Mystery from the Kawarthas! |
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Phillip Hong |
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There was a fair bit of condensation in the middle of an uncertain summer's
night. Seagulls were flying vainly in the black sky while the mosquitoes and
flies avoid my DEET-drenched skin, as I stepped from rock to rock.
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I am on an island that lacks a name but there is a cottage on the other side of
where we set up camp, and it seemed eery to find that no other occupants existed
when we got there.
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It's not the perfect place to sleep for the night; the insects and animals had
practically overrun the place. But it was by the wishes of other friends that I
had accompanied with through this interesting journey, and all our bags were
brought off the boat with great difficulty due to the slick, algae-laced
lakebed. The mental assumption was that this was a reliable spot to camp in
Cottage Country.
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The curiosity got to our heads and I was soon dragged onto the tail of a samba
line that wanted to see more of this mysterious island.
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The front door of the cottage that sat on this island had a small wooden cross
nailed to it, the screen door immediately in front, nailed shut. The back door
was padlocked, while a nearby wooden shed had a mitten hanging by the doorway.
A concrete block had the year 1928 etched on by hand, and it was almost too
unusual for us to understand.
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Buckets of flies floated frustratingly by as the insect repllent I used was
effective. The others lit an intimidating fire, and using the firewood we
found beside the cottage, we had disturbed and remembered a lost soul.
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But what was in that cottage? Why was it nailed shut?
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Why has this island been overrun by the wild, as neighbours nearby had coveted
their cleanliness?
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What happened in 1928?
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That, we will probably never know. But this is one hell of an escape within
Ontario.
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I have to end on a pretty depressing note though; through the night, a female
friend who I really care about was sick with a cold-like illness, retching
near the extinguished camp fire as the full moon passed its way through the
night sky.
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It's already interesting enough.
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Lovesick Lake, part of the Kawarthas, is a one hour drive plus a boat ride
from Peterborough, Ontario. Its beauty comes in the form of the natural
vistas, forests and wildlife. |
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