Lake Jacomo

Craig clutched the rope in both hands. It was soaking wet and slippery. He was standing on one of the Shagbark Hickory tree’s thickest branches that extended over the surface of Lake Jacomo. The scent of dead fish was kicked up in the breeze, and he took it in willingly, that dose of nostalgia he so much enjoyed. The lake extended for half a mile in each direction, the surface muddy brown. The water would be the source of numerous ear infections in Craig’s future.

J.J. Kidd, one of his best elementary school friends, hollered at him from below. “Hurry up, Craig. I’m swinging next!”

Neil Jablanski was already scaling the tree, ready for his turn after Craig’s. And there was Alice Denny, who wore her one-piece bathing suit decorated with watermelons. She sat on a boulder far enough from the boys to be ignored. She’d have nothing to do with the high dives, but she liked to watch them.

Craig stood on the branch like a king of the mountain. If his parents knew about this, they’d cut the rope down. His father, Brandon, had scolded him previously, “You remember Junior Conners? He broke his leg falling from that branch. I don’t want to pay expensive medical bills because of your stupidity.”

His father’s warnings vanished. Lake Jacomo begged to be jumped into. He had to muster a cool dive first, but before Craig could decide, it was too late. Neil grabbed the limb by both his hands and shook it, ruining Craig’s footing.

“You’re going down!” Neil cheered. “You know the rules. You take too long, you go down!”

Craig teetered, then, losing his balance, he crashed on his side into the lake.

“Yeah, fall!” J.J. cheered, clapping his hands. “Did you see that, Neil? You’re awesome. Knocked him on his ass. He went down!”

“I said I was next,” Neil bragged. “I warned him he’d go down.”

The slap of landing awkwardly against the water had him near tears, but Craig couldn’t lose it, not in front of his friends. When he touched down, his feet graced the mud at the bottom. He imagined a creature grabbing his ankle and forcing him down. The mud monster. The images of the mud monster impelled him to the surface so fast he almost lost his blue swim trunks. He lifted them back up fully to his waist, and once he stepped onto shore, he waited for another chance to perform a cool dive from the tree.

Standing there, Alice eyed him shyly. The boys were ten years old, and she was eight. She tagged along with them. It was an unspoken neighborhood kid understanding that she could hang out with them as long as she didn’t interfere.

“Good landing,” she mumbled, her best attempt at making conversation. “You okay?”

“No thanks to Neil.” He balled up his fists. “Jerk.”

Neil launched down from the tree limb in a ball. The cannonball landing shot water onto land, pelting him and Alice.

J.J. was already halfway up the trunk, ready to followup with a better midair trick. Craig waited for his turn again, thinking that these summer days were the best of his life. He didn’t really know how much he enjoyed himself back then until he relived it with the benefit of adult hindsight…

 

 

Lake Jacomo’s fetid waft of dead fish was refreshing compared to the brazen winter cold in Franklin, Indiana. Winter offered no natural smells. Everything was buried under ice and rendered characterless by the cold. This was the perfect escape from the city. The warmth of summer, the thriving of life, it was so easy to absorb and experience a reinvigoration.

This is what Dr. Daniel Krone enjoyed as he canoed the lake and watched the children play.