CREATIVE
WRITING
You have a strong writing
voice and understand timing and dramatic effect. You also have the ability
to connect with your reader and pull him into the story. The emotion
and characterization rings true and this is not easy to do." Quote from
Author Joyce White, on Superior Lessons
Superior
Lessons
To grow up on the shores
of Lake Superior is a privilege like no other. Her power reaches far
and affects people's souls. Go to her and stand on her shores. Take
off your shoes and wet your feet. Look out to her horizon where she
forms to the earth's curve. I believe she is where Mother Nature lives.
Lake Superior teaches her children. She can be ruthless to those who
refuse to respect her and her children. There are stories that span
back to the beginning of time about people not returning from one of
Superior's lessons. I received a lesson from her when I was a young
adult. She spoke loud and clear and as one of her children, I had to
listen.
As a young adult, I was a very foolish person. I did not listen to the
advice of my elders and refused to acknowledge the pain I caused to
myself and to others. However, when Nature's Soul spoke to me, I listened.
It was late fall and the weather was beginning to roil and ready itself
for winter. My boyfriend and I decided to go for a boat ride on Lake
Superior, the Teacher of Lessons. We didn't have a boat, so we borrowed
a small, metal outboard from my boyfriend's father. We were warned to
wait until the weather settled down, but we did not listen. We headed
for the marina without a care in the world.
The marina was on the shore of a small bay that was protected from the
weather by the trees and the hills. We looked out over the bay at the
energetic, but small, rolling waves and felt a light wind blow through
our hair. We rolled our eyes at our elders and their warnings and began
to ready the boat. The man at the marina warned us not to leave the
bay and we replied with an empty promise to stay in the bay. Once the
boat was in the water and loaded up with paddles and life jackets, I
got into the bow and my boyfriend jumped into the stern to start the
engine. We pushed off the dock, and headed for open water. I looked
back and the man at the marina was standing on the dock, watching us.
A bad feeling washed over me.
As the boat sped across the bay, I grabbed on to the edges of the bow,
stood up and faced the wind. The air was cold and clear. I took a deep
breath and filled my lungs. As I sat down, I looked around at the rugged
hills full of evergreens and rock. Nature's most interesting creatures
live out their lives in that bush. Now, as I speed past it, I feel a
pang of regret that it's been so long since I went exploring.
As we neared the outer edge of the bay, I could see the rock outcrop
that extends across the mouth from the left shore. To the right, the
outcrop ends leaving a narrow channel that leads to the open water of
Lake Superior. We turned right and headed for the opening. As we approached
the channel, the boat began to bump against the strength of the bigger
waves that were pushing their way around the point. As we slowed down
and angled around the rocks, I began to feel Superior's strength.
She made me look. She made my eyebrows furrow and my mouth form a question.
She made me feel like I was no longer in control; that, yes, there was
a power stronger than mine in this world, and she was it. As we approached
the end of the point, the water really began to boil. The waves began
to whitecap as the water rushed through the channel. The current picked
us up to bring us to Superior. I looked back at my boyfriend. He'd been
through this channel many times and knew how to guide the boat with
the current. He was calm, but Superior had commanded his attention too.
The point and the shore of the bay quickly disappeared behind us. I
looked forward to the horizon and saw the tilt of the earth. I looked
to my left and to my right and in the distance the shoreline grew smaller
and eventually disappeared over the edge of the earth. She was amazing.
I was in awe of her beauty. I could feel her strength. I could hear
her stories. I could sense her age and her history.
We were still in the current. Again, I looked back at my boyfriend.
He was fighting the current, trying to steer the boat toward the point
where the water was quiet. The outer edge of the point was made up of
smooth, bare rocks and small boats, like ours, could get close enough
to dock and let their passengers out for an afternoon of relaxing in
the sun. If we didn't get out of the current soon, we were going to
end up a lot further out than even we were brave enough to go. I didn't
say anything, I just hoped.
We were still in the current. I could see the break between the current
and the calm water. It was only a few feet away, but Superior wouldn't
let us go. I looked back and to my left and saw that we were quickly
leaving the point behind. I felt a stab of fear in my stomach, but at
the same time a feeling of exhilaration washed over me. This boat was
too small to manage the big waves, but at the same time, I felt challenged.
The boat was rocking and was tossing me around on my seat. I grabbed
the edges of the bow and looked toward the sky. I could see dark clouds
forming way out to the right of us. Distance was a peculiar thing with
Superior. She never really let you know how far, or how close, things
were. Those storm clouds could be miles away and harmless, and yet,
they could also be on top of you in minutes. We were still in the current.
We were far from the point now. Further than I had ever been without
a big boat and a cabin to protect me from the weather. I was now very
nervous, but also interested in what she had in store. The stories I
had listened to all my life started coming to me. Stories of people
never returning to their families. Superior keeps her children once
she gets hold of them. Now that we were far from shore, the boat slowed
in the widening current, but another power was taking over, the power
of billions of tons of water.
The waves were no longer fast little whitecaps; they were becoming large
rolling hills of water. The small boat could do nothing but roll with
the waves. It was a gentle rolling and I felt soothed by the rhythm.
I began to relax. In the bigger boats, I didn't feel the movement of
the waves as I was feeling it now in our little boat. I felt I was part
of my surroundings. I realized the connection between humans and nature.
The waves started to get bigger. I looked back at my boyfriend. He just
eyed me quickly and went back to trying to turn the boat around. He
was concerned now. I didn't say anything. What can you say? The waves
were even bigger now.
As the boat began to finally turn, the waves were getting big enough
to block our view of the shore. When we were lifted to the crest of
the wave, I could see the bay behind the point. The waves continued
to grow.
We were sideways to the waves now and in danger of being tipped over.
I held on to the bow with all my strength. Superior has hidden currents
in her depths and would send you to the bottom before you even had a
chance to swim. The waves grew again.
We were still sideways. I looked to my right toward the next wave. It
was a mountain of water. I looked down at my hand grasping, white-knuckled,
to the edge of the boat. The water was angled almost straight up from
under the boat. If I was brave enough to let go, I could have stuck
my arm straight out and touched the wave. I looked up to the top of
the wave and waited. The boat tilted with the wave. We rose up and up
and up.
We crested the wave. I looked to my left toward shore. I could see beyond
the point. The marina was a tiny white dot in the green of the trees,
fronted by the blue of the bay. Behind the marina I could see the winding
cut in the trees that was the road into town.
Suddenly I could no longer see the marina. We were heading back down
again. If the boat was sideways when the next wave hit, I knew we were
finished. I wanted to tell my boyfriend, but fear froze me into silence.
We reached the bottom of the swell. There were mountains of water on
all sides of us. Her power was obvious to me now, for the first time.
We were fools to take her so lightly. It was time to beg forgiveness.
I spoke to her. Pleaded with her. I promised to take care of her children
if she just let us live.
The boat turned toward shore as the next wave reached us. It was just
as powerful and just as big as the last one. The wave lifted the stern
up and I felt myself falling forward. My hands were getting tired, but
I found new strength and held on even tighter. As we rose up, I could
feel the wave pushing us toward shore, toward safety.
As the waves continued to push us to safety, they became the rolling
hills of water again. Finally we could see the quick, little whitecaps
of the channel. My grip loosened on the boat and I started to relax.
We were going to make it. We were going to survive our lesson from Superior.
I spoke to her again. I told her I would keep my promise and I would
look after her children. I understood what she was trying to tell me.
Respect your elders. Respect knowledge and wisdom. Respect her children.
Respect yourself.
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