In fickle spring I decide to launch my canoe on a frigid Adirondack lake. The seductive sun is full of false promises. Soon loons will return to nest, mayflies will entice rainbow trout to dance for food, and vacationers will arrive in noisy droves. For now, I journey alone on this peaceful water. I rest awhile in the center of the lake, sipping warm tea from my thermos. It’s an idyllic day until clouds roll in and the temperature takes an ominous dive. Floating chunks of ice menace the canoe, pushing together, refreezing, as I frantically paddle toward shore.
Written for Carrot Ranch Literary Community: February 15, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story on ice. It can be an event on ice, a game on ice or a drink on ice. Go where the prompt leads you.
Barrier Island Blues 
The weather can change can’t it and I imagine the frantic nature of your paddling.
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Yes – this post was inspired by an actual experience when I was younger and less wise – and my 5 year old was with me when ice begin to lock us in. The experience gave me a lasting respect for the authority of nature over human adventure.
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This line says it all: “The seductive sun is full of false promises.” When we have cabin fever and the sun warms up a winter day. Your flash shows that experience with great sensory detail.
Is there a byline you’d like me to use for the collection? I’ve been using ngrant41, which is fine, but I like to ask.
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I an new to this. Would njoyslife.wordpress.com make more sense as a byline? And thank you so much for your encouraging coments and for providing community!
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Certainly! Pen names, blog names work fine. I just want to make sure you get proper credit. I link each story back to a blog if there is one, too.
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Cool outside with warm tea inside. What a beautiful place to be.
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Row row row… Great story.
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How easily we are tempted by a warm day in late winter…
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If someone told me to close my eyes and imagine where I’d like to be it’d be in that canoe on that lake listening to the loons and forgetting about the pesky tourists. I’d pass on the floating chunks of ice though, but that’s OK. Thanks for the beautiful visualization 🙂
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Thank you! I spend as much time there as possible.
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