Lluagor
The vivid blue and green hues of Detroit's riverfront make the congested traffic of vessels appear calm. I envy strangers wading in inflatables next to three storied yachts. Cargo ships honk thunderous horns at boaters in their lane. Brightly colored kayakers paddle close to the shallow shorelines of the forested islands. Jet-skis swerve to carve white zigzag lines in the surf, while sailboats smoothly glide in open waters with the breeze. I witness angry fishermen swearing at the speedboats passing by.
Wolf parks his motorcycle into a lot with broken grey asphalt. The lot belongs to a park that corners the river and a canal. I lug the hulky backpack with one arm, while following Wolf to an old evergreen tree. I wince at the names of my parents carved into the bark. I take out my father's dagger to draw a plus sign with my name under theirs. I circle their names and mine with a heart. The ridged lines pulse green then slowly fade.
Wolf extends his arm behind the tree, close to the roots. He tugs until one final yank produces a boat with a small motor and rudder. He slides the boat down the small sandy bank to the canal. I notice etched on the front is the name, Lluagor; the horse of Caradoc. My mind drifts. The bright summer day is replaced with a grey winter sky. My current reality is switches to confront a once forgotten memory.
...
My father drags the blade of his dagger into the boat. He chisels the letter L. I divert my attention to something tickling my feet. I glance down to two small snakes swim figure eights between my stubby legs. I giggle and splash water while sitting on the bank of the canal.
"Cara! Come on. We'll bring them with us." Dirk Sage unscrews the lit of a mason he then places into the water. "Ssss" He rolls his tongue into a hiss. The two small snakes wiggle their tail into the jar. I clap my hands to see my father holding up the jar with the snakes spinning inside. He places the mason jar into the boat. His hands grab my hips and lifts my body into the boat before giving the boat a push and leaping inside himself.
...
"Cara!" Wolf howlers my name. I wake to stare at Wolf beside my father's boat. "Come on! Get in the boat!"
I swing the backpack into the wooden hull. I hop onto the bench inside. Wolf ignites the engine. The boat cast a shadow over the water. The belly of the boat does not touch the river. I brace after feeling a jolt. We fly into traffic.