A Collection of Short Stories

Lake Talks

(Written: 1-14-22)

We were paddling on a beautiful lake in the woods when our canoe jerked to the right. I gripped onto the sides in surprise, as I looked over at Jamie. She seemed just as shocked as I did. We both looked at each other for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"You were so scared!" Jamie exclaimed.

"So were you!" I accused, lightly pushing her shoulder.

"Oh, just keep paddling," she sighed, running a hand through her short, brown hair, that she had spontaneously cut with a pair of kitchen scissors, last night. It was the same length as a lot of the boys at school, but I found that it looked even better on her than it did any of them. "Take a picture, it'll last longer."

My cheeks turned a bright shade of red and I quickly looked down at the water, hoping she hadn't seen. "Sorry," I apologized. "I just...your hair..."

"Oh, you don't like it?" she said with a sigh. I looked back up at her to see her looking at her hands, as she fidgeted with them in her lap. "Yeah. My mom didn't either. Said it's too boyish-"

"I didn't say I didn't like it! It looks beautiful!" I blurted. I quickly went back to paddling when I realized how quiet it was. Good going, Jazzy! Now, you've made it awkward.

"So does yours," she smiled.

I felt my chest tighten up. "Mine? Oh, no," I denied. My hair was far from beautiful. Or at least, that's what I thought. It was a grey color, that I was born with, somehow. And my mom doesn't let me dye it. She says it's 'unique' and 'one-of-a-kind' so I should keep it as its natural color. "I'd like to dye it a normal color. Like yours."

"I think it's cool," she shrugged. "Mysterious. It reminds me of a fairy or a witch."

"A witch?" I repeated.

(That's it)