14
Calm Before the Storm
Steve Paoletti
The sun shines down on the deck of the boat, warming me,
while a cool breeze graces my skin as I sit on the stern.
I breathe in through my nose and the smell of a storm rolling in catches my attention.
I look out to the horizon, only to confirm my suspicions.
The gray darkness, not backing down, was coming in cautiously.
I dunk my board in the water and place it on the edge of the stern platform.
Strap in. Jump. Submerge.
Silence.
The water chills me to the bone, and brings me to full attention.
I’m greeted by the engine’s low growl as I reappear above the water.
It waits for my command. Tighten my grip. Hit it!
The boat sprints forward, dragging me out of the frigid water with it.
The wake is littered with white crest and air bubbles from the propeller’s power.
Cutting hard, I shoot out from the wake, like a bullet from a gun,
out onto the glassy water. The calm before the storm.
The board tilts as I try to make myself almost parallel with the water.
I find myself staring into my own eyes for a moment,
as the Great Lake remains completely calm...
Silence.
A mirror reflection, but only for a moment.
I come back to reality, and cut hard towards the rounded edges of the wake.
The board cuts through the water, and I hit the wake at full speed.
I jump and rotate backwards, and I feel free.
My Freedom lasts only for a second, and then my board catches an edge,
and the lake swallows me whole.
Darkness. Then
Silence.