Lost and Found

(17) Lake Dasia

"Well, surprise!" Sage said to the elderly persons who was then smiling from ear to ear.

"Ohh... you're still a good man." The elderly woman kissed him on the cheeks and then noticed me. "Oh my you brought a girl." She passed Sage and walked straight through me, still smiling. "She's gorgeous Wil. You didn't tell me y'all dating." Before I had the chance to speak, the elderly woman interrupted. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name's Lisbeth King, you can call me Lissy. I'm Wil's grandmother. And that old man there is Johnny, of course he's the grandfather. It's nice meeting you. Oh my I'm so happy, you're the first girl he brought here."

Lissy's hype was shooting everywhere making us laugh a little. She looks excited. I guess she's telling the truth. Not only that Lissy's was energetic but she's talkative too in an adorable way.

I looked at Sage who was now blushing. Was he embarrassed? Oh wow. It must be sometimes embarrassing when grandmothers tell you a secret about their grandkids.

"Wow grandma, stop. I'm embarrassed. And beside, Hannah's not my girlfriend... she's just a friend." The way he said it was like he was disappointed.

"Oh you're a slowpoke honey! Better tie her down before anyone gets her." She chuckled and her eyes twinkled when she really saw my face. "Wait, have we met before darling? You look familiar."

It's my first time here in this place, technically. So how would I look familiar to her? I don't even know her and I'm sure it's my first time meeting Sage's family. Maybe she recognized me somewhere when I went to public places.

Her face lit up like she really recognized me. "Oh right. I remember you. You are Cassandra. How are you? Goodness I thought—" Lissy didn't finish her sentence because she was suddenly interrupted by Sage.

"Oh grandma, she's not." Sage motioned to his grandfather. He didn't say anything but his grandfather understood. Johnny came near to me and smiled sadly.

"Let's go my love, you've forgotten your medicine again." He chuckled. He took Lissy away but she was still staring at me.

"But look at her—" Lissy insisted but Johnny slowly shook his head.

"She's not. We all knew what happened." Lissy wasn't still convinced but she silenced. She just nodded and smiled back at me.

"I'm sorry dear, I thought you were... her." She sighed and held my hand. Even though she smiled, she looks sad. "Anyway, why don't we all come inside? Must be freezing here."

Well, that was totally uncalled for. My mind bugged with what Lissy called me. Maybe I look like Cassandra. Who was she anyway? Everyone, even Sage looked sad at the mere mention of her name. I glanced at Lissy who was warm towards me. Her eyes sparkled. If it was somebody else, perhaps they would freak out. When I saw her sadness, all I want was to console her.

"Sure. Thank you." I said and let them lead the way.

The cabin is as nice as what it looks outside. There's a little fireplace in the living room and a bookcase near it. Sage's grandparents sure made the cabin look inviting and homey. To top it all, the glass sliding door was overlooking the lake.

A freaking lake!

"This is—"

"Lake Dasia." Sage suddenly interrupted me.

No f*cking way! I've heard and seen pictures of this lake in our state but I was not able to come here with my friends. The lake is private and according to sources, the owner won't accept visitors unless the owner's family knows about them.

"You mean? You? Your grandparents?" My eyes went wide eyed from awe.

He chuckled. "Yes. This is theirs."

Still in awe, I watched the lake as it shined against the sunlight. It has a tree with a swing made from probably old tire and a dock. All I see is how beautiful the surrounding is. This is the reason why tourists wanted to come here. Even the picture didn't do justice than seeing it for real.

"Oh my God! Are you kidding me? It's so pretty!" I squealed like a kid in front of him.

Sage shook his head but he was still smiling. It must be amusing for him to see me fawn over the beauty of Mother Nature like a three year old kid who was about to be given a delicious candy. I mean, who won't feel ecstatic over Lake Dasia?

I left Sage standing and ran to the side porch where the hammock chair is and some tanning chairs which is really considered not to be used for tanning since it was under the shade of the tree.

The air felt so good and nice to inhale. It felt so peaceful and weirdly homey at the same time. Actually, it felt like I was here before.

Suddenly, an amused master of sneakiness broke my inner peace. "Come with me. Let's see the whole lake." Sage offered me his hand which I willingly accepted and held.

The lake was clear when we looked at it. Sage decided that the tour needed a row on the boat for a good experience. The clear waters in the shallow part lets me see the fishes clearly. But when we came to the deeper part, it terrified me. I don't know if which is more terrifying for real, is it when the lake is green where you can't see the bottom or the one that I am seeing right now? We could see the huge polished-like rocks sitting at the bottom.

"Wow, is this still shallow?" I asked. "I can still see the rocks."

"No." He rowed once more. "Hmm, no. We're at the part where the water measures about 10 feet."

I gasped. Is this for real? Imagine if someone drowned here, the dead body would be seen immediately. Search and rescue would be a little pointless. And it makes me scared. We're in the vast of the clear water with huge rocks and some water plants.

"This is really scary." I murmured to myself. But since we're the only  people who have taken a tour, the man in front of me heard what I said.

"Don't be. Nothing will harm you here, well except for mosquitoes. But you'll be fine." He sighed and smiled, leaned a little on the edge of the boat. "I was like you when I was little. The lake terrified me. The green and mossy parts almost made me sh*t my pants."

Sage smiled at the mere memory of his adventures in the lake. But everything fell into silence. I stared at him, while he looked away. His thoughts brought him somewhere, maybe. Because he looked so lost away. And I don't know  why but I felt sad. I felt an unexplainable pang in my chest.

"Who was with you at that time?" Out of the blue, I asked him.

When he looked at me, the sadness doubled. The way he held his eyes on me, it was almost as haunting as can be.

"Just my dad... and this little girl." He sighed deeply.