It was the dock she would get splinters at when she was young.  Two smoother, newer oak docks flanked it on either side.  She had always liked that one the most, though, because it extended just a little bit further into the lake.  She let her feet hang at the end of the dock, realizing that they were now perfectly submerged underneath the warm, mossy water below.  It wasn’t like when she was young, and her toes barely kissed the surface.
She knew fall was coming.  Amber and gold lingered in the trees, and the remaining green was beginning to lose its luster.  A windy air rustled, a wind she realized might grow up to be a crisp chill.  She shouldn’t waste her time here, she knew that.  She should go back to the shore, with her friends.  She should laugh, and have a good time, and savor the summer before it slipped away.  Something, however, kept her put.  An invisible hand coaxingly held on to her and refused to let go.  It made her hear the forgotten rhythm of the trees, and how it mixed with her breath, and how the water rippled around her ankles.
New ripples formed, and she realized that someone had popped out of the lake.  It was a little girl, maybe six or seven years younger than her, with bright blue eyes and a fresh smile that was missing a couple teeth.  “Hey!” she shouted energetically.  Her voice was soft but powerful, and seemed to echo on the lake’s open water. The high-pitched, uncontrolled voice almost shattered the serenity of the lake.  “You’re back!”
She considered not talking to the little girl.  She knew that could just stand up and walk back to the shore.  She also knew, however, that that wasn’t the right thing to do.  “Yeah,” she whispered, “it’s been a while.”
The little girl only giggled, unsure of what to say next.  She carefully made her way closer to the dock, wading her way through the water.
The lake was glittering.  It was almost sunset now, the girl realized.  How long had she been out there?  Time didn’t seem to have any meaning on that lake.  An orange sun brushed against the treetops, igniting the sky with its fiery haze.  “Pretty,” the little girl remarked.
“Yeah,” she said.  She liked the word ‘pretty’ too much.  She used it excessively, especially when she was young.  Pretty colors, pretty dolls, pretty clothes, and eventually, pretty boys.  Once something new caught her eye, it was the only pretty thing that mattered.  It made her forget about the old pretty things, like sunsets and swimming.  A part of her wanted to go into the water with the little girl, but she knew that it was impossible.  It had been an eternity since she’d seen something like a lake and she wasn’t quite sure she could still swim.  Looking down from the sun, she realized that the little girl was now staring up at her, eyes wide with innocent bliss.  “Think you should get outta the water soon?  It’s getting dark.”
“Nah,” the little girl said, giggling.  She realized that she always used to giggle, too.  It was a fresh, joyful sound that she no longer thought she could produce the same way.  She only laughed now, and only when things were funny.
The sun fell behind the trees, and an inky blackness enveloped the lake.  Only the little girl’s head, still with a shining smile, could be seen.  She still looked up expectantly at the older girl, who couldn’t understand what she wanted.  Then a new voice entered the lake, which made both girls look away.  “We’re leaving!  Get your stuff!”
Now, it was very easy to pick her feet out of the water, and stand up on the old dock.  “Sorry,” she muttered, turning away from the little girl.  She was no longer smiling, but she understood.  The peaceful evening silence now completely ended with the horrible creaking as she walked back down the dock, away from the little girl.
“Hold on!” the little girl called out.  She didn’t sound upset, but the electricity seemed to have dissipated from her voice.  “When are you gonna come back?”
She heard the little girl, but no words came out of her mouth to respond.  Instead, she just kept walking.