Coffee House Writers

Top Menu

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Article Categories
    • Creativity
    • Culture
    • Design
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Fiction
    • Food
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Home
    • Lifestyle
    • Memories
    • Nonfiction
    • Poetry
    • Politics
    • Relationships
    • Sports
    • Style
    • Technology
    • Travel
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Founder
  • Meet Our Admin
    • Chief Editors
    • Editors
    • Poetry Editors
    • Advertising Team
    • Recruiting Team
  • Testimonials
  • Apply
  • Login

logo

Coffee House Writers

  • Home
  • Article Categories
    • Creativity
    • Culture
    • Design
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Fiction
    • Food
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Home
    • Lifestyle
    • Memories
    • Nonfiction
    • Poetry
    • Politics
    • Relationships
    • Sports
    • Style
    • Technology
    • Travel
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Founder
  • Meet Our Admin
    • Chief Editors
    • Editors
    • Poetry Editors
    • Advertising Team
    • Recruiting Team
  • Testimonials
  • Apply
  • Login
  • Calm Seas

  • Dreams Change: Life Continues

  • Gardening: The Ultimate Stress-Relieving Activity for Better Health

  • Visiting the Arboretum

  • The King

  • Time

  • Mr. Keith’s House – Part VI

  • I’ll Never Live Up to the Call

  • Skinchangers Chapter 2.2

  • Behind Your Mirror

  • A Gap In Time – 1

  • Saying Goodbye to NCIS: Los Angeles After 14 Years

  • Love’s Cut

  • A New York Summer

  • Welcome to Hell: How Can I Help You?

  • Paradise Falls: Chapter 1

  • Cloaked Miracles, Part 3

  • Becoming a Mother

  • A New Home

  • Unlock Your Hidden Potential: How to Tackle an Extraordinary Challenge with Ease

  • Appreciate Your Talent

  • Writing With ADHD: How Hard Could it be?

  • Southern Ways – Part 1

  • Skinchangers Chapter 2.1

  • The Book

  • The Familiar Mask

  • The Mystery of Cash Castle: Part 14

  • Shivering Leaves

  • Calming the Chaos of the Heavy Mental Load

  • Paradise Falls: Prologue

CultureEntertainmentLifestyleCreativityFictionHomeEnvironment
Home›Culture›Shimmering Lake

Shimmering Lake

By Tish MacWebber
July 27, 2020
1190
0
Share:

She could sit and stare at the water for hours. From her perch in the Birch tree, she would watch the ripples on the water as they shimmered in the wind. At least in the warmer months. During the winter, the colder temperatures sent her in search of a warm place to sleep. But it was the middle of the summer, and she loved to just sit and watch.

When the people came to play in her lake, they would distract her with their shrieks and splashes. Sometimes the smells of charred meat that drifted on the wind chased her away. She didn’t eat meat, only seeds, nuts, and berries, washed down with the sweetest dewdrops she could find. She used to drink right from the lake until the people started making it dirty. It wasn’t as fresh as it had been, so she collected dewdrops in the morning and sometimes at night.

She could see clouds rolling in from the distance. It would chase the people away when it rained. She had to find her peace when she could, these days. A rainy day meant the only sounds she would hear would be the pitter-patter of the raindrops, not the thumping and splashing of the people.

She fussed with the leafy roof of her hammock branch, to make sure she would stay dry while she stared at the water of the Shimmering Lake. It was what she called her little slice of paradise. Sometimes the water would dance for her if it rained hard enough. The music in the trees as they swayed in the wind on top of the sounds of rain falling often sent her into dreamland in her hammock.

She settled in to wait. It wasn’t long before thunder and lightning crisscrossed the sky. After a bit, the storm slowed into a rhythmic rainfall, which allowed her to drift into dreamland.

Something didn’t feel right when she woke up. A sense of wrongness, of evil, was invading her space. She took to the air to see what she was sensing. As she flew, she realized the evil was of fire, burning the very trees she called home. The lightning must have struck an elder tree, which happens once in a blue moon. She glanced up through the smoke and saw that the moon was full and blue.

