the sounds of a never-to-be-forgotten summer

wake up and the light is coming in through the cracks.sneak outside careful not to disturb the still sleeping bodies in rooms behind thin walls. pause to watch the dappled light dance across the porch. nod silently to the one person who's up before you, but don't break the silence. walk down the steps in bare feet and stand by the water and listen.coffee poured breathe it in deeply, the tinkering of appliances and the fridge door opening and closing and the scattered voices and conversation across the room, laughter over there, plates balancing on your knees.down at the dock that gets the morning sun, that split second feeling of weightlessness before you break the surface of the lake lying in the sun drifting in and out of conversation. one of the boys appears with an assortment of beers in his hands and hands you your favourite with a grin and you know it must be beer o'clock whatever time we decided that would be and the day stretches on and no one knows the time except for when the light changes and our stomachs growl. we all help make food and then there are s'mores at which point you get to find out who doesn't actually like marshmallows and has always been afraid to admit it. but not here, because on these few days we are like family, a family of misfits with our old sweatshirts and messy hair and the night wears on and the music plays and you know that this is the heart of summer and you don't ever want to let go.

all in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world

/ l. m. montgomery

cottage country, ontario // july 2013