alex.”
I took two steps, halted. “The old woman!” I said. “She’ll—Petra!”
I stepped back as she ran gingerly toward me over the pebbled shore. Her hair streamed back on both sides of her head and she was beautiful, too damned beautiful. Her beauty struck me very hard without release.
“Petra!” The old woman’s voice reached us from the highway, just beyond the trees.
“Oh, God!” Petra said.
I turned and ran back to the car. I stumbled and slipped over the water-black slate in the glen and once went in clear to my knee. Scrambling up the slight rise onto the highway, I reached the car. I looked back but Petra wasn’t in sight. I’d never forget the way she had looked standing there on the shore of the lake with the sun gleaming like liquid gold on her white skin and her black hair flowing around her shoulders and throat like a dense, fiery fog.
Standing there by the car, I heard splashing sounds beyond the pines and other trees surrounding the lake. And standing there I cursed the old woman silently. Then I cursed her aloud, knowing she couldn’t hear. I cursed her until I could think of nothing else to say. Then I climbed inside the car. The old woman was still watching the patch of shadowed woods where Petra had vanished.
Pretty soon Petra came back to the car. She was breathing hard. “Wasn’t it fine!” she said.
“Yes.”
I looked at her, my hand brushed her leg. Her skirt was damp. Her hair was damp. She’d been in the water.
“I went for a swim,” she said. “You should have, Alex.” She turned to the old woman and shouted, “I went for a swim. Don’t you wish you could go swimming, Mother?”
The old woman didn’t answer.
• • •
The days flicked by like the shadow
“I forgot to tell you,” I said. “Verne told me to tell you to pay Jenny and the cook two weeks’ pay.”
She didn’t look at me. “Yes. All right. See, we’ll park here a while. I’ll take you down and show you the lake.”
There were pines, and a glen that fed shallowly across the road, but showed great depth on the hillside. The lake flashed blue in the sun beyond the treetops.
“All right.”
Petra turned and shouted to the old woman, “I’m going to show Mr. Bland the lake. We’ll only be a minute.”
The old woman moved her mouth in what looked like some kind of secret smile.
Petra’s chin trembled. She opened the door on her side, ran around the car and down the slope into the trees. She ran toward the lake. Her skirt furled around her legs and her legs flashed in the early-afternoon sunlight.
She vanished into the shadows of the trees, whirled, and called, “Come on, slowpoke!”
“Be right with you.” I turned to the old woman. “Excuse me,” I said. “We won’t be a moment.” I had forgotten that she was deaf. She didn’t hear me. She was watching the darker shadow of the woods where Petra had disappeared.
I went on down, following Petra’s course. It was very cool. As I neared the water the air was still cooler and I could smell the water. It was a spring-fed lake, Petra had told me, and very clear and cold. Very fine for swimming if you like fresh, clear, icy water.
“It’s a little late for swimming, isn’t it?” I’d said.
“It’s always whatever you make it.”
I went into the trees along the glen with the stream of water from the glen running over black slate to my right. I came out on the shore of the lake. It was about a mile and a half wide. The larger of the three hills on the other side looked like some huge green monster, like a buffalo, perhaps, hunched over, asleep.
I didn’t see Petra at first. Then she called to me from nearby, “Hurry, Alex. Hurry!”
She was standing naked on the shore of the lake.
I stood still for a long moment because I couldn’t move and couldn’t think. The sun shone on her back over the tops of the trees.
She faced me.
“Come here, Alex.”
I took two steps, halted. “The old woman!” I said. “She’ll—Petra!”
I stepped back as she ran gingerly toward me over the pebbled shore. Her hair streamed back on both sides of her head and she was beautiful, too damned beautiful. Her beauty struck me very hard without release.
“Petra!” The old woman’s voice reached us from the highway, just beyond the trees.
“Oh, God!” Petra said.
I turned and ran back to the car. I stumbled and slipped over the water-black slate in the glen and once went in clear to my knee. Scrambling up the slight rise onto the highway, I reached the car. I looked back but Petra wasn’t in sight. I’d never forget the way she had looked standing there on the shore of the lake with the sun gleaming like liquid gold on her white skin and her black hair flowing around her shoulders and throat like a dense, fiery fog.
Standing there by the car, I heard splashing sounds beyond the pines and other trees surrounding the lake. And standing there I cursed the old woman silently. Then I cursed her aloud, knowing she couldn’t hear. I cursed her until I could think of nothing else to say. Then I climbed inside the car. The old woman was still watching the patch of shadowed woods where Petra had vanished.
Pretty soon Petra came back to the car. She was breathing hard. “Wasn’t it fine!” she said.
“Yes.”
I looked at her, my hand brushed her leg. Her skirt was damp. Her hair was damp. She’d been in the water.
“I went for a swim,” she said. “You should have, Alex.” She turned to the old woman and shouted, “I went for a swim. Don’t you wish you could go swimming, Mother?”
The old woman didn’t answer.
• • •
The days flicked by like the shadow
Similar Books
