Grandpa's Pond

The cold air and snow whip around Grandpa and the kids as he drives over the once undisturbed ground. He’s always had a golf cart to make getting around the farm easier, but when the grandkids came along it became something fun to ride on together.

“Ready to go on the ice?” Grandpa hollers over the wind.

Jake, Alison, Danny, Julia and Maggie all respond with screams of excitement.

Interpreting their screams as a definitive “yes”, he changes the cart’s course straight for the icy surface of the pond. Golf cart riding in the wintertime, comes with the added fun of Grandpa’s massive pond freezing over with ice thick enough to hold the weight of the golf cart.

“Here we go!”

All the grandkids brace themselves as the cart approaches the six inch drop from solid land to the tiny glacier.

Grandpa’s “hold on” warning is stifled by their continued high pitch screams. The cart bumps over the edge and onto the ice. The kids’ screaming and laughter is loud enough for the neighbors a mile down the road to hear.

Freshly fallen snow gives the tires just enough traction for the cart to gain speed and make its way across the pond. Grandpa does a full lap on the ice, then circles over to the pier that sticks out toward the middle of the pond.

“Who’s ready for the shovel?”

“Me, me, me!” the grandkids shout over one another.

To make being on the ice even more fun, Grandpa attaches a rope to the back of the cart with a big snow shovel on the end. The grandkids each take turns riding on the shovel and they get to slip and slide all over the place.

“You all decide who’s going first, I’ll get it rigged up,” he says while jumping off the cart.

“I’m the oldest,” states Alison matter-of-fact.

“That just means you’ve done it the most,” Jake says.

“I wanna go first!” Danny objects.

“No fighting, or no one’s going,” Grandpa says without looking up from the rope.

“Rock, paper, scissors,” says Julia, “it’s the fairest way!”

“Thata girl, Julia,” Grandpa chimes in.

“Fine,” says Danny as he assumes the hand position and turns to Julia.

Together they chant, “rock, paper, scissors.”

- - -

The fate of rock, paper, scissors lands in Jake’s favor.

“Hold on, Jake!” Grandpa shouts over his shoulder as he presses the gas pedal.

Jake watches in anticipation as the extra feet of rope uncoil in front of him. He tightens his grip on the shovel and braces for impact. The rope goes rigid and pulls Jake forward.

“Woohoo!” Jake yells ahead, "Faster!"

“Grandpa, make a sharp turn so he goes flying,” laughs Julia.

He turns the cart and Jake slides off to the right, no longer trailing directly behind the cart.

“How’s he doin?”

“Still onboard... sadly” Alison answers.

Grandpa switches up again and Jake goes flying out of the way. The shovel spills him over onto the ice. All the grandkids erupt in laughter and the empty shovel flops along behind the cart. Grandpa circles around to pick him up.

“That was awesome!” Jake yells while brushing the snow off his coat.

“Who’s next,” Grandpa asks as the cart comes to a stop.

“Maggie, you wanna go?” Danny asks.

“Yay!” Maggie hops off the back seat and runs the short distance to the empty shovel.

“Hold on tight, Maggie,” Alison yells.

“I am!” Her mittens tightly wound around the shovel.

Grandpa slowly presses down on the pedal and the cart begins to move.

“You take it slow with her!” A shout from off in the distance blows across the ice.

Everyone looks over to find Grandma standing on the back porch watching with a cup of coffee. All the kids, even Maggie from the shovel, wave at Grandma. The rope tightens and jerks the shovel forward, almost leaving Maggie behind, but she quickly regains her two-handed grip.

“Grandma doesn’t look too happy does she?” Grandpa says.

“You’re probably in trouble,” Julia says.

“Ooo, Grandpa’s in trouble!” Danny teases.

All the kids in the cart join in on teasing him about getting in trouble. Maggie lets out her squeals and giggles as the shovel skates along the ice. She slides off to the right and hits a small drift of snow, blowing it all up in her face. Her scream causes Grandpa to slam on the break, and turn to see Maggie laughing as the shovel slides to a stop.

“You okay?” He calls back.

“Yeah! The snow got all over me,” she stands up and walks toward the cart, “someone else can go!”

“I’ll go!” Alison quickly hops off and runs on the ice.

“No fair!” Danny yells after her.

She laughs triumphantly and sits down on the shovel.

“Ready?” Grandpa yells.

Alison gives a thumbs up through her gloves.

“Hold on tight,” Grandpa says to the kids in the cart, “we’re gonna whip her around.”

They all hold onto one another and giggle as he pushes the gas pedal to the floor. The cart screeches on the ice and takes off, pulling the rope tight and dragging Alison along. All the kids scream and use their arms to block the piercing wind. Grandpa weaves the cart to the left and right. Alison holds on with one hand and lets the other flop around like she’s on a roller coaster.