She forgot to watch for the signs. The people had distracted her from her duties. She was the protector of her home. Now she would have to rely on the same people if her lakeside home could be saved. She went to the nearest homes to the lake to rile up the dogs. If they woke their people up, maybe they would see the danger looming on the horizon. It was her only hope.

As she explained the urgency to the first dog, he took up the cause and howled the message to all who could hear. Soon there was a lot of howling and barking in her ears, and she retreated to her home, amidst the smoke and ashes. She couldn’t get too close, and this sent her into a panic. What if they took too long to send help? Her home would be destroyed, and she couldn’t bear the thought of living anywhere else. This was her home.

In desperation, she flew closer to the water. As she skimmed the surface, she heard the wail of sirens, and as they got louder, the flashing red lights became visible in the night. There was hope. She felt heavy as she flew over the water. The efforts she had taken to save her home had taken their toll. There was a brief splash, followed by a ripple. She did not know how to swim. This was the last thought she had as she floated to the bottom of Shimmering Lake.

When she opened her eyes, she was confused. She was underwater, but not gone from the Lake she loved. She looked at the surface and tried to find a way out of the lake. She sensed that this would not be easy. As she gathered her courage, a voice came into her mind.

“Dear little one, do not be afraid.” The voice in her head sounded feminine and caring.

“Hello?” she thought.

“Hello to you. You have done good work watching over the Shimmering Lake for so many years. You saved it tonight with your efforts. You are to be rewarded for your courage on this night.”

“Um, who are you?” She needed to understand what was happening to her.

After a delightful sound of laughter came the response, “You know who I am, dear. I am Mother Earth.”

Her eyes became very round and wide. “Whoa,” she thought, “you don’t talk to just anyone. Something really bad must have happened.” 

She sensed a feeling of calm as she heard in her head, “On the contrary, something remarkable happened. Once in a Blue Moon, a fairy has a choice to make. You didn’t hesitate when there was a danger to your home, your beloved Shimmering Lake. You took action to save your home, and with your action, you saved your lake. When you look up, what do you see?”

She looked up. “I see the surface of the water, and the stars in the sky. I see the Blue Moon. What happened to me?”

Mother Earth replied, “I have granted you a new job, as a reward for your efforts. You are now the Shimmer of the Lake.”

“What does that mean?” she bit her trembling lower lip as she asked her question.

“It means that you will get to stay in this lake for as long as you wish.  To dance in the water, and revel in its beauty. You will be the unknown reason for the ripples on a day without wind, and the shimmers in the night, under the stars. You were dying from your efforts to save the lake. Now you will be in it to keep the magic of Shimmering Lake alive.” 

“Me? Alone?”

“Not alone. There are other sprites in these waters waiting to meet you. They have been watching you all these years from below the surface, and it is because of them that I have saved you for this task, to join them in their quest to keep the magic in the water.” 

“I am a water sprite now?” she had heard of such creatures, but in all her years of living at the lake, she had never seen one. Or so she thought. Now she realized it was their beauty that had drawn her to the lake, and their work is why she had stayed to make her home there.

“Yes, little one, you have become a water sprite. Go forth to find your unknown friends and remember to keep the magic of Shimmering Lake in your heart. If it goes out, so too will your life.” As she heard the last sentence, Mother Earth’s voice grew faint. She was gone from her mind.

Above the water, the firefighters had fought late into the night to put out the fire started by the lightning earlier that evening. One of them had perished as they fought. He woke to find himself in awe of the surrounding beauty. To his utter amazement, he found he could fly. He buzzed around the lake and was captivated by the water. He could see ripples where there was no wind and the shimmers throughout the water in the pre-dawn light. They were brilliant shimmers, and at that moment he knew he would stay by this lake, to protect it and make it his home.

