Vanishing Alley

-1-

 Summer vacation has always been a time that I look forward to, after Christmas of course. The end of the school year, the thought of not having to worry about assignments, homework, or anything school related, and being able to just enjoy the time off always brings me joy. Even now that I'm in my last year of my Bachelor of Education program, I'm still able to enjoy the summers.

When I was younger, my family and I went to our cottage every summer, and now that I'm older, I have more freedoms than I did before. For example, last summer, my friends and I all rented a cottage together. We still spent time with our families of course, but we were also able to do things we couldn't before. One of those things involves visiting one of our favourite locations in Muskoka and staying more than just a few hours. It's the same location we have visited many times over the past couple of years, and we first found out about it 4 years ago. I remember exactly that summer because it was also the summer after we graduated from high school.

Okay, so I'm about to tell you a story you are probably not going to believe to be true. To be honest, I have never told anyone this story before. The only ones who know what happened are my journal, and my friends - Sara, Amy, Philip, and Jamie - who were there with me when it all happened. We had all agreed to keep it to ourselves for fear of being ridiculed and because we knew that no one would believe it. We are sure our parents would tell us we would need to speak to someone because, to them, we would be making up, what sounds like, an insane story, and I'm sure they'd be worried about the fact that we believed it was true. Having an imagination is one thing, but believing it? I promise that I will tell you everything, well, I will do my best anyway. I also promise that every word you are about to read is 100% the truth. Trust me, I cannot make this stuff up.

Ok, here it goes. For this story, I'll take you back about 5 years...

It was July 2016. Summer break had just started, my friends and I had graduated high school and were getting ready to relax and enjoy the next couple of months. We were a tight knit group of 5, and still are; we have been since elementary. We all live near each other and we try to hang out as much as we can and make the most of every moment, something we had especially planned to do that summer since we were headed to different schools in September. Yes, we knew we technically only had about a month and a half (a month and 3 weeks if we could stretch it) before we had to start thinking about school again, but we had planned to make the most of it. However, as you will soon find out, it seemed like the universe had something else planned for us that no one will ever believe if they found out. But before I tell you, let me start from the beginning.

July 1st - Canada Day, and the official start of summer break. It was a beautiful, warm day. I woke up early that morning, filled with excitement. Like I mentioned, I had just graduated high school and was starting college in September but planned on fully enjoying this summer before starting my new chapter. That morning, with a smile on my face and a skip in my step, I made my way downstairs for breakfast.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning!" my mother pointed out as she saw me sit at the table. "Morning Sweetie."

"Morning Mom."

"I take it you're excited to start this vacation."

"Yup! I'm going to enjoy every minute and not even think about school!"

"Ok! So, we better finish breakfast and start preparing things for our drive to the cottage tomorrow."

I had forgotten to mention that we were going to be spending the entire summer there. Sara, Amy, Philip and Jamie were coming up a bit later with their families. Remember when I said we're a tight knit group? Well, our families are also very close, and we all happen to have a cottage in Muskoka. I love spending time at the cottage. It's near the lake, with a great backyard and veranda. Our yard is fully decked out with a deck, patio table and chairs. Down on the back lawn we have a swing bench, which is one of my favourite places to sit and enjoy the summer sunsets. There's also a very old and very tall tree in the backyard. I remember my parents telling me when I was 8 years old, that that tree was about 50 years old (at the time). My grandparents planted it when they first bought the cottage in the 1960s! This is where I like to take my sketchbook after breakfast, or even lunch, some days and sit for hours. Sometimes I'll sketch the nature around me, other times I'll use photos I've taken, & or I'll decide to try to draw from my imagination. When I'm really relaxed and in my zone, my mom has to call me multiple times for lunch — once I'm in my zone it's hard for me to stop until I finish the picture. Other times she'll just decide to bring my lunch outside and lets me continue drawing. I find a sense of calm in drawing. Some people do Yoga or gardening, others workout, knit, or read to help clear their minds. I have my sketchbook.