living in twilight

The rowboat rocked violently as she transferred her weight too quickly from the old weather worn dock into the boat. Her hope was that this trip would give her sanctuary, an escape from the last few hours of one of the longest days of her life. The sun started setting as she placed the oars in their proper place and glided away from the dock. She didn't pay attention to the birds singing in the trees that surrounded the lake, or the crickets in the long grass, or even the sound of the oars dipping in and out of the water in perfect rhythm.

Her back curved with each stroke as she pulled the water out of the way, forcing the boat to glide further away from her pain. She rowed until her arms ached. Finally, when every muscle fought against the movement for another stroke, she looked up and took in the evening. The sun was setting into the far side of the lake, taking with it the creatures that roamed the woods during the day. The golden yellow of the sun illuminated the quiet lake, leaving it to glisten like fire in the late evening twilight. She sat quietly and watched as a peace settled over the lake. The peace made its way through the icy grip she held over her heart, and her face softened as she let the anger go. She dipped her fingers into the water letting them dance over the surface, trailing behind the slow coasting of the boat. When her fingers grew tired of their dancing she merely sat, allowing her soul to refill with the beauty and amazement she was witnessing.

As the last of the suns rays slipped below the horizon, she let her tired arms pick up the oars and place them back in the runners. She turned the boat around and headed back to her reality. As the boat butted up to the dock she tied it down before gracefully stepping up to the solid ground. The lake lapped against the boat pushing it into the dock, adding a natural beat to the sound of the crickets and cicadas as she walked away. She walked across the lawn to the back door that she knew so well. She opened it and slipped in quietly, allowing the familiar door that led to the house that was suffocating her slowly to close behind her without a sound.