Storytelling: The Enchanted Lake

There is an enchanted lake in my hometown that no one really knows about. Why, you ask? I should rephrase. No one has ever lived to tell about it. Men, women, and children alike have visited the lake to never return again. Fisherman, kayakers, picnickers. All disappeared to never be found. The lake has no type nor no mercy. Why do people keep visiting such a place? Skepticism. Curiosity. Stupidity, even. Whatever the reason may be, the impending danger of eminent death has not been an effective deterrent for all. Including myself. My reason for embarking on this journey are a mixture of all three. I need to know what happened to all those people. I don't believe that people can just disappear.  And I have never been the sharpest tool in the shed. So, to the lake I go with foolish hopes of a different outcome than my predecessors.

Day 1:

I am nervous and fearful. This will not stop me though. I woke up early to prepare myself for the trip. For weeks, I have been getting my affairs in order in case I really do disappear without a trace. I'm not afraid of death. Only pain. I am hopeful that those before me suffered no pain before their disappearances. One can dream, right? I'm not actually going to reach the lake today. I will only be making observations around it. Of course, no one really knows where the border lies between enchantment and our normal world, so I will be keeping a safe distance. For now.

I see nothing unusual. I am an experienced camper, and nothing about this campsite seems scary or even out of the ordinary. Flora. Fauna. Your typical wilderness. I hear animals in the distance which poses a question. Can animals venture to the lake and leave as they please? There is a relatively close water source not too far from here, but one would think the animal population would be affected by this phenomenon. Something scientists should look into. I'll remember that if I ever come back to tell them.

Enchanted Lake, online source

Day 2: I am excited to see what this day will bring. I have accepted that it may not be a fate that I will like, but at least I will go down in history. I copied my day one entry and left it at the campsite, just in case that's the only one they find. I have made it about 200 yards from the lake's edge with no sign of anything weird. I am slightly panicking because I saw a large splash and a burst of light coming from the lake. I'm not ready to die. I creep toward the water anyway. My heart keeps beating faster and faster as I slowly make my way. My palms are sweaty. Knees weak. Arms are heavy... No time for jokes. I see a figure start to appear under the water. It looks like a giant fish. Of course, the enchanted lake would have giant fish. Wait! That is a human! A human who looks like a fish... a mermaid. I am seeing a mermaid right before my eyes! I can't believe it! And neither should you.

I am a coward. I always have been, and I thought being the first man to make it out alive from the enchanted lake would make me happy. More importantly, I thought it would make me special. The days leading up to this terrifying excursion led me to do a lot of thinking, and I realized that I really am special. We are all special, and I don't need to risk my life to prove it. So, I never made it past day one. I never made it past my campsite a mile away from the lake. I thought about faking an entire crazy story and have it published, but then I realized that there would be no fulfillment from writing a crazy story just to claim it as fact.  There really is an enchanted lake in my hometown, but I don't believe anyone will ever know about it. People will know about me though. I am going to make sure of it. In the right way.

Bibliography: Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India by Katherine Neville Fleeson, link to online source

Author's Note: The original story of the enchanted lake was interesting to me because it told of this special, enchanted place but explained that it was only enchanted to those inside it. The enchantment did not exist to the outside world, which is the inspiration I used for the setting of my story.

Reading Notes: Folklore of Laos, Part A

The interesting thing about this collection of stories is that ita only shows humans in a negative light. It shows the greed of humans, as well as their selfishness and heartlessness. For example, one stort tells of a woman gping to live with the beasts in the jungle because she does not want to live with man anymore. I understand this sentiment, and I do appreciate that she finally found some good in the people, but ultimately she chose to go back to living with yhe beaats. Another story told of young girls being disowned and taken in again, just to find out the "kind" woman who had tamen them in was a cannibal! It would be refreshing tk have a story where good men prevail. I did not like the stories that showed the negative side of man because I like to believe that there is good in all people. These stories though did not encourage that belief of mine. In reality, the love stories are where the goodness of mankind really presented itself. This was interesting to me because it shows the power of love. A very enchanting story to me was the one of the enchanted lake, ironically enough. I found it interesting that there was no proof of the wonderful place because the enchantment only existed there; it was nonexistent outside of the realm of its enchantment. I was thinking while reading the story how interesting it would be if once man found it, they could not leave. Of course, it is a utopian place, so that would not necessarily be a bad thing. Because I would like to see a story focusing on the positive aspects of human beings, I think it would be nice to see humans rewarded for good behavior. Perhaps only the good people could make their way into the enchanted place, living in paradise for the rest of their days in a place where bad people could not even gain access to.

Enchanted Lake, online source

Bibliography: Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India by Katherine Neville Fleeson, link to online source