I thought I would wander for a while and then give up and go home. Instead I followed the same pull that made me pack and headed along a deer track for a while. That lead me to a clearing, where I headed deeper into the forest, still being drawn towards something… I wasn’t worried, I’d had Girl Scouts training to tell which way was which and I’d easily be able to find my house again, so a little wandering wouldn’t hurt apart from the possibility of sore muscles. I nibbled on some bread and cheese as I walked, not really wanting to stop in case the feeling left me.
I wanted to close my eyes and just feel the world around me, the birds in the trees, the light wind rustling the leaves, even the bugs in the undergrowth, I felt connected to it all. But more importantly I had to find out where I was being led to. I was walking briskly, and I had no idea for how long… I’d forgotten to put my watch on, and the sun was mostly hidden by the foliage above me, I believed it to still be morning, but time seemed to be something I couldn’t really be bothered to focus on. It was yet another thing tieing me to my mundane existance when all I wanted was to do what I was born to do.
I found the lake.
It was just there in front of me. The pull had ceased, and I knew this was the lake of my dreams. I had no idea how to get here again, but I knew I didn’t want to leave it straight away. I stood and inspected it. Everything was as I remembered. The little island slightly off centre, with duck reeds growing round it. The little wooden jetty that looked as if it would fall down as soon as someone thought about sitting on it to fish. They were all the same as if I hadn’t dreamt it at all, but actually been there. I was more inclined to believe it now. I couldn’t explain the similarities away.
I sat by the side of the lake, on a rock that looked like a crouching animal. I think it was a badger, it had a longish jut that looked like a snout and a tufty clump that could have been it’s tail. My imagination was going wild in this place. If I’d brought a pen and notebook, I could have filled it all in no time at all. I closed my eyes, and relaxed. If someone could bottle the feeling of peace and happiness I felt in that place, they would be, as the saying goes, rich beyond their wildest dreams. I was content just to sit and feel.
After a while, I decided to go to the small island, it was barely a couple of meters long, but it looked interesting, and as I couldn’t remember more of my dreams than arriving at the lake, I wanted to see it properly, and that involved looking at the small clump of trees and reeds. I took off my shoes and socks and popped them into my bag, rolled up my trousers past my knees, and waded out into the cold water. I spotted some stepping stones a few moments later headed towards the island and made my way to them. I soon reached my destination, much dryer and warmer than I had anticipated.
