four
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"-IN YOUTH'S SPRING, IT WAS MY LOT / TO HAUNT OF THE WIDE EARTH A SPOT-"
There was something oddly calming about the way Professor Kim lectured. He spoke with confidence and ease, having done this for years, and had the kind of voice you could listen to for hours. It wasn't uncommon for students to fall asleep during his classes - not because they were bored by his teachings - but because his voice was calm enough to lull you to sleep. It was fluid, alluring. A voice that you would hear around campfires on cold autumn nights. When he spoke, he commanded attention. Everyone would be on the edge of their seats, taking in every word he said with such interest. They waited, watched as he spoke, wondering what sort of secrets they could uncover from his teachings. You always left with a new sense of feeling, or perspective of life. You saw the world different after one of his lectures. It was as if life had been thrown upside down and you'd never be the same.
Lectures like these were Jimin's favourite - when the lights were dimmed to the point you couldn't see your surroundings, but you could make out a few shapes. The only thing you could properly see was the screen in which the notes were on, and your eyes were drawn to it like a moth. You couldn't see Professor Kim unless he stood in the light. You had to focus on the sound of his voice as he paced back and forth, reciting whatever poem or play they were currently studying.
"-TO WHICH I COULD NOT LOVE THE LESS / SO LOVELY WAS THE LONELINESS-"
Jimin had heard/read this poem enough times, but there was something about hearing someone else do, and Professor Kim had a way of making you feel when he did. It was like he was discovering the poem for the first time all over again. The words sounded familiar yet so foreign at the same time. He was captivated by the way he spoke, to the point where he felt relaxed. Jimin could feel himself drifting off. His eyes felt heavy, and he felt so comfortable while leaning back in his seat. It wasn't long for Jimin's eyes to droop.
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"-of a wild lake, with black rock bound, / and the tall trees that tower'd around-"
"Mon Coeur, you have a lovely voice," he whispered, enamoured by the sound of his voice. Smooth hands slithered around his waist, cool lips pressed against the base on his neck and he sighed in pleasure as he tilted his head back to rest against his shoulder. "Don't stop. Finish it, please,"
"-but when the night had thrown her pall / upon that spot -- as upon us all-"
"-and the wind would pass me by / in its still melody-" he continued, spinning him around. His fingers expertly undid the buttons of his shirt, tugging it over his shoulders, exposing his collar bones to his hungry eyes.
"-my infant spirit would awake / to the terror of the lone lake-" he shuddered in pleasure as his tongue danced along his skin. Every touch felt searing hot against him, warming him instantly. He loved his hands and how they roamed his body. He gasped in pleasure when his hands dipped lower, touching him where he desired. "-yet that terror was not fright / but a tremulous delight-"
"-and a feeling undefin'd / springing from a darken'd mind-"
"-death was in that poison'd wave / and in it's gulf a fitting grave-"
He laid him back against the mattress, kissing down the column of his neck. "-for him who thence could solace bring / to his dark imagining-"
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"WHOSE WILD'RING THOUGHT COULD EVEN MAKE / AN EDEN OF THAT DIM LAKE-"
Jimin's eyes fluttered open as the lights turned back on, illuminating the class with a soft yellow haze. He sat up in his chair. He must have dozed off listening, and now Professor Kim was done, standing in front of the class with expect an eyes, hands clasped together in front of him.
Professor Kim didn't look like he belonged in Collins Port. He was well put together, much like Mr. Jung, and while he was likeable amongst everyone, there was something about him that made him stand out. He was tall, broad shouldered, but not in the way that Jin was. He was tan, and when he smiled, you could see his dimples. He was simple, never tried to over complicate things, and could often be found around the campus library - or even the town library - when he was teaching, reading up on local history, or reciting poetry. Jimin figured with the amount of history he knew about the area - for only having moved her a few years ago - he could teach the history course on Local History.
Not much was known about Professor Kim, except from people's observations. He didn't talk about his personal life very much the way other professors did. They knew he was married - he wore a wedding band - but he rarely spoke about his partner. They knew that before he started teaching, he had been an army medic. Jimin always found it odd that he would leave medicine to teach literature, but then again, he knew a lot about it. He was multilingual. He spoke French, Spanish, Latin, English, and Japanese. Often times he would teach poems in different languages, wanting to share the beauty of other cultures with his students. They knew he moved here almost five years ago, with his spouse and younger brother. Jimin had seen Kim Taehyung around. He was a looker, but a bit of a player as well. It seemed as if Taehyung didn't care for most, only himself, and was arrogant and cocky. Jimin didn't know him personally, but Jungkook did. Jungkook hated him, and that was putting it lightly. Jimin was quite positive that if given the chance, Jungkook would rip his throat out.
All in all, Professor Kim was a bit of a mystery, but even if the locals knew everything about you, there was always some shocking secret still buried deep, yet to be uncovered.
"Written in 1827, Edgar Allen Poe's The Lake is supposedly written about what lake? Can anybody tell me?" he asked, bringing the attention of everyone to him.
A slew of hands flew into the air, and Professor Kim called on a girl Jimin didn't know.
"Lake Drummond," she stated.
"That's correct. Can anyone tell me the legend about that lake? What makes it so popular?"
Jimin raised his hand in the air.
