Shadow on the Water

Golden sunlight over the lake tinged the cloud edges in a fiery glow of orange and yellow before giving way to the blue sky of dawn.

"It's beautiful," Amanda whispered. She flipped her long hair behind her shoulder and turned to her new husband, David, to see him gazing into the magnificent sunrise, a wistful expression softening his angular features. "But it's hella cold! Why did you want to come out here so early?"

A gentle smile tugged at David's mouth.

"Have you heard of the monster that lives in Lake Erie?"

Amanda dropped her shoulders and rolled her eyes.

"That's Loch Ness, in Scotland."

David's smile only widened at her derisive tone.

"Nessie isn't the only one. Erie has one of its own, only it's called Bessie and has a head like a dog."

"Come on, David. You made me get up before dawn and freeze to go chasing imaginary monsters? You can't be serious!"

"Jason saw it," David insisted, apparently unperturbed by Amanda's scepticism. "When his family came out here on vacation last summer. He said he could see the lake from his window and every morning, just before dawn, he could see a snake-like undulation in the water."

"Tides," Amanda snapped. "The tides in these lakes can get pretty extreme. Ships have gone down because of them, especially in Lake Michigan."

"Erie isn't so deep," David quoted. "Just two-hundred ten feet, so the tides aren't so rough."

"Then why would it have a monster instead of one of the deeper ones?" A gentle breeze blew her hair back into her face and Amanda brushed it back with an impatient gesture.

"That's the puzzle." David gazed out over the water, brighter now as the sun reflected off the ruffled surface waves. "Some people think there may be underground tunnels between the lakes."

"You believe that?"

David shrugged.

"I don't know. I just find it fascinating to speculate. Besides, Jason insists he saw a head rear up out of the water. It was only once, so maybe there's another explanation."

Amanda smiled, satisfied with her groom's capitulation. She didn't want their honeymoon to start off with a silly argument.

David flipped his own silky hair out of his eyes. Amanda had often accused him of keeping it like a classic Beatles cut because he bore a slight resemblance to George Harrison.

"Well, since we don't believe in lake monsters, how about if we rent a boat and go rowing this morning? Maybe after breakfast?"

"I'd like that," Amanda agreed. She stood up, more than ready to go back into the warmth of their rented cabin to make food. She glanced one more time over the gentle turbulence of the vast body of water, then squinted her eyes against the sunlight refractions.

Was it a shadow she saw, far out in the deeper water? For a moment it looked snake-like, somehow wrong for the pattern of movement in the currents. She blinked tears from her eyes that had formed against the searing light reflections, but the shadow was gone. Amanda dismissed it as imagination. Their talk of sea monsters had obviously put the idea into her head and fanciful pattern recognition had done the rest.

After breakfast, they walked down to the shore to peruse the choice of boats available for rent at a boat rental place David had identified, using the Internet on his phone. Most of the local boat rental agencies specialized in power boats, which required a licence and were targeted at corporate outings or fishing excursions. Neither of them had boating experience and they didn't want to pay for a tour guide. Some places rented kayaks and inflatables, but they wanted something a little larger and more stable.

David had reserved a good sized aluminium rowing boat that could hold up to five people. It would give them enough room to move around a little, but was small enough for the two of them to handle, even if they did get a good workout from it. Amanda didn't mind the exercise.

They brought a packed lunch and collected their rental, accepting help from the proprietor to get the boat into the water. On land the boat was a too heavy for just two people, but the use of a boat trailer solved that problem.

Out on the water, Amanda found the gentle rocking of the boat peaceful. All talk of sea monsters forgotten, she enjoyed the movement of the small craft bouncing about from the lake tides like an amusement park ride, but not enough to make her worry that it would tip them out into the chilly water. Amanda speculated that the weight of a couple more people would probably settle the boat into less motion, but she liked the feel of the tidal pull beneath her. It felt like more of an adventure, almost as if they were crossing a vast ocean.

The morning passed pleasantly and became afternoon. The newlyweds talked casually about everything from the color of the water beneath them to their future plans for their life together and the children they hoped to bring into their special world. David stopped the boat about halfway to the nearest of the small islands on the lake and they ate their lunch in the blessed solitude of open spaces. There were other boats on the lake, but far away from their small patch of bliss.

Once the food was gone, David shifted to the center bench next to Amanda and began to get amorous with her. Usually she welcomed his intimate touches, but here she felt exposed, despite the distance from other people. What if someone using binoculars or a telescope to observe something on the lake saw them? What about children visiting the lake with their families? Perhaps if she had worn a dress they could make love with some modesty, but that would hardly have been practical for boating. She couldn't endure the feeling of vulnerability when he reached for the button on her jeans. If another boat should suddenly drive near them...

"No," Amanda said, gently pushing David's hands away. "Not here. We're too exposed. The lake is probably monitored for boats in trouble or something."

"Aw, come on Manda, where's your sense of adventure?" To his credit, David took his hand away and sat up.

Amanda scrunched her brows together in irritation. She opened her mouth to explain why she didn't want to bare her bottom half in a public place, trying to formulate words quickly that wouldn't take them into an argument.

Before she could get the first words out, the boat shot up into the air as if a sudden waterspout had exploded right beneath them and a squeal of fright came out instead. The boat seemed to hover for a moment, then it plunged back onto the lake surface with an almighty splash. They looked at each other. David's face had gone pale and his eyes were so round he looked like a caricature. Amanda uncurled her fingers from the boat bench, only now noticing she had instinctively gripped it for grim death.

David leaned over the side and vomited his lunch. Amanda's hand went to her stomach, wondering if she might do the same, but her food remained settled, if not her nerves.

"Let's get back to shore," David demanded after he had finished expelling his food. Amanda wasn't about to disagree.

They rowed with renewed strength and got the boat returned with no further incidents. Amanda felt grateful there was no sign of damage on the hull, though as far as she knew it had only been water that had upset their steady flotation.

They didn't talk about the incident for the rest of the afternoon. Dinnertime came and went, but David had no appetite. Amanda didn't feel overly hungry herself and was happy to rely on sandwich makings in the small fridge of the rented cabin if they should get hungry later.

Evening came and they went outside to take a break from feeling trapped inside. Neither had made any suggestions for things to do for the rest of the day. They sat on the small porch outside the cabin, looking out over the lake water. Amanda noted a crescent moon reflecting on the tiny waves, much as the sun had done that morning.

David hadn't said more than a few words all day since the boat incident, but now, looking out over the lake, he finally found his voice.

"Did you see it?" He didn't look at Amanda as he asked the question, but kept his gaze on the water.

"See what? I was too busy trying to clutch something solid to see anything." Amanda tried to follow the direction of her husband's gaze.

"It was almost like a shadow in the water," David whispered. "But close enough to the surface... I saw scales."

Amanda started to reach for him and saw the fingers of her own hand trembling. She pulled it back lest her nervousness frightened him.

"Could it have been a big fish?" She wanted to believe it. But how big would a fish have to be to shoot a boat several feet into the air and hold it there for what felt like an eternity?

"It was long, and had humps, like..."

"Like a snake," she finished for him. Even as she said it, she assumed he had seen something explainable and imagined features to fit the legends. There was no point arguing the point. It would make a good story for years to come.

Amanda looked out over the column of moonlight on the water, wondering what actually did cause the sudden upheaval. Were there whales in the Great Lakes? She saw a shape separate from the water, lifting from the waves in surreal slow motion. It resembled a massive dog's head with a very long neck. She saw its mouth open and a mournful sound echoed over the lake, sending chills up her spine.