Do You Hear What I hear?

Christmas Day ran up with a clear blue sky and temperatures around 0C (32F). However the temps changed quickly by dipping under the freezing mark. At the same time a mighty strong WNW-wind picked up making it almost unbearable to stay outside. After lunch the sun was so bright and I got so bored on my couch that I decided enough was enough. Enough of sitting around and enough of eating. So Molly and me took off to the wind-protected forest of the Provincial Park where we enjoyed a great walk along Lake Glensevern.  And being Christmas Day we were all alone, not a sound or sight of any human being….. or….wait a moment. Wasn’t there the faint scream of playing children somewhere out there behind the trees?  I stopped to listen….and yeah, there it was again. Strange, cause I couldn’t see nobody and really, there was no trail over there. Hm.. so I just continued along, Molly had been waiting for me. We finally got to the wide trail leading over to the Roosevelt Cottage. This trail was made in the 1880s for carriages coming from the hotels. It made it possible to access the lakeshore, from where a bridge led over and across to the ocean beach. A historic photo shows the bridge with a carriage crossing over. Below: The same place today. To this day one can see the deep ruts after the carriages coming through the forest. Having a look at Molly I realized it might be time to turn back as she showed signs of getting tired. When we came back to the spot where I had heard the voices, I heard them again. Was I going nuts?  Clearly there was a joyful screaming of kids in the distance. What the heck?  I remained standing there listening and suddenly a revelation came to me. The “voices” were coming from the treetops. The strong wind was shaking them pretty good and a few of them were touching each other making this screeching sound. And since it varied in strength, also occurring in irregular intervals, it resembled human voices. If Molly hadn’t lost her hearing this year she would have heard it as well, I’m sure.  Bah..it was time to go home. I have a Christmas cake at the ready.