The campsite was perched on a narrow sandy ledge. Cedars blocked the view of the lake, while a dark curtain of hemlock and pine closed off the inland view. Thick grey fog filled the site and blocked out the treetops. Save for the dripping of moisture from every tree, all was silent ... no birds, no wind, no waves.

    Brandon was the first to wake. He pulled on his boots, jacket and hat; then slipped quietly out of the tent. Pushing between dripping cedars, he slid down the sandy slope to the gravel beach below.

    Over the lake, the fog was even thicker. Beyond a dozen feet, it melded with the featureless dark water and formed a dim grey void. Brandon swiveled around. For the moment, his entire world was twenty-odd feet of gravel beach, a band of cedar trees and the faint complaint of the gravel grinding under his boots.

    Brandon tossed his hat down, so as to have a dry place to sit. Orienting himself toward the fog-filled lake, he sat down, clasping his arms around his knees. The view was not unlike the blank image one sees just before surrendering to a dream. For a fleeting moment he imagined he was asleep.

    A faint, whispering hiss came to his ears. From his head or from the fog, Brandon couldn't tell. A low, throbbing pulse came next. Through the heavy damp air and the very stones of the beach, it was everywhere. Were his senses so deprived that his mind was magnifying his body's own sounds?

    But then, as if to remove doubt, the very ground shook. The surface of the lake jumped up into splashes. The beach gravel crunched beneath him. And behind it all, a low rumbling rose and fell. Then, once again the water was still.

    There was no thinning or movement of the fog, but Brandon could discern a distinct brightening. The light was no longer like that of pre-dawn, but quickly approaching that of mid-day. This was not rising fog, thinning mist or parting clouds. There was no wind. Yet now it was almost blinding, as if the sun had gone wild.

    Brandon squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face into his knees. Light forced its way into his closed eyes. No heat, no sound, just the penetrating light.

    Suddenly, it was gone. There was no light at all. Or was it no sight at all? An earthquake, a comet, an eclipse or blindness?

    Then, as if the very bedrock was shifting upon itself, a deep tortured grinding echoed from the distance, finally fading into the black silence.

    Brandon’s fears came crashing in. Groping through his pockets, he searched out his penlight. Holding it firmly in both hands, he turned it to his face and clicked it on. Dazzling, the tiny bulb glared in its full glory.

    He yelled out into the blackness, "Hey! What the...?"

    From behind him, voices called, "Lewis, what's going on? What was that? Brandon, where are you?" A pair of flashlight beams poked from behind the cedar trees.

    Pushing his fears back, Brandon called out, "Down on the beach. I'm coming. Keep your lights on!"

    The oil lantern cast its yellow light across the faces of Lewis, Andy and Gordie. Sitting like three lumps on the log, their eyes were riveted on Brandon.

    Gordie broke the silence, "Brandon. Its half past two, the middle of the night, and we've just been scared crazy. And you were out there with whatever it was. Now, tell us! What was it?"

    Brandon could see the terror stamped on their faces. He had been beyond the trees, in the light, in the dark, and with the noise. He knew that if he could calm their fears, there was a chance he could calm his own.

    "I woke up and the light was there. The fog fooled me. I thought it was dawn, so I went down to the beach. I couldn’t see past ten feet. I sat down. Sounds started softly, and then changed into some kind of earthquake. The light got really bright ... blinding bright. And then it went pitch black. I thought I was blind. Then came that awful grinding noise. I got out my penlight. I realized I wasn't blind and yelled out. That's when you heard me!" Brandon shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows. "When did you guys wake up?"

    Gordie's fear seemed replaced with suspicion. "The shaking woke us up. The light flooded right into the tent. The trees were silhouetted by it. The light was right over the beach. And then it was gone. We got our flashlights on and realized you were gone. We left the tent and heard you yell from down on the beach. Brandon, where did you go?"

    Brandon realized they imagined him abducted aboard a flying saucer for half the night. "I went down to the beach and sat on my hat the whole time. Gordie, it's still down there! The only difference is, I was awake longer than you and I got scared a hell of a lot more!"

    Lewis's eyes squinted as he pointed his finger at Brandon. "There's another difference, Brandon. I never heard a damn thing until you yelled down on the beach. Did you guys hear any sounds or grinding noises?" Gordie and Andy slowly shook their heads.

    Andy finally commented, "Brandon. It was bad enough for us. But, one thing's for sure. Whether you know it or not, you were in the thick of it."

    Brandon rubbed his face, tilted his head back and yawned. "Do you think we could brew up a pot of coffee? I don't think we'll be going back to sleep tonight."

    Overhead a gentle breeze stirred the trees. The fog thinned. In the blackness, Brandon caught sight of a pair of stars.

    He shivered  .   .   .