My Mother Always Warned Me, “Never Go to the Lake Alone With Your Grandpa. But When I Was Eight Years Old, Grandpa Took Me on a Boat to the Middle of the Lake, Suddenly Turned Off the Engine, and Whispered, “Your Mother Is Afraid You’ll Find Out What I Did to Her When She Was Your Age.” I Started Trembling With Fear

“Emily, would you like to go for a little boat ride?”

I remembered my mother’s warning.

“Mommy doesn’t allow it.”

Grandpa stared at the lake for a long time.

Then he said,

“I know. But there’s something she has never told you.”

“What is it?”

He removed his sunglasses.

“I can only show you in the middle of the lake.”

I didn’t know what to say.

Grandpa added,

“We’ll be back soon. But if you don’t want to go, we won’t.”

I agreed.

He helped me put on a life jacket, checked the boat, and we headed away from shore.

At first, everything was beautiful.

The water sparkled beneath the sunlight.

Birds flew overhead.

But when we were far enough from shore, Grandpa suddenly turned off the engine.

The boat stopped.

There was nothing but water all around us.

“Grandpa, why did we stop?”