“Excuse me,” the old man said to the woman walking up the steps to her townhouse. “Do you know if there used to be a river here?”
“Yes,” she said. “It ran right through here.”
“What happened to it?”
“They built a dam. It’s a lake now.”
He’d come back to see the river. As a boy, he’d spent many lazy days there, fishing, swimming, skipping stones. Over the years, he thought of it often. It gave him peace.
“It’s a lovely lake,” she said.
He imagined the river standing still, waiting, waiting for him. Then he went to it.
“Yes,” she said. “It ran right through here.”
“What happened to it?”
“They built a dam. It’s a lake now.”
He’d come back to see the river. As a boy, he’d spent many lazy days there, fishing, swimming, skipping stones. Over the years, he thought of it often. It gave him peace.
“It’s a lovely lake,” she said.
He imagined the river standing still, waiting, waiting for him. Then he went to it.
