The Oar in the Dark Lake

Lotte and Pilar pushed the small boat off the dock. The lake was black and still. A thousand stars shone above them.

"Tonight is the best night for meteors," Lotte said. "My brother Reuben told me."

"Where is he?" Pilar asked.

"He is on the dock. He has a big torch."

Reuben waved from the dock. "Take the lamp," he called. Pilar pressed the button, but the lamp stayed dark.

"The battery is dead," she said. "It is too late to find a new one."

"We do not need it," Lotte said. "We have the stars. I know the way."

Pilar sat at the front with a bag of snacks. Lotte sat in the middle and rowed. The boat moved slowly across the water.

Pilar told a long story about her cat. Lotte laughed so hard that the boat shook. They both stopped and held the sides.

After ten minutes, the dock lights looked very small. Lotte stopped and lifted both oars. "This is a good place," she said.

Then one oar slipped from her hand. It hit the water with a loud splash. Lotte reached for it, but it floated away.

"Oh no," Lotte said. "I cannot see it."

Pilar took out her phone. She turned on the light. The oar was a long dark shape on the water. It was five meters away.

"Do not worry," Pilar said. "I can see it. It has white tape on the end."

"We have only one oar now," Lotte said.

"Then we use it like a paddle," Pilar said. "Give it to me."

Lotte gave her the oar. Pilar knelt at the front. She put the oar in the water. Lotte used her hand on the other side.

"Left a little," Lotte said. "No, more left."

"Now it is close," Pilar said. "Hold the light for me."

Lotte took the phone. Pilar pushed the oar through the water. The boat turned slowly. The white tape came closer and closer.

Pilar reached out and caught the oar. "Got it!" she said.

They laughed. Lotte took both oars again. Her hands were cold and wet. She rowed with care, and the boat moved straight.

A fish jumped near the boat. Pilar jumped too, and Lotte laughed again.

"Let us stay here," Pilar said. "We do not need to row any more."

They lay back in the boat. The water made a soft sound under them. Lotte turned off the phone. The sky became very bright.

"There!" Pilar whispered. A white line crossed the sky and was gone.

"I saw it!" Lotte said. "Look, there is another one."

They counted twelve meteors. Pilar ate the last snack. Then Lotte looked at the shore.

"Where is the dock?" she asked.

Pilar sat up. The boat had moved in the dark. All the lights looked the same.

Then a bright light flashed three times on the shore. It was Reuben with his big torch.

"There it is," Lotte said. "He calls us."

Pilar held the phone up and flashed it back. Lotte rowed toward the torch with strong, slow strokes.

When the boat touched the dock, Reuben took the rope. "How many did you see?" he asked.

"Twelve," Pilar said.

"We lost an oar, and we found it," Lotte said. "Pilar was the hero."

"No," Pilar said. "We did it together. You held the light."

Reuben laughed. "Next time, I bring a better lamp," he said.

Above his head, one last white line crossed the sky.