The First Day

Tomas and his daughter Ana arrived at the lake on Friday afternoon. The water was flat and quiet, and tall trees stood all around it. They were the only people there.

“This is going to be a good weekend,” Tomas said. He lifted the heavy bag from the car.

First, they put up the tent. It was harder than Tomas remembered. Ana held the poles while he pushed them through the cloth. The tent fell down once, then twice, and they both laughed. At last it stood up, a little crooked, but strong enough.

“Now we go fishing,” Ana said.

They sat by the water with two small rods. The sun was warm. A few insects danced over the lake, and a fish jumped, far away. They didn’t catch anything, but Ana didn’t mind. She liked the quiet.

That night, they ate bread and soup by the fire and watched the stars. “On the second day, we’re going to swim,” Ana said, already planning. Tomas smiled and said yes.