#Chapter 65 – Visitation

“Oh, wow,” Anton says, straightening from his place at my side to gaze out over the black lake, shimmering like a flat expanse of rippled obsidian before us. “That’s…incredible.” And he’s right. I stare in awe at the sight before me – the lake, ringed by a wide expanse of dark pines, shining with the orange and blue and silver light of three moons hanging above it. An incredible sight – the sort of thing to which photography or paintings could never truly do justice. “Yeah, it’s pretty,” Orion says with a proud smile, crossing his arms over his chest. Our serene moment is interrupted by Laila’s loud and rather wild shout of joy as she claps her hands together and makes a dash for the lake. “Whoa,” Orion says, watching her. I have to admit, my response is the same. “She’s a seal,” Anton says with a shrug. “She likes water.” As we watch Laila shifts the instant her foot touches the water, instantly taking her seal form and diving low beneath the surface. She disappears from