An Alternate Slice of Reality

The Lake

There Came a Man

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There came a man into the villages from somewhere no one knew. A tall man and quiet. He walked the paths and said nothing to anyone. He did not smile. He did not frown. He just walked the paths and ignored everyone. He walked the paths for days. Never smiling, never frowning, only walking.

It was at this time that the Queen’s family had sought to usurp the Council and take over the land. Bitter disagreements had broken out among the rulers. The Council were old men and arrogant. The boy King was young and weak. The Queen’s family were ruthless and determined. The planners were caught off-guard by the strange man and needed time to plan. The man gave no time to anyone.

My father and I celebrated my 14th birthday quietly. He had fallen out of favor with the Council and with the Planners. The Queen tormented him with promises of forgiveness and love if only he would continue to do her bidding. I was increasingly angry with all of them. My father was not a good man, but he did love me. And that mattered to me very much.

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The boy King demanded an audience with this stranger. The man agreed to meet the King, on the condition that there was no one else in the room, except the King’s most trusted advisor. This was acceptable to the King, and to the Council, the whole of the Royal Courts. It was a long meeting, by all rumors. Half the day was spent behind closed doors. And when the meeting was completed, the man went to the lake and drowned.

It was at sunset and the lake was crowded with those who came to see the beauty of the evening. Lovers and artists always went to the lake at this time of day. The moment the sun lies down, and the moon lifts herself up. The moment the stars gasp their first breath of appearance. A clear day. An otherwise unremarkable day.

The man walked straight into the water and then swam to the middle. He submerged while the sun was still awake and did not rise again until the sun had set completely. He did not move except that his body bobbed with the water, and the lovers and artists wondered his fate. Finally, a brave one ventured out to check and it was determined that no life remained within the stranger. His body was limp and dead. Another artist ran to tell the King’s advisor the news.

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