Peter.
He sat beside some boulders next to the lake, and looked over the expanse of water, and the land of the valley. The water was calm but choppy, the waves making small white crests as they flowed by. A seagull flew high above in lazy circles, spotting the shore below for scraps of food. The sun was brilliant and a-glow above, as it was midday and the heat was piercing. White clouds conspired in clusters at time, and then dispersed across the blue sky. He sat there by the shore and thought for a long time.
The man had called him to a life of travel and devotion to God. Not a calling he relished, but something he felt compelled to do. It was promising to be much less lucrative than the small fishing enterprise that he had been involved in with his brothers. However, both he and the others had decided a few days ago to join him on his quest to spread the message, and to travel the land while doing so. What fortune or fate awaited them all at the end of this journey?
Two small boats came by filled with fishermen, their nets and their gear. They were quite a distance out and were small and hardly recognizable from shore. The one boat was a wooden-brown, and the other was painted white. Their sails were tugged and heaved from side-to-side by the wind as they sailed on towards their destination; an old familiar fishing ground a bit further on. He knew the place well that they were headed for, and smiled to himself.
It was good to be out in the sun and the wind today. The sand was warm beneath sandals, and he could feel the heat through their soles. It was a remarkably hot day to day, and only the wind was there to cool him off a bit. A crab scuttled for the cover of the reeds nearby with awkward sideways movements, and then it was gone from view as it disappeared amidst the growth. The reeds themselves were rustled by the wind, and glided gently from side to side, or tussled with each other in the breeze.
He sat and thought about a girl he knew in Jerusalem. She stayed in a small home on the outskirts with her family. They were old friends and he missed seeing her from time to time. He would probably see her again if they ever travelled there during their journey. It was a long way from here.
The bird above screeched and dove to the shore nearby, it landed and stooped to pick up a morsel, then quickly flew off again. The wind blew gently and stirred the reeds, and the air was fresh and calm. About him lay the lake with its beautiful and calm waters that flowed by in eternal peace and harmony…
The End.
JP Brown