"Yes Mr. Park?"
"It's said to be haunted by a Native American couple. The girl drowned on their wedding day and the man was driven mad by visions of her paddling out on the lake. He drowned trying to reach her,"
"Very good, Mr. Park. Now, I'm sure that you're all wondering why I'm asking you this. What makes this lake so special that I should feel the need to bring it up? Well, it's very common for authors to find inspiration in the same thing. The Irish poet, Thomas Moore wrote about it in 1803. His poem was titled, "The Lake of Dismal Swamp," Many people will take folklore or myth, and will write their own version of it. Poe's version is certainly different than Moore's is, but it's the idea, which leads into your assignment - ah I know, I know, first week back and I'm already handing out homework, but I promise this will be fun. You'll be getting in touch with your creative sides." Professor Kim stated. He then paused, and moved to the front of the room, and perched himself on the edge of his desk. He lifted his eyes to look at the class, that familiar smirk playing on his lips. Almost subconsciously, half of the class lent forward in their seats. This was the look that he gave when he wanted to tell them something important - something no one else had heard, and it made them feel like they were part of a secret club, telling things they shouldn't be. "Did you know that Collins Port has its own Lake Drummond?"
There was a series of hushed whispers amongst the class. Jimin felt more awake now as he sat up straighter in his seat. He'd lived in Collins Port his whole life, but this was the first time he was hearing of this.
"Does anyone know what lake I'm talking about?"
Jimin glanced around, and saw several of his classmates shaking their heads. He slowly raised his hand in the hair. "Yes, Mr. Park?"
"Salem's Lake?" he questioned. Professor Kim nodded once in his direction, his eyes filled with an emotion Jimin couldn't quite make out, and turned back to the whole class.
"That would be correct," he said in a soft, yet firm tone. "As you all should know, Salem's Lake has an incredibly dark history. It was used during the Witch Trials, and was used particularly for Trial by Water. It was said that a witch would not be accepted into the depths of water, and if they survived, they were sentenced to death for witchcraft. However, if they did not survive, they were deemed innocent, but as many of you could already guess, a lot of people died." he explained. "Now, in 1698, it was said that a man - distraught by the news of his lover being a witch, decided to take matters into his own hands, and carry out the trial himself. He took his lover to the lake and essentially drowned them. They did not survive and the man was overcome with grief. He is said to have sold his soul to Satan and later drowned himself several days later. They say his spirit still haunts the lake,"
The last part sounded familiar. There had been ghost stories floating around when he was a child about a man in old timey clothing that wandered the woods near Salem's Lake. He'd never heard the full story though. His parents thought it was too scary for him to handle.
"Several people have claimed to have seen his ghost walking around the edge of the lake," Professor Kim went on. "And unfortunately, a few people have claimed to have seen friends, or even loved ones dragged to the watery depths, drowned by the spirit as he searches for his lost lover. I guess you could say that he's a modern day La Llorona,"
A chill ran down Jimin's spine. This sounded a lot like his dream. He dreamt about Salem's Lake a lot and now, as he sat in his lecture, Jimin was beginning to wonder if maybe....this ghost story might have something to do with his dreams. There was no way they could be connected though? Surely he was just going crazy. He had to be. Maybe this was just a way of settling his mind - a reason as to why his subconscious plagued him with this nightmare over and over again.
Someone's hand shot up. "Professor Kim have you seen the spirit by the lake?"
Professor Kim chuckled, but Jimin could see something else in his eyes. There was a split second where he could see the falseness in his smile, and concern in his eyes. "No, I have not," he replied, when his laughter had died down. He was lying. Jimin saw the way they listened nervously in the light. What did you see?
"Do you think the story is real?" another student asked.
"I believe in a lot of things. Mr. Lee, and I do believe that it's possible for someone to drown their loved one in a lake out of fear of the unknown. I believe that they might have killed themselves in response to their actions, however I am not a religious man, and therefore am a bit weary about the whole 'selling his soul to Satan' bit," Professor Kim replied. He then glanced at the clock. "I know you're all disappointed in being back and having homework once more, but this week's assignment will be fun. I want you to write either a poem, or a short story. Anything can happen, I don't care what point of view it's written in, the only guideline you must follow is that it must be about Salem's Lake. This exercise is to showcase how one specific place, or object can influence hundreds of people in many different ways. I want them handed in on my desk by next Friday," before he could get another word in, the bell was ringing, signalling the end of class. "Have a good day, I will see you all tomorrow. We'll continue our discussion about The Lake. Also! I encourage you all to read The Lake of Dismal Swamp if you wish to see Lake Drummond from a different perspective! You never know, it might show up on your exam!"
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hands down my best chapter yet for this story
please keep in mind that I know next to nothing about poetry and had to do some research for this chapter so that I could properly work it into the plot. However, I do love poetry and I'm a bit of a sucker for Edgar Allen Poe, so naturally I had to incorporate him into this work, and how fitting is it that he has written a poem about a lake that perfectly fits with my story??
if you like poetry who's your favourite poet/what's your favourite poem?
(also I'm sorry if you hate author notes like these, I just like to interact with you guys,)
if you have questions or you're confused by something, leave a comment below and I'll either get back to you as soon as possible, or I will answer it in my next update