Grandpa looks back to be sure she’s still on and makes his way across the center of the pond. The kids are laughing and waving over to Grandma, who’s laughing now, at the sight of all the kids having fun.

- - -

Out of nowhere the cart slams to an abrupt stop and everyone onboard the cart is thrown forward and splashed with freezing cold water. The fun and joyful screams quickly turn to cries of panic. The sound of breaking ice below the tires fills the space in between screams. Grandpa doesn’t hesitate to act and grabs the grandkid closest to him, Julia, and throws her over onto unbroken ice. The pond water surrounds his feet and begins dragging the cart underwater. Julia lands with a thud several feet away from the growing hole. Grandma drops her cup of coffee and starts running toward the pond. Danny, Maggie, and Jake stand on the seats to avoid the water and hold on to the cart.

Alison doesn’t have enough time to abandon the shovel as she watches the cart go through the ice. Grandpa quickly pulls Maggie out of the way, just as Alison crashes into the back of the golf cart, and causing more ice to break.

Grandpa gets Maggie onto the ice. Alison untangles herself from the rope. Jake is able to hoist himself onto the ice without breaking more, then he turns around to fish Danny out.

“Danny, grab my hand!”

Grandma steps onto the ice and slowly wades her way over to Julia, who’s sobbing in the same place she landed.

Danny grabs ahold of Jake’s hand and the added weight causes a whole section of ice to break off. Both Jake and Maggie plunge back into the water, making the hole even bigger. Grandpa throws Alison out of the water.

Maggie resurfaces and grabs ahold of the cart and cries. Danny and Jake swim through sheets of ice to get to the cart.

“Maggie let go,” Alison screams as a massive air bubble comes out from the cart causing it to sink to the bottom of the pond. Grandpa, Danny, Jake and Maggie have nothing to stand on anymore.

Grandpa hoists Danny out of the water. Grandma screams for them to get away from the edge. Danny helps pull Jake out of the water despite her cries.

Grandpa treads water and frantically looks for Maggie.

Alison cries, “where’s Maggie!”

“Alison!” Grandma screams.

Grandpa goes below the ice to look through the dark water. He frantically swims toward the cart at the bottom of the pond, avoiding thick shards of ice.

After looking in every direction, he finally spots her in her bright yellow snow coat slowly sliding along the underside of the ice. He desperately swims to her and grabs hold of her yellow coat.

It’s empty.

He screams all his air out, “Maggie!”

- - -

Grandpa’s eyelids jolt open, he’s covered in sweat in his recliner chair. The sun shining in through the windows that overlook the backyard and shimmering pond water. He looks around the room and wipes the sweat off his forehead.

He goes out onto the back patio breathing in the fresh summer air. He makes his way over to the pier that extends out into the middle of the pond. Unable to take his eyes off the murky water, the sun reflects off something metal at the bottom of the pond. He stares at the spot until his eyes can make out the rest of the sunken golf cart.

A high pitched scream rings out across the yard and turns to chills on Grandpa’s skin. The grandkids are in their bathing suits and running straight for the pier.

“You’re not gonna beat me!” yells Jake as he takes the lead ahead of Danny.

“No fair, your legs are longer!”

Alison is on Danny’s tail. All their faces are full of determination to be the first in the water. Their feet stomp along the wooden planks of the pier.

“Hi Grandpa!” Jake and Danny say together as they pass him.

“Be careful,” he says.

“I will!” Alison declares.

“It’s slippery!”

Jake, Danny and then Alison all take giant leaps into the air, and their collective splashes erupt in every direction. The ripples of the water distort the view of the submerged golf cart. Julia waves at Grandpa as she passes by at a noncompetitive speed and jumps into the water, barely disrupting the splashy water.

“Grandpa, are you coming in?”

Grandpa turns to see Maggie walking toward him with a bright yellow hat on her head.

Grandpa smilies with relief in his eyes, “oh no, sweetheart. Not today.”

“Okay. Can you hold my hat?” Maggie hands her hat to Grandpa.

“Sure thing.”

Maggie gets a running start, then jumps off the edge of the pier and lands in the water with a big splash. Maggie emerges from the water laughing and joins the others in whatever game they’ve started.

The wooden planks behind Grandpa creek as Grandma walks up behind him.

“Nice day out,” Grandma says.

He remains silent and she notices the look in his eyes.

She sighs, “you had the dream again.”

Grandpa nods without looking away from the grandkids.

“Who was it this time?”

“Maggie,” Grandpa says, “I lost Maggie this time.”

Grandma rubs his back and they stand together watching their grandkids play in the very water that haunts him.