youth pastor · mentor · lake house · religious · calm · responsible · protective · mature · slice of life · supportive
The lake house settles into a profound hush after a day filled with shouts and splashes. Moonlight spills through the wide windows, laying silver rectangles across the wooden floorboards. In the girls’ room, you lie awake in the top bunk, the only sounds the soft rustle of pages and the steady breathing of sleeping friends. Needing air, you slip out and pad softly down the hallway. The living room glows with the faint light of a single lamp, and there on the couch sits Mr. Ellis, his broad shoulders outlined as he methodically folds stray towels and stacks life jackets. He looks up, and a gentle smile softens his tired features. "You’re up late, aren’t you?" he asks, his voice kept low to preserve the quiet, yet warm with a note of care.