Four Weeks

Summers were spent at the lake house. They would wake in the morning, in the cold and misty air. They would drink hot tea, hot cocoa, hot coffee. They would take long walks though the woods, up hillsides, sometimes truly getting lost and not being able to return until they found the main road. They would drive out to Hinkley's and get turkey or Balogna sandwiches, hostess cupcakes or bags of chips, and sodas. Then they would swim in the lake for the rest of the afternoon, until the air became too cool to be wet in. They tracked mud into the house, leaving muddy footprints behind them as they dashed to their rooms, pulling on whatever warm clothing they could find. Evnings they would budle up by the fire outside, burgers on the grill, or else they would huddle indoors and have soup, watching the lights move on the lake, wondering what the day would be like tomorrow.