Dare to Dream

After the peaceful Sunday service, the wind at the old lake cottage in Whitehall, Michigan blew strongly, blowing the American flag at full attention. Our story starts with two brothers, about to embark on a lake voyage for the ages. Never before in the history of their family has someone taken their sailboat out into the murky depths of Lake Michigan, into the waters that have engulfed entire vessels in years past.
"Looks like a good day to sail, wouldn't you say Dan?"
"The wind looks good, but I don’t know if I want to go, man. Maybe later, I don’t feel so good."
Exasperated, the eldest brother pleads, “Come on Danny! Please! We may not get a better chance to get to the big one." This was true. The wind, blowing strongly in from the channel, made it a perfect day to take the small Sunfish out.
“It’s perfect out there Dan! Once we get out there, you’ll feel better, I promise, and plus, you are always nervous beforehand. We’ll stop to go swimming too. What do you say?”
“Fine! But we’re not staying out there too long, alright?” demanded the younger. Once the younger brother was eventually convinced to go sailing, the two pushed off the weedy shore near their cottage to venture off into White Lake and later on, Lake Michigan.

The trip out to the channel was simple, just like the several other adventures they've been on before. Ride the wind, tack 4 or 5 times in the middle, round the bend on the north side of the lake, and head towards the channel. The younger sat near the stern, grasping the old wooden rudder with one hand while the elder sat in the middle of the hull manhandling the sail. The conversations the two had varied topics all the way to the channel. They talked of past summer memories like watching the 4th of July fireworks off the pier and exploring in the woods where their sister got poison ivy. They talked of girls and who the younger might possibly take to Homecoming or even Prom. Followed by sports, which they couldn't watch on vacation thanks to the television from the 1960’s.
On that note, this antique of a cottage has been in their family since the 1930’s. Colonial dishes stood in the dining room, while hand painted Swedish plates surrounded the kitchen and the wooden walls of the sitting room. The inevitable musty smell and dust oozed out of the cushions on the couch whenever you sat down, while the wooden floors creaked even when a slender ally cat walked on them. The old pre- 30’s telephone was a common play toy for the kids growing up, but now they found joy in discovering vintage documents from their great- aunt and uncle. Exploring the dark and musty basement where the real antiques were held, deep in the old pantry where the coal was stored to supply the heat in the winter. There was a hint of fear that if you spent too much time inside the house, it would fall apart. So, on that note, the family tried to spend as much time outside as possible, much of that spent out on the lake. No problem.
Now back to our sailors, on their journey to Lake Michigan, the conversation trailed to the worst word imaginable in any summer setting, school. Oh, how tender the topic. The younger, entering the despised junior year in High School, had the ACT, SAT, and PSAE tests to look forward to, as well as any other ugly acronym you can think of. The elder on the other hand was entering his freshman year in college, starting a new chapter in his life, away from the curfew and parenting styles of his old home- as if those two restrictions were so terrible-. They tired not to talk much of school though, for the summer was coming to a close and soon the two brothers, whose kinship, strong and youthful like lion cubs, would soon be separated.

Sooner, rather than later, the two entered the channel that led into the great Lake Michigan. They could see the mighty whitecaps before them, the seagulls flying above the fisherman, and the smell of fresh Michigan trout being fried by the restaurant nearby. The two quickly realized that the small Sunfish, venturing into the grand stadium of the channel, was like a rookie playing their first professional game in front of a sold out crowd. They seemed minuscule to the lake going vessels that surrounded them.

“Hey, is it just me, or do we seem like cats in a lions-den here?” asked the younger

“Oh Dude! Yeah, that is exactly what we are right now!” said the elder followed by great, belly-aching laughter from the two.

“Hey, stay focused here Danny! If we capsize, we’ll be the laughing-stock of the whole channel!”

“Yeah, yeah. You know, I’m getting a little hot. I may just have to take a...” At that moment, Danny let go of the rudder and the sail, making the boat sway, unbalanced in the slow churning waters of the channel. At one point the boat came dangerously close to tipping, which would be catastrophic, and not to mention humiliating.
“Okay, maybe not! Sorry bro.” said the younger after re-balancing the boat.
“Dan, you can’t mess around! Not here, and defiantly not out there.” the elder stated pointing out into the tumultuous whitecaps of Lake Michigan. A pit started to form in the younger’s stomach at the sight of this. He wasn’t afraid of water, no not in the slightest, but the fact that the two would soon be in the midst of the churning waves didn’t settle well with him. Like the impossible knot in your sneakers that you can never undo, an uneasiness started to form and linger inside him. Silently and slowly, like a cheetah stalking his prey, a sense of panic started to sneak into the younger’s mind.

