A Lifetime Made for Two

Ch. 17: Whispering Lovers

Friday morning was fairly uneventful. No one saw much of Killian, but that was ok with Piper. After lunch, she did a few sketches while she waited for Michael. He exited the kitchen with the rest of the dish crew only half an hour after lunch had ended. 

"Finally," Piper joked. "A whole half hour? Unacceptable." 

Michael pulled her close to him and kissed her. 

"Ready?" He asked.

"Just let me put away my sketch pad." Piper closed the pad and tucked it into her bag. "All set." She looped her arm through Michael's and they walked to her car. Piper agreed to let Michael drive and after a few minutes she relaxed, assured that her baby was in good hands. Piper began to regret getting a car with manual shift because it meant that Michael was to busy shifting to be able to hold her hand for more than a few minutes. She turned on the radio gazed out the window. Before long, Michael pulled up in front of Stewarts and turned the car off. He and Piper stepped out of the car and walked hand-in-hand into the store. They picked out a few bags of chips and other snacks plus some soda. As soon as Piper had paid for everything, they were back in the car driving down the road. Shawn Mendes was playing on the radio as Michael turned onto a back road that from the looks of it didn't get much traffic. Piper looked over at him inquisitively.

He met her gaze and said, "Trust me. I know where I'm going." A mischievous smile spread across his face.

The road opened to a grassy park that led to a reservoir that sparkled in the afternoon sun. 

"Michael, what are we doing here? We need to get back to camp."

"We can spare a few minutes." Without giving Piper a chance to protest, Michael stepped out of the car and walked toward the edge of the water. 

For a moment, Piper struggled to decide whether she should follow Michael or sit stubbornly in the car until he came back, but she decided that following him was the only way to get him back into the car. Michael was more stubborn than she was and Piper was sure he would stand at the bank until she complied. She ambled toward Michael, the breeze rippling her t-shirt and cooling her skin. She stood next to Michael and slipped her fingers into his. 

As Piper looked out over the water she was awestruck by its beauty. Trees hung over the edge of the reservoir to the left, and to the right, the water tumbled over the edge of the retaining wall creating dozens of little rainbows as the sunlight filtered through the mist that rose. When the breeze blew just right, Piper felt the mist as it rested on her skin. The lake stretched out in front of them until it touched the wooded bank far away. About as far away as the other shore, the left bank opened up and the reservoir flowed who knows how far in that direction. Despite the raging waterfall just to the right, the surface of the lake was barely disrupted by the current pulling it towards the man-made cliff. There was a serenity that hung over the lake and filled Piper.    

"Isn't this beautiful?" Michael asked.

"It is. How did you know about this place?"  

"Tim told me about it actually."

"Right. I keep forgetting he lives around here. I can't believe I've never been here before. I mean, I live around here too, but I had no idea this place existed."

"A lot of people don't. I guess it's kind of a secret. It's called 'Whispering Lovers'. See that little break in the trees over there?" Michael pointed to the rightward shore just beyond the retaining wall of the reservoir. 

Piper hadn't noticed it before, but there was a gap in the bank that led into a dark, wooded tunnel. 

"That's the start of a little river. It wasn't always there, but one year when the lake flooded, it cut through the woods and created that river. If you get close to it, the sound of the water rushing over the retaining wall becomes like a distant hum and all that is heard is the whispering of the lake and the river. I guess someone had the idea that the lake and the man-made part of the reservoir were like a couple, but the lake became discontented with the reservoir and now the lake and the river are secret lovers. The reservoir is always in a fit of rage because of this, but that spot where the lake and river meet is sheltered from its anger. Anyway, this place has become a sort of secret rendezvous for couples." 

Still gazing out at the water, Piper thought about the story of the forbidden love of the lake and the river. She had always loved water: rivers, lakes, even tiny streams. Water simply fascinated her. Her dad moved to the Northern Adirondacks because of the mountains, but Piper was always looking for a body of water to explore. 

As Piper reminisced, Michael turned toward her. She looked up and gazed into his deep blue eyes. He pulled her close and kissed her. At camp, their kisses were short, stolen moments; but not this time. No one was around to disturb them or intrude. The only other time they had shared a kiss like this was their first kiss after Michael and Killian had gotten into that fight. Piper was sorry when it ended, but she knew they needed to get back to camp. She laid her head against Michael's chest and looked out at the lake for one more moment as he wrapped her in a hug. Then she pulled away to look at him. 

"We should get back to camp. Kathy will not be happy if you're late to work."

Michael sighed. "I guess you're right." They kissed once more, then strolled back to the car and returned to camp.