 

 

Tagslovecreative writingwritingfantasyfictionmother naturewater spritemagicChangeshort storyNaturecreativity
Previous Article

Playing In The Basement

Next Article

Born In Light XVI

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Tish MacWebber

Tish Mac Webber's writing is her purpose, creativity is her passion, and jewellery designing is her pleasure. She is inspired by the ocean, especially where the Atlantic Ocean kisses the beaches of Cape Breton Island, where her own story began. She is the author who is Always Thinking... the jewellery designer who is Always Blinging...and her superpower is always being full of surprises! Tish MacWebber, Always Blinging… her jewellery designing hobby is the latest addition to her website. Her speciality is creating one of a kind, custom designs for her clients. She loves to delight her customers with her interpretations of what they order, staying true to her gifts of being full of surprises, and putting her talents to full use. In October 2018, her first book, From Where I am Sitting... A Collection of Cat Tales was published and is available on Amazon. It will be accompanied by her Limited Cat Tales Jewellery Collection, which can also be found on her website. Tish MacWebber is currently writing her second book, in which she will explore her latest concept. #Tishspiration, her latest creation, is defined as the art of surprising yourself. You can find more information about these and other projects at https://tishmacwebber.com/

Related articles More from author

  • Cell Phone
    FantasyMysteryHorrorCreativityFictionEntertainment

    The Board – Part 7

    August 9, 2021
    By Deannad
  • MemoriesEnvironmentHealth

    Sometimes I Pretend

    February 12, 2018
    By J.C Ballard
  • FamilyMemoriesHomeFoodEntertainmentCultureCreativity

    Ten Things To Do In The Summer To Evoke A Sense Of Halloween

    August 19, 2019
    By Donna Trovato
  • pexels-flora-westbrook-3576112
    CreativityRelationshipsFictionHomeEntertainment

    Roadside Flowers

    September 14, 2020
    By Heather Dowell
  • It Takes Courage
    CultureLifestyleNonfictionHistoryFamilyRelationshipsMemoriesHomePoliticsEnvironment

    It Takes Courage

    December 14, 2020
    By Tish MacWebber
  • Dead tree, cloudy skies
    CreativityFictionHomeEnvironmentEntertainment

    The Vanishing – Part 2

    July 20, 2020
    By Donna Trovato

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You may be interested

  • Heaven Clouds
    CreativityFamilyPoetryMemoriesNonfiction

    Live For The Moment

  • The sun rises over Earth
    EntertainmentFantasyEnvironmentCreativityFiction

    The Loneliest Star

  • From Cursive To Curses
    FamilyRelationshipsFictionCultureCreativity

    From Cursive To Curses- Part IX

Timeline

  • June 5, 2023

    Calm Seas

  • June 5, 2023

    Dreams Change: Life Continues

  • June 5, 2023

    Gardening: The Ultimate Stress-Relieving Activity for Better Health

  • June 5, 2023

    Visiting the Arboretum

  • June 5, 2023

    The King

Latest Comments

  • Ivor Steven
    on
    June 1, 2023
    A wonderfully thought provoking poem Ynes … "You may never know what results of your actions, ...

    I’ll Never Live Up to the Call

  • Behind Your Mirror, Is in this weeks Coffee House Magazine – Ivor.Plumber/Poet
    on
    May 29, 2023
    […] Hello dear readers and followers, I am now back writing for “Coffee House Writers” magazine, ...

    Behind Your Mirror

  • Creative Nonfiction Types and Writing Tips - E. M. Sherwood Foster
    on
    May 27, 2023
    […] My serial publication The North Wind at Coffee House Writers! Part 1 is here. […]

    The North Wind – Part 1

  • Reblog: Why You Need Realistic Writing Expectations- Andrea Lundgren - E. M. Sherwood Foster
    on
    May 24, 2023
    […] My serial publication The North Wind at Coffee House Writers! Part 1 is here. […]

    The North Wind – Part 1

  • How to Write Dual Timelines - E. M. Sherwood Foster
    on
    May 22, 2023
    […] My serial publication The North Wind at Coffee House Writers! Part 1 is here. […]

    The North Wind – Part 1

Find us on Facebook

About us

  • coffeehousewriters3@gmail.com

Follow us

© Copyright 2018-2023 Coffee House Writers. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s administrator and owner is strictly prohibited.