Lost in the Mist

            Stepping outside the cabin, I let the screen door slam behind me. I stood on the first step of the small raised platform, one might call a porch, and look around. The light streaming down from the uncovered light bulb hanging by a single wire over the door did little to pierce through the heavy mist that surrounded me. I felt like I was trapped inside a tiny box with no way out. It took a few minutes, but my eyes slowly adjusted to the  darkness just beyond the white veil. The shadows of the trees towered over me like giants, with long twisted hands reaching out to grab me. 
              Quickly I climbed down the few  steps and went to the beach on the left side of the cabin. A heavy, dense fog covered the lake and I could only see a few feet in front of me as I carefully made my way around the rocks behind the cabin. I inched my way to the  edge of the largest rock, which stuck up like the back of a large sleeping dinosaur. I came to a stop where the rock ended and the water began, gently lapping at my feet. The damp, still air hit my face and I shivered. I pulled my  sweatshirt closer to my body, the cold reaching to my very bones, as water droplets formed on my cheeks. I felt lost and alone.             
             As I stood looking out into the vast emptiness, my mind drifted back to  all the happy memories I had made on that rock, which overlooked Pemaquid Pond. I had spent many enjoyable hours wading, catching frogs, reading, and soaking up the sun’s rays on that blissfull boulder, and if I had risen early enough in the morning, many hungry ducks had  come by for a free handout of crackers or bread crumbs.              
             A small, scared voice called me back from my daydreaming and I slowly returned to reality. The thick, heavy fog seemed to rest on my shoulders like a dead weight. I felt isolated from my family and I had a strange feeling that I was suddenly the only person left on the earth. Goosebumps shot down my spine and the hair on my neck stood straight - what was that? Was there something behind me, getting ready to jump out and drag me into the mist covered water, never to return?             
             I heard the little voice again. Trembling, I turned and saw my little sister trying to make her way across the rock.  She had seen me leave the cabin and decided to follow me, but could not find her way through the fog. Unable to take the lost feeling anymore, I ran over to her, picked her up, and together we ran back to the safety of the lit cabin.             
             The door shut behind me and I heaved a deep sigh of  relief. I had made it through the dark night and did not desire to ever return to the gloom. I glanced up and saw my  dad smiling at me from his chair across the room. I smiled back; I knew what he was thinking. He was the one that had sent me out in the first place! Boy, was it good to be back with the ones I loved! 
            My dad gave me another grin and called my little brother over and told him to go outside and stand on the rock behind the cabin. The old, paint peeling porch door slammed shut as he went out.            
             Picking up my book, I curled up in a chair by the crackling fire and settled down to read. My dad quickly walked out of the cabin and quietly closed the door behind him as he went outside. A big grin spread across my face as I heard the distant shrieks from my brother as my dad snuck up behind him in the mist. These were the best times, the favorite memories that would forever remain etched into my conscience. Thank God for family and loved ones. Make a memory with your family today.