Sail full of wind, face full of water, and adrenaline pumping, the two brothers ventured out into the abyss of the great lake. Leaving the lighthouse barely in sight, the two then stopped to rest –or more like to fest, like the Vikings of old, to their accomplishments-. Down went the sail, and out went their feet, hanging on the side of the sailboat. With the seagulls soaring above, and the 4 o’clock sun beaming down on them, the two bit into their golden delicious, squirting juice into the lake and sending a crisp crunch so loud that it could have measured on the Richter’s Scale.

When a strong, cooler breeze slapped the two in their faces, the two brother’s mindsets were drawn back to reality and out of the paradise of which it came.

“Dan, we need to go. Look what’s behind us!” stated the elder with a panic look in his eye. With every muscle in the younger’s body telling him not to look back because of the fear of what might be, he did so anyway, only to find the once white fluffy clouds churning and brewing to make an eerie greenish blue. The water turned from the majestic cyan to a deep midnight navy. The two brothers have seen this before, but never had they been out in the open waters, isolated from the sandy beaches, which were a good several miles away.

“Danny! Let’s go! Help me with the sail. We need to catch as much as this wind as possible! We need to beat the storm home.” exclaimed the elder. The younger couldn’t move though. The panic sensation that dissipated for some time was now back, lurking and stalking each corner his mind with a vengeance. Fear staring the younger right in the face, like a leopard’s green eyes popping out from the black set back of it’s fur, paralyzed the younger from head to toe.

“Maybe we should just call Mom and Dad.” said the younger with panic in every word, “They could meet us at the beach. We’re never going to make it home in time, the storms coming too fast!”

“No way. Listen to me. Get your head on straight. Fight through whatever is telling you that we can’t beat this storm home. We can! We’re the fastest sailors on this lake right now! Now get ready to go the fastest you ever have on this boat!” At this moment, the elder’s personality seemed to change from panic to elation. Seeming to feed off the new challenge that lay ahead of them, the elder found new strength in him, shifted from a state of panic to a sense of tranquility in a matter of seconds. The younger on the other hand, with alarm in his head, fear swirling about, started thinking why he even said ‘yes’ to sailing.

“Okay”, said the younger, trying to sound brave, “Let’s get home. Let’s dare to dream!”

Sail set, and hands on rope and rudder, the two were off and sailing. The boat, almost vertical, because of their raging speed, one could see the hull and part of the dagger board. The two sailed literally and mentally, on edge!

“Keep this course Dan! This is great!” the elder said with extreme determination in his voice. Maturity and leadership flowing though his veins like the water flowing past the bow of the Sunfish. The younger, still partially blocked by his fear of failure couldn’t be like his older brother. Trying to convince himself that if he imitated his brother’s actions, exposed his confident and mature side, they could make it home. However, instead he found himself looking back several times to see his hopes crushed by the incoming, churning storm.

We won’t make it! We need to dock at the beach as soon as possible! Right? Like, we can’t make it. It’s already raining. It’s impossible. NO! He told himself. No, I need to believe! Believe that we can make it! Overcome your fear of not making it, of being lost. You’re with your brother. He is with you and he will help guide you home. I will make it with him. Like a relay team in track, we each need to complete our tasks and see it to the end. We will not loose to this storm. We are going to beat it! “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.”

Now, with his new found strength, the younger shouted, “Let’s go! Let’s beat this storm!”

Into the channel they went, a natural wind block from the strong, chill air that threatened their sailboat. In order to get through, one needed to paddle with an oar while the other steers and holds the sails. Like clockwork, the two exchanged positions. The younger got the paddle and moved towards the bow, while the elder strayed towards the stern. For what could have lasted ten minutes lasted just five with the pristine chemistry of the brothers.

Muscles aching and mindsets headstrong, the two headed out of the channel and into the smaller lake. At this minute, the rain drops started to fall harder, the roar of the thunder booming, and the clouds rolling and swirling about for the next part of the adventure of the summer. The journey home would conclude the epic adventure. The dream that seemed impossible; a fantasy that became their reality. The dream they dared to take. The tail that would dwell in their memories and strengthen their kinship, forever.