A Human Element Read Online Free PDF Page B

She stuck out her hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you."
    Jim looked at her hand as if unsure what to do, as if children were a mystery to him. Finally, he shook her hand and nodded.
    "Cool sunrise, huh?" Laura pointed at the sky. "I like to come here early when no one is around. It's as if I'm the only person awake in the whole world. But now you're here, too. Did you get up just to see the sunrise?"
    "Um, not exactly. Scooter here had to go out."
    "Oh yeah, dogs are like that, I guess. I never had one but wanted one. We just have cats but they live in the barn. And chickens, too. I feed them and clean their house. I name them all, too, and can tell them apart. They're feathers are so soft. We got new ones this year to lay more eggs to sell."
    " Hmph ." Jim nodded. His gaze followed her hands that painted pictures in the air. "You must live close by if you biked here, eh?" Jim moved a little closer and jerked a thumb at her bike.
    "I do. I live a couple miles away on top of a hill, on the long windy road going down the mountain."
    "I know where it is. I live up there." He pointed up into the woods.
    "I know. I've seen you sometimes. You're the only person who still lives year-round above the lake, right? People call you a hermit. Are you?"
    "Am I what?"
    "A hermit?" She tilted her head at him and raised her eyebrows.
    "No." He paused for a moment. "I am a solitudinarian."
    Laura giggled and spread her arms out wide. "What the heck is that?"
    "A person who chooses to be alone and does it well."
    "So what's the difference between that and a hermit?"
    Jim looked out over the lake. The sun rose clear of the horizon now. "A hermit is sad and lonely and lives far away from people. I am none of those."
    "But you're not near people. You're the only person who lives at the lake now."
    "Yes, but not by choice. The government took care of that."
    "What do you mean?"
    "Well, that's a conversation for another day."
    "So we'll meet again?" Laura flicked her hair out of her face and grinned at him.
    "I suppose." Jim nodded in a non-committal fashion. "Do your parents know you're here?"
    They continued to pet Scooter, who by now leaned his long body into both of them, luxuriating in all the affection.
    "They know I take off early in the morning to catch sunrises. It's all part of my journal writing, see?" Laura picked up her book from her blanket and flipped through the pages. "I'm making a sunrise diary. It's a book of all the different sunrises I see in all kinds of weather. Clear skies, snow, rain, mist. Sunrises are like snowflakes you know, each one is special. Today's sunrise is different than any other sunrise you'll see. Neat, huh?"
    Jim scratched his cropped, gray hair and gave her a full smile. Minute by minute he seemed less like a hermit to her and more like a friend.
    "Definitely," Jim said. "But why not take pictures of the sunrises and have a real visual memory, not just a description?"
    Laura's eyes grew wide and she clapped one hand on her journal, startling Scooter. "Aha! Because a picture is so easy to take. Every sunrise I see makes me feel and see different stuff. Mist is a cool one. The sun glows through it and the water drops look like glittery fairies. And my description of each sunrise will also change because of how I feel that day too. That can't be found in a picture, right?"
    "Hmm…photographers may argue the point, but I get it." Jim now had a full grin on his face. "Well, time for us to go. Come on, Scooter, you old dog."
    Laura knelt down and put her arms around Scooter's neck. "You're so sweet, I love you."
    Scooter woofed in agreement.
    "You could meet me here again some other sunrise, you know, or anytime? You and Scooter. I'm home-schooled so can come whenever."
    Jim looked down at her and nodded. "We just might. Bye now."
    Laura waved as they left and turned back to the lake. The sun grew bright overhead. The mist had blown off the water. The day stood open for business. Since she missed writing about the