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I step inside tentatively, grabbing both sides when the canoe rocks unpredictably. I’m certain I hear Caleb chuckle, but when I glance back, his face is as smooth as the water I’m suddenly surrounded by.
In one graceful shove, he jumps in the small boat and pushes us away from shore. Shifting water gurgles as we move forward, until I can barely tell if we’re moving at all. Everything around us looks the same. As in, I can’t see anything. I can hear the dip of Caleb’s paddle and the occasional slosh, but there’s no scenery passing us by. Just gray mist everywhere.
I spin around on the small seat so I can look at Caleb. “Do you know where you’re going?”
“Oh yeah, I paddle through mist all the time,” he tells me, then rolls his eyes.
“We’re lost, right?”
“What do you consider being lost?” Caleb counters.
“Not knowing where you are?”
“I know we’re on a lake, Lennon.”
“Okay, fine. But do you know when we’llno longerbe on the lake? If we’ll ever make it back to Landry?”
“No.”
“So, you admit we’re lost?”
Caleb chuckles. “No.”
“How big is this lake?” I ask.
“No idea,” Caleb responds.
“Did you go out last night?” I focus my attention on a small ant creeping along the side of the canoe. If it falls, it’ll drown.
“Just played cards with some of the guys in our cabin. You?”
I shake my head, focusing out on the lake. There’s a small shadow in the mist that I squint at.
“Duck!” I shout.
Immediately, Caleb leans forward. I do too, reflexively. The canoe rocks precariously. The paddle Caleb was holding slips off the side and into the water. Our slow momentum comes to a halt, giving the mallard enough time to move out of the path of our incoming canoe.
“What…how—” Caleb glances between the green-helmeted bird and the wooden paddle slowly drifting away.
“There was a duck.”
He blinks, glances at the bird, and then starts laughing. Loud, husky sounds that echo across the surface of the lake. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“You can see it. Right there.” I point toward the duck, who’s rapidly swimming away. I kind of wish I could do the same. Something tells me Caleb’s amusement is heading toward annoyance.
“All I see is our way of getting back to shore disappearing.” Caleb points in the opposite direction, toward the floating oar.
“Won’t we just like, I don’t know, drift toward it? Or paddle with our hands?” I lean down to demonstrate, attempting to drive the currents with the sheer force of my palms. We angle slightly to the right, and then move back to the left.
Caleb bursts out laughing again. Despite the fact we’re currently stranded, I smile.
“Please tell me you didn’t think that would work.”
“Not now, I don’t,” I reply.
Caleb shakes his head before he stands, pulling off hisLandry Baseballsweatshirt in one smooth motion.
“What-what are you doing?”
