School

After racing tonight, as the sun went down (so early....), I sat with the Hooked On Tonics girls on the back of the boat waiting for the launch to come out and get us. One of the H.O.T. girls was fretting about her boyfriend, and as I listened and asked questions I watched the water and batted the swarm of mosquitos away from my hair. It was still except for a patch of water not too far away, where there were dappled rings and ripples. There was a school of small fish near the surface, their small silver bodies flashing and occasionally breaking the surface with a splash. The sky was blue draining into pale yellow, with strands of clouds lit up orangey-pink. The school of fish drifted over until it was all around us, little silver darts appearing for an instant in the greeny-dark water and then diving away, leaving just a small round ripple behind. The air was chilly, like fall.