A cold wind whipped over the lake, lowering the temperature nearly to freezing despite the bright sun. Terrence Meyers walked down the dock, pocket watch in hand. The ferry he'd meant to catch was late, and he disliked being kept waiting. He noted he wasn't the only one loitering in this place. A man stood at the end of the dock with both arms wrapped around himself, shivering in his thin jacket. He looked small and vulnerable huddled all alone. Meyers shifted closer, positioning his broad shoulders to block more of the wind. He thought he'd been subtle, but the other man noticed anyway and smiled at him gratefully.
"Good day to you, sir." Meyers said upon receiving the other man's gaze.
The man nodded to him, but chose to skip the pleasantries. "I'm Allen, and your name?" He spoke English with an accent Meyers couldn't place. They must be informal people, where ever he came from.
"It's Meyers. Well, Terrence, I suppose." He said with a shrug, unaccustomed to introducing himself by his first name.
"I never imagined anything like this," Allen confided in him unexpectedly, gesturing into the openness.
"Like what?" Meyers asked, peering out at the empty water.
"The water, I didn't realize there'd be so much of it. I've never seen a lake before today. I wouldn't have guessed it would be beautiful." He stared out at the glittering blue with a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.
"Never?" Meyers echoed in surprise. "Canada is full of lakes."
Allen looked at him with sharp interest. "I'll have to see more of Canada. This is the first I've ever traveled outside of my own little town. It's a bit of a dust ball there." Desire gleamed in his eyes as he surveyed the lake once again. "Imagine having all this at your disposal."
Meyers followed his gaze, ignoring the approaching ferry in favour of the water itself. Allen's wonderment was quickly becoming infectious. "I suppose our country is rather well endowed. You know, I don't believe I've ever taken the time to appreciate the bounty of nature before now. You've opened my eyes, as it were."
How had he found himself impatiently counting minutes when he had such splendor to occupy him? It now seemed to take no time at all for the boat to pull in to dock. The ferry disgorged its passengers, and a pell-mell of ordinary human life spilled out around them, everyone hurrying to their next destination without heed for each other. Both Allen and Meyers fell silent in the bustle. Meyers started up the gangway once it cleared, but he paused and looked back when he realized Allen wasn't following.
"Aren't you here for the ferry?" Meyers asked.
"I only stopped for the view. It seemed a shame to hurry past something so lovely." Allen said.
"In that case, farewell. Best of luck in your travels, sir." Meyers wished him. He was almost sorry to part with the friendly little fellow.
Any sadness he felt was quickly washed away by a flood of exhilaration as he climbed aboard the ferry. This humble craft was about to whisk him away to something grand and noble. It wasn't every day a government agent took on his first assignment. A carriage awaited him when he reached the other side of the lake. The man waiting inside the carriage didn't bother to introduce himself when Meyers climb inside and took his seat.
"Mr. Meyers, I see your trip went safely. I'm glad, foreign nationals have been targeting our agents of late, looking to extract information and infiltrate our headquarters. Those Americans are a dastardly bunch. Speaking of which, let me know immediately if you are approached by this man. Clegg is an American agent we believe may have already gained entry into our country." He took a photograph from his jacket pocket.
Meyers took it and felt his heart sink. The man staring out from the photograph with a smug expression and hard eyes was none other than Allen.