Wednesday, January 05, 2011

haunted lake

a few days before christmas, sabin and i were walking around down on the lake. she didn't know it yet at that point, but we were all getting skates for christmas, so i wanted to check out the quality of the ice. out in the middle we came across some fresh tracks in the snow - they resembled a small horse hoof with a funny sort of A-shaped shoe on it (imagine that the top of the A was rounded). there was even a bit of unfamiliar-looking poo in the snow - it wasn't horse poo and it wasn't deer poo, but something sort of in between.  several centimeters of snow covered the entire surface of the lake and these tracks were very visible. what was strange was that they were only there in the middle and didn't seem to have led from one shore to the other, tho' in that snow, they should have.

sabin and i got to talking about ghosts and we kind of spooked ourselves a little bit in that delicious way that you can spook yourself when it's starting to get dark and you're a bit far from the house. we hurried towards in the house, laughing and trying not to really be scared.

another day, while skating, i pointed to a dark figure at the other end of the lake and asked husband if he could see someone down there. he said it did rather look like a person. eventually, we skated down to the other end and convinced ourselves it had just been a shadow we'd seen amongst the frozen, snow-covered reeds by the edge of the lake.

yet another day, it was again getting dark and sabin and i headed back to the house, our skates slung over our shoulders. sabin asked me if i had coughed, but i hadn't. she said she'd distinctly heard a cough behind her, like an animal had coughed. but we looked around and there was nothing there.

in every case, it has been the most deliciously spooky feeling...the kind that makes you feel your senses are heightened and you are just more alert, tho' you are also aware you could run just that little bit faster than usual. if you had to.

today, sabin and three of her friends went down to the lake to skate. it's a bit grey and dark out today and snow is falling occasionally. about an hour after they headed out, the four girls came bursting in the back door, red-cheeked and out of breath. they'd been down on the lake and one of them distinctly heard a growl behind her, like an angry dog. but when they turned, there was nothing there.

another of the girls saw several dark figures running across the lake in the distance. they were indistinct, but in a hurry. and the girls were sure it wasn't just some deer, which are quite plentiful in the area. they got scared and headed back for the house. at the back of the shelter belt, there's an old refrigerator container and in the waning wintery afternoon light the girls were convinced they saw silvery eyes glowing at them from near the container. and by that time, they were pretty scared.

i invited them into the warm kitchen to get out of their snowpants and scarves and hats and i made them a big batch of popcorn and hot cocoa that seemed to dispel the fear of ghosts. they were soon laughing and talking and playing top model and all fears were forgotten.

but a haunted lake is quite a thrilling prospect, isn't it?

12 comments:

Numinosity said...

I totally believe that your lake could be haunted! Fascinating indeed.

The other night while my husband was hiking in the Grand Canyon I watched one of those ghost hunter reality shows and it just happened to be in our town of Bisbee! They even have ghost tours in town here.
I was a little spooked by the time I went to bed.

Anyway I love your story, I miss skating these days. Thanks for the tale, I like the effect of your photo that goes with the story.

xoxo Kim

will said...

Obviously the lake attracts Yeti ... probably those on winter vacation from Nepal.

spudballoo said...

oooooh I would LOVE a haunted lake. You can explain all the 'spookies' if you tried really hard, but that's not the point...and the accumulation of spooky sightings/soundings = definitely haunted. FAB! xx

The Queens Table said...

Hmmmmmmmmm.... and now I am laughing at Wills comment........

julochka said...

if it was a yeti, it's a baby one. but how cool would that be?

Roberta Warshaw said...

I once lived on a lake in winter and it was the scariest place. At night the ice would creak and groan really loudly. I knew it was just the ice moving but what a creepy sound that was. Another time when the ice was really smooth and there was no snow, I was skating all over. It was like glass and I was having a pleasant time. Suddenly right in front of me was a deer frozen in the ice. It was horrifying and scary.

Lost Star said...

Fantastic story telling. I would have been running home like crazy!

Anonymous said...

Ooh...I'm glad you're finding it delicious! I can barely watch tense or suspenseful movies anymore, let alone go skating in one. ;)

...What exactly does it mean to play Top Model?

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

...do I dare admit that I have to google Yeti?

julochka said...

playing top model means issuing a challenge, dressing up in clothing from sabin's closet, putting on makeup (sometimes including but not limited to fake eyelashes), doing a photo/video shoot with one or more iPhones, then a mean critique done by an appointed judge, followed by throwing one model "off" and then starting all over again...

Char said...

that is scary .... *shiver* i wonder what it is?

mrs mediocrity said...

oooooh....a little thrilling, but i wouldn't want to be out there alone!