the saddle in the black grass

The inland slope is steeper than it appeared from the beach. Black-green grass reaches mid-calf and bends in long synchronized waves under the wind. The sea drops away behind until the tidal flats become bands of silver and charcoal and the basalt stack looks small again. At the saddle between the hills the wind changes direction. Beyond is a shallow upland basin invisible from the shore, holding a dark freshwater lake no more than half a mile across. Its surface is smooth despite the moving air. Low juniper and heather gather along the banks. There is no building, road, fence, or boat. Near the western shore, however, a single line of flat stones extends into the water at walking intervals, each stone just above the surface, continuing much farther than seems useful before ending near the lake's center. From the saddle, another faint path contours around the eastern hill toward higher ground where the coast can no longer be seen.

From city records