I am so tired
So very, very tired
My back hurts from crouching
My muscles hurt from strain
My arms ache from rowing
My eyelids feel heavy
From the moist, humid air
Surrounding our small canoe
My friend sits behind me
Her oar,
Licking the water and splashing
The sides of our boat
Our small sail
Just for show
I’m watching ahead
My oar, just barely kissing the surface
The fog is so dense
The air thick with liquid
Gray clouds drift about
I can only see the dark blue of the lake
Just two feet ahead of me,
My friend gives a sad sigh from behind
She is exhausted
We have been rowing all night
And all day
I close my eyes
To give my throbbing head
A few minutes to catch up
Suddenly I hear something
A sound so faint
It is the soft splash of an oar as it hits the water
Not too far away
I open my eyes,
I look around
My friend hears it too
The sound becomes louder
Through the fog I see
Another boat
Rowing at a steady pace through the mist
But then they drift away
I am about to follow them
About to say “Wait!”
About to lift my oar
And paddle furiously after them
But I don’t have to
Because just then I see the faintest
Bit of light
I can see it on the fog
The droplets glisten with the glow
Like sparkling diamonds
Floating through the misty air toward me
The light comes from a distant shape
Tall and elegant
Yet sharp and foreboding
The fog gradually disappears
And I can see the boats
All heading towards the same destination
A Great
Gray
Castle
Floating
On the Lake