Lady of the Lake

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I approached Lake Ire from the east and found its repose amusing. For all the storms I'd weathered on this icy continent, the relative peace I found here felt oddly out of place. The hill to the west hushed, almost entirely, the eastern flowing winds over the lake.

Circling around the north of this lake of mercurial water, I ended up on the west side where the land rose just above the liquid. I traveled to the center of the lake and removed the bottled ectoplasm from my bag to begin the ritual. I wasn't certain how to begin, but at the very moment that hesitant thought entered my mind, a voice called out as if carried by a wind:

"Place your offerings in my waters."

I moved forward to the inner edge of the lake and removed the cork from the bottle, emptying the ectoplasm into the water. I stood back as several moments passed without incident. I began to wonder if my anticipation had played a trick on me. Moments later, the wind began to rush around me, gradually becoming more forceful. Snow began to fall, lightly at first, and the air grew thin. Then, just there at the lake's center, a spirit of feminine stature appeared.

"You seek the secrets of Niflheim and her islands."

I was ensnared by her troubling calm and ethereal substance. I could not speak.

"Bring me gifts, young life, and I will reveal them to you."

As quickly as she had appeared, she dispersed in the wind and snow around me. The zephyr slowly died and the snow grew light before stopping entirely. The lake knew tranquility again.

I have not returned to Lake Ire since.