".........the buzzing "was" getting louder, coming towards me from across the lake, the rough brown water appeared to calm with it's passing. Closer and closer it advanced, gaining in intensity, until it finally reached the shoreline, the limestone blocks dissolving as it passed over (through?) them. And still, the buzzing didn't stop. Now sounding like thousands of bees, it continued on up the slope, dissolving everything in it's path, speeding on up to where I sat."
I've spent a fair amount of time over the last week or so thinking about some of the strange things that I've been lucky enough, or not, to of witnessed over the years. One, in particular, kept replaying over and over again in my mind................It was early summer in 1966 and it all happened on the north western shore of Lake Ontario. That was when Lake Ontario and Lake Erie in particular and the other Great Lakes to a somewhat lesser extent, were so polluted that you could just about dig holes in them. The commercial fishery was all but a memory and what few salmon & trout still managed to make their way to their spawning grounds were wasting away, half dead, thanks to an out of control lamprey infestation. The shores were eroding away at an unprecedented rate and the Ministry of (Conservation?) Natural Resources had piled great blocks of limestone all along the shoreline, in an effort to "stem the tide", so to speak of the erosion.
The particular section of shoreline that this "phenomenon" is concerned with was backed by a sand cliff some ten meters or thirty feet high. At the base of this, the ground sloped down at a 35 or 40 degree angle, towards the limestone block "break wall" some 20' away. This sloped section of ground was overgrown with tall weeds and scrub brush, bushes and the accumulated detritus of human habitation, thanks to years of neglect. I suppose it would be considered an "eye-sore" to anyone cruising by, close to shore, in their "Cris Craft" cruiser but, to me it was a great place to sit and contemplate, away from traffic and people. I could climb up the slope about halfway between the limestone "breakwater" and the cliff and there I could sit surrounded by scrub brush and tall weeds. I could see but not be seen by anyone who should happen by.
As I sat there, enjoying the dappled effect of the after afternoon sunshine, I must of gone into a trance or fallen asleep. My perception of the tiny bit of world, that I could see from my vantage point, didn't really change, other than looking a little duller........not quite as bright as it was when I arrived there that afternoon. The birds seemed to disappear, no longer flitting about in the underbrush, no longer twittering or singing their cacophony of early summer songs. The light breeze off the lake also seemed to diminish. Everything seemed to turn deathly quiet, with the exception of a faint, annoying buzzing sound that seemed to originate far off in the distance.
I have no concept of the passage of time at this point. The only thing that I was really aware of was that droning "buzz" from miles out across the water or, was it just in my head? As I sat there, the world no longer mattered, there was only my little window of it that existed and......and that damned annoying buzz that I'm sure was gaining in intensity. My attention was centered around what could be causing it, where it could of originated, why it was dominating my senses and "why" was it coming this way?
Nothing else mattered, the buzzing "was" getting louder, coming towards me from across the lake, the rough brown water appeared to calm with it's passing. Closer and closer it crept, gaining in intensity, until it finally reached the shoreline, the limestone blocks dissolving as it passed over (through?) them. And still, the buzzing didn't stop. Now, sounding like thousands of angry bees, it continued on up the slope, dissolving everything in it's path, speeding on up to where I sat. All the weeds, scrub brush and bushes disappeared as the "sonic wave" advanced. I watched, helpless to move, as my own feet and then my legs turned to dust before my eyes. The "buzz" now sounding more like the runaway engine in a race car.
As the last of me disappeared, the sound of the screaming "buzz" seemed to change in tone, it's advancement appeared to of halted. As I looked around from somewhere above, all that remained of the land and break wall was a barren expanse of grayish-brown earth. During these observations, I noticed more subtle changes to the tone of the assailing sound wave. Now seemingly at a standstill, a steady pitch. And now, did it sound "lower"? It was as if the "wave" had halted it's advance and had now begun to recede.
I continued to observe, from everywhere all at once, as the "wave" flowed back down the embankment, back towards the water. As the wave receded, I was awestruck by what was taking place. Where there once had been weeds, scrub brush, wild bushes and bits of wind-blown litter strewn about, then replaced by the barren looking dusty expanse, there was now the makings of a well landscaped garden. As the buzzing receded back down the slope, lush green grass and sculpted flower beds appeared all along it's trailing edge. At the base of the embankment, in place of the rough and tumble limestone break wall, there appeared a pristine sandy beach. A beach that would do a Jamaican resort proud. The scene brought about childish mental images of the biblical "Garden of Eden". The birds had returned but, instead of the usual scattering of sparrows