A place of mystery utterly separate from our abode of soil and rock.
Yet, it is neither distant nor alien and in truth no boundary exists between us.
A simple shadow cast over the lake extends my influence deep within its crystal waters.
Instantly the small life moves into this cooling shade, followed closely by the fish that hunt them.
A terrapin looks askance at this movement from above and makes its way to a brighter patch within the floating weed.
The reciprocal giving of the lake is coolness to all who venture close and a wide arc of life giving water for all who wish to partake of it.
From above, the swallows and bee eaters are drawn from the sky to skim it’s surface in search of insect bounty.
Even the light of our sun dances in appreciation as it refracts and illumines all with kaleidoscopic joy.
Thus looking down, I do not see a simple shadow, separate from nature’s ballet.
Rather, it is a fleeting aspect of the greater whole, a small pane in the great stained glass window of nature through which the sunlight pours and animates all within the ecology.
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Photo: The lake at Saladaviciosa. Courtesy of the author.