Chapter 1: Calm.
Dawn on the lake was unlike anything else in the world. It had the power to change a person. To take them away from life's rush and bustle and bring them back to peace and serenity. The calm of the water, the colours of the sky, the sound of the world waking made the world into a completely different place, one lacking the hellishness of a modern society where technology ruled and the world was overrun with greed.
Belinda, a young woman successful in business and sport, walked out of her cottage and down the dock of the summer getaway that had been apart of her family since her youth. The sun still had not shown itself on the horizon, the stars were still visible in the brilliant colours of the summer morning and the warmth of a still summer heat had not left the scene of her morning reveries. She stood on the end of the dock as she stripped to nothing and took the plunge into the cool, calm waters of the lake she had visited every summer since before she could remember. The water was like an attack on her senses. Instantly she felt awake, her body was moving and the coolness of morning left her nostalgic of hundreds of plunges just like this one.
"Do you always swim alone?" her boyfriend asked as he came to the end of the dock.
Dave and Belinda had met early in their careers. Both were well educated and successful; rising quickly through the ranks of the media firm they worked for and they both shared a love for sports. Dave coached while Belinda spent most of her time racing in pools across the country. The visit to the lake, however, was a first for Dave and one on which he hoped to make a good impression. The time had come in his mind to move forward with Belinda and their relationship. He was looking for acceptance by the family and the blessings of an over protective father. This swim however was different from those he was used too, the lake was cause for concern in his mind and though he knew that Belinda was a professional when it came to her performance in the pool, the cool, unregulated waters of this wilderness were not something that made him very comfortable.
"Only on mornings like this," Belinda answered smiling up at him.
"I can see that," he laughed. "Should I join you?" he asked with a wink.
"You could hardly handle the lake in the sun and heat of yesterday, city boy," she laughed, "you wouldn't be much use to me here."
"Right, that water is freezing. What was I thinking?" he asked with a laugh. "The water would render me useless."
"You go make coffee," Belinda smiled, "I'll be out in a minute."
Dave walked away laughing to himself. It was true he had never left the bustle of the city before and even though the cottage had all that was necessary to be comfortable there wasn't a Starbucks for miles. He was determined, however, to rough it with Belinda to make her happy even if that meant less than drinkable coffee and the occasional bug bite.
"Thank God there is a coffee maker!" he said to himself as he flipped the switch and glanced out the kitchen window that looked out over the lake.
Panic struck him instantly as he realized that Belinda wasn't moving and was laying face down in the still calm morning waters.