At an unknown time of night at our cottage in northern Michigan
Outside Words
At an unknown time of night at our cottage in northern Michiganā¦ My younger brother and I heard strange noises coming from the beach againā¦ We looked up at the ceiling and then the windowā¦ As the voices from outside, in a lively allegroā¦ Grew softer and louder in repeating crescendosā¦ We skittered out the door and stared in fascinationā¦ For what we saw must have been our imaginationā¦
The door closed with a creak as our feet hit the grassā¦ It was at that moment we got a look at the massā¦ Of stubby foot, hunchback creatures from which the sounds had amassedā¦
There was about six of them chanting like a choirā¦ They danced and paraded around our burnt out fireā¦ As we looked on, we saw our fire raiseā¦ It got brighter as they lifted their hands in wavesā¦ As light betook the blue beach nightā¦ A crowd of colorfully masked gremlins caught us in their sights!
Their feet slowed to a stop and they quieted downā¦ They stood still as the fire flickered off their weird wooden frownsā¦ One reached out his hand in a come-here motionā¦ They seemed to stand and wait with an encouraging notionā¦ As the fire crackled and the waves tumbled onto the beachā¦
All I can remember, is for the rest of that summerā¦ My younger brother and I served as the drummersā¦ For that quirky marching band of lake spritesā¦ With which our burnt out fire weād reigniteā¦ At an unknown time of night at our cottage in northern Michiganā¦
