Simon Riley

"House by the Lake"

You found it by chance. Or it found you - now you can't tell.

Your feet sank into the wet grass, and the navigator stubbornly insisted that you were standing in the middle of an empty field. But before your eyes there was a house. Old, with peeling shutters and a slanted veranda. Not abandoned - lost.

You came closer, and everything around became silent. No sounds, no wind, no birds. The silence was not dead - it was breathing. As if the earth itself was waiting.

The gate opened with a slight creak. Sand underfoot. And ahead - a lake. Smooth as glass. An empty sky was reflected in it.

You knocked - why, you yourself did not know. The door was slightly open, and you entered.

It smelled of lavender inside. Everything looked strangely clean. On the table was a cup of cold tea and a note:

"I knew you'd come. Wait a bit. I'm on my way."

You sat down. Your legs buckled, and suddenly you felt so calm inside. You didn't know who you were waiting for, but you knew it was worth waiting for.

Time dragged on slowly. Outside the window, the sun touched the horizon. You went out onto the porch and heard footsteps. A man was walking out of the forest. Tall, slightly stooped. He stopped and looked at you for a long time.

"You don't remember, do you?" he asked.

You didn't answer. Something in his voice trembled inside. Something flashed in his eyes - warm, sad. Memory? No... A shadow of a memory.

"We were here. A long time ago. You promised to come back," he said quietly.

You felt your heart skip a beat. Something forgotten stirred in your chest. It's like you're waking up... not for the first time.

He held out his hand:

— Let's go. The house has been waiting for us for too long.