Chapter Four - A Cousin Visit

The Lake

That summer at the Lodge wasn't always scary, but it was definitely always weird. The once well-tended lawns and gardens were overgrown and wild. There was a tree down at the staff entrance on the west side of the Lodge, which had pulled all the phone lines down. Everything that we had been used to when the Lodge was in full swing was now a strange, but oddly compelling, version of itself. This new mysterious Lodge was frightening but it was also entirely our own. It was lonely and isolated, but it was also a hell of a lot of fun.

We had once had the biggest sandy beach on the lake. Now, without its annual load of fresh sand, it was weedy and neglected looking, but we didn't care. There was enough sand and water for us. We still had the amazing long dock to jump off and a battered old canoe to paddle around. We had the best dock for bass fishing. To the West, in front of the pump house was a magical place my brother and I named Frog Heaven. It is exactly what you'd think. A big, swampy, waterlily-covered sanctuary for frogs. We'd sit for hours, watching the frogs doing their frog thing. At night, you could hear them singing. I had long thought that as long as the frogs were in Frog Heaven, nothing could hurt us. We were safe, Ick be damned.

Sometimes I wonder if there were cycles of Good vs Evil at the Lodge. There were times when it was a happy place to be, even in its dilapidated state. It seemed to me that it would send us gifts, like the sound of the frogs singing, the cries of the loons, the abundance of wild raspberries, the dizzying number of stars at night. There are times when I miss it so much.

It was near the end of July when our cousins and grandmother came to visit. My brother and I were, and still are, very close to our cousins. Until they tell me I can use their real names, I will call them Ally and Ted. Ally was 9 and Ted was 6 that summer. Our age differences never mattered much. Still don't.

My brother and I had been avoiding going into the Lodge for a while, because of a particular incident. JR, my brother, was playing in the office and I was next door in the tuck shop, poking around to see if any candy or chips had been left behind. There was an old black wall phone, so I picked it up to make a pretend phone call. To my surprise, there was crackling on the other end and a very quiet voice. I thought it was JR. "Hey! I can hear you on the phone!" I said. He appeared in the doorway. "What do you mean? I wasn't on the phone." He was right in front of me, the phone was still crackling and I could still hear that quiet voice.

We left very quickly.

Ally and Ted, of course, wanted to go into the main building and play. We told them weird things had been going on, but being Toronto kids and very practical (and never having lived at the Lodge) they didn't believe us. They convinced us to go back in and we played for a couple of hours without incident.

Ally commented on how nice and cool it was in the Lodge. We played ping pong, ran up and down the big halls and did the things kids normally do, which usually involves a lot of noise. We had a lot of fun. "See?" said Ally. " This place is not haunted." Just as she said that, the baseboard heaters began to make pinging noises, as though someone was hitting them with something metal. (It's true that baseboard heaters normally make pinging noises. Not when they are turned off, though.) The sound was soon happening on all sides of us. I remember Ally booking it for the door, with the rest of us not far behind. There was an abandoned flat of cans of tonic water, which starting exploding one by one.

Misty morning at the Lodge

After that, Ted decided he did not want to stay with us at the Lodge anymore. Who can blame him? His dad, our uncle, came to get him the next day. Ally wanted to stay, though. It would take more than exploding tonic water cans to scare her away.

One morning we woke up really early and the world was encased in mist. You could only see about 10 feet in front of you. It was so still and quiet. JR, Ally and I walked to the end of the dock and watched the mist rising from the lake. It was so still that you could see right down to the bottom, about 12 feet down. The water was crystal clear, I've never seen anything like it, before or since. We could not believe the number and size of the bass. (Although, it was a bit alarming, thinking there were that many very large fish right underneath us when we were swimming.) This was another gift from the Good Lodge and I will never, ever forget it.

Dad, JR, me (or is it?) and Ally checking out fish

Knowing there were that many large bass under the dock meant an afternoon fishing adventure. I was never a big fan of fishing, but I was always a fan of hanging out by the lake. Now, there is nothing strange and scary about fishing (for most people, anyway) but there is something that I find somewhat perplexing about that day. A picture was taken of my dad, brother and cousin leaning over the dock, looking down at the water. I remember that pic being taken by my mom and being a bit sad that I was not in it, because it was a really cool shot. Looking at the picture years later I could not believe my eyes. I AM in the picture. But I swear up and down that I was right beside my mother when she took it. This is the first time I have ever talked about this. I figured most people would think I remembered wrong or I am making it up or I am crazy or all of the above. The NOT being in this shot is what really stands out in my memory. I don't know. It really freaks me out.

Next up - Chapter 5 - New Puppies & Holy Shit, This Stuff is Really Real