Lonely Barquinho

Muted sound drenches her like a cloak as her hull rocks with the gentle sway of the lake.

A loon's haunting call echoes in the distance and a family of mice scurries over the leather seats on her deck.

She's been there in her lift next to the desolate scarred wooden dock for so long, she half believes her motor will no longer purr its contentment. Yet—if she concentrates—she can feel the deep-throated hum of it.

She is once again skimming the cold, glassy water. The rope tethered to her towing the two laughing children who cling to an inner tube.

"Hold on," the woman named Abigail shouts to the children.

The man who drives the boat says little. Even when his wife, Abigail, speaks directly to him. Even the tension between the two people cannot keep the boat from reveling in the spray of the cold water.

She feels joy in her own power. She falls into a frenzy of motion. Rejoicing in her speed as the man turns the wheel to send her weaving back and forth, slicing through the waves her movement creates.

If the boat could laugh along with the children, she would.

For a moment she almost feels alive again but then the woman's voice falls silent and the screams of laughter fade.

She is alone. Useful to no one—except the spiders who continuously weave their webs upon her and the mice who now live in her hidden spaces.

————

Lonely Barquinho

I’m busy at work with edits for my upcoming release but wanted to drop by and say hello!

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed my flash fiction story!

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About the Author

Minnesota-based author, Joie Lesin is a life-long fiction writer and the author of The Passenger. She has long been fascinated by anything otherworldly including ghosts. She loves to write a good ghost story—especially when it includes a touch of romance.