Monster in the Lake

When my father began rowing the boat, I felt a surge of excitement

“Dad! How long will it take to get there?”

“Maybe an hour”

“Oh. This water looks really deep.”

“It is. I believe it goes down to around 500 feet in some places “

“Wow! Are there any monsters in the lake?”

“Ernest, that’s just in fiction. Monsters

only live in the imagination. “

“Do you write about monsters?”

“Try not to. Actually, the island we’re going to is where I

wrote my best story. Unfortunately, it was never published”

“How come? “

“That’s a very good question, son. I’ve often wondered about that.

It had everything.Great style and structure. Believable characters

It was a story about an Indian woman who was pregnant and having trouble.

A doctor came to help her give birth.

After he assisted in the process, he discovered that the father had

committed suicide just minutes before. Killed himself with a knife.

You see death is a natural thing. Just like life. But it’s also

mysterious… almost as mysterious as the publishing game.

You just never know.”

“Dad…is dying hard? “

“To be honest, a lot of factors come into play. What a person’s

done, for example. Adventures. Scandals. Crazy lifestyle. A person

can struggle for years without being noticed. Actually, writing is the

easy part. Getting published is difficult. “

“But Dad…what about dying?”

“Oh that…well of course it doesn’t hurt. “

 

Paul Kindlon was raised in Albany NY, lived in Chicago for 16 years and has been a resident of Moscow, Russia for 24 years. Life adventures: Musician, Stage actor, Journalist, Professor, Short-story writer. PhD in Philosophy and Russian Literature. He enjoys Jazz, Classical music, cats, and travel.

Glenn Bowie is a published poet, lyricist and photographer from the Boston area. He also owns and operates an elevator company that supplies custom-built elevators for clients from New England to Hollywood. Author of two poetry and photograph collections (Under the Weight of Whispers and Into the Thorns and Honey) on Big Table Publishing, he donates all profits from his books to various charities for the homeless and local animal shelters. Glenn is also the official photographer for the Newton Writing and Publishing Center.