The River of Silvery Silence

Back in the late 70's, I applied and was accepted into the Institute of Children's Literature, out of CT. It was a correspondence course, because there was no internet then (or atleast not in homes). One of the lessons asked me to write a story with description. I wasn't sure I could do it but grabbed my thesaurus and gave it a try. My results were a big Excellent written across the top of the page. Here is my story to share with you.

It is based on the Merriland River off of Hobbs Farm Road in Wells, ME - just down from our family cabins.

The River of Silvery Silence

Silence grew longer as the water trickled around the paddles. There was a soft breeze blowing the fall leaves across the bottomless body of water. Shades of orange, yellow, red, violet,and green were concealed within the leaves.

With each shallow stroke, a nearby green tree frog would leap into the water's edge. While the small box turtles skidded through the bright green lily pads, tiny air bubbles appeared at the top of the glittering water. Little fish were swimming far below the canoe in the swift current.

The pine trees that were located along the rocky river bank were filled with a lovely incense that spread throughout the air. The scarlet cardinal flowers were surrounded by sea-green lily pads and they brightened the river with a sweet-smelling fragrance.

As the canoe drifted downstream, the sun slowly set in the west. Because the shadows of the trees were much larger than the actual size, they became something out of a fantasy land.

The area around the canoe became enclosed with a deep misty fog, often called ground fog in the area of Southern Maine. Heat from the water rose up into the ground fog as steam would from a boiling kettle. The breeze now became a whisper as the moon rose into the sky and the temperature grew much cooler.

The murmuring of birds in the distance were a pleasure to hear. They were possibly kingfishers or bright red-breasted robins. They might also have been blue jays or cardinals. The water snakes slithered through the water like it wasn't even there. Every once in awhile, one would stop and a deadly hissing sound would come from its mouth.

The paddles of the canoe would then move on slowly downstream where it would be time to leave the river of silvery silence.