With Arms Outstretched...

Now some days, they last longer than others
But this day by the lake went too fast...

The four of them had spent many hot summer days on the cool, murky waters of Lake Norris, but this one, as was evidenced by the moments of awesome silence, was perfect. The water somehow still enough for a soothing calm and choppy enough for a rhythmic rock and sway. The sun shone down a nurturing warmth, arousing a feeling of complete contentment, at its hottest moments counteracted by a well-timed wind. The sweet smells of heat and sweat and the thick Tennessee air and the water filled their nostrils with sheer pleasure. The mountains pierced the crisp, clean blue sky with their blunt peaks looming large----both spectator to and spectacle of the day. The water kept time, gently slapping the sides of the pontoon. Birds sang out in exuberance, praising the day and applauding its maker. The breeze pushed its way through the tall grass and trees on the shore, sounding its approval. The four lay on the boat soaking in the beauty, basking in the outpouring of divine love...

The black sky raged electric as the thunder marched over the mountains, ricocheting off of the dark, still water and back into the starless night. The two of them sat huddled together beneath the shelter of the camper's awning and listened. The rain drummed against the rows of aluminum and peppered the hard, dry ground, seeking its place in the earth.
"Do you think it's raining at home?"
"Maybe. But not like this."
The two sank back into silence, bodies weak from the day on the water, hearts full with young love and joy and pure contentedness and the satisfaction of a perfect day that was finally drawing to a close. Eyelids were heavy and necks grew limp but the day fought for survival, scratching, clawing, clinging, fighting for its last breaths. The faint sounds of Clint Eastwood in High Plains Drifter seeped from inside where the other two had given in to the creeping call of the night on the couch.
"I love the way it smells."
But she was floating away on the lazy waves of sinking sleep.