As the mist rose slowly

As the mist rose slowly in the cool of this September night, the light of the moon danced and reflected across the surface of the cold lake. The cool autumn air was filled with the sounds of the night. Aaaoooohhhh! The howling can send shivers down your spine. People say these parts were once the home of hundreds of hockey players. Shhhhh. If you listen you can still hear the sound of slap shots far off in the distance. Some say they’ve seen the tell tale signs where someone or something had tried to skate across the pavement. As I pulled the truck into my driveway the two back doors shot open instantly. Then the back of the truck opened with a bang and I could hear the sound of sticks dropping to the pavement one by one as my two sons tried to pull both their hockey bags out at the exact same time. I dashed to the front door of the house trying feverishly to unlock the door to escape the unavoidable conflict that was about to ensue. It was too late. I was doomed. The conflict had started earlier this evening on the ice. Shooter vs. goalie, brother vs. brother, what could be more horrifying? What could be more gruesome, someone scratching their nails against a chalk board, accidentally stepping on cement with newly sharpened skates, or riding silently along the lake with two brothers glaring at each other in the back seat? I made it to the refrigerator and poured myself a glass of cider as the two boys flew past me. Immediately they made their way through the living room, dropped their bags and headed straight to their rooms. They were both asleep within minutes, exhausted from tonight’s practice. I had held true to last week’s promised and allowed the players to scrimmage after a quick warm up and some review on the “Umbrella”. They all skated hard, and in fact they did it all on their own. The night is cold under the autumn moon, and all the hockey players have returned to their homes. They’ll be easier to spot when the snow starts to fall. Usually their jerseys give them away. Aaoooohhhh! Shhhhhhhh, did you hear that? Lights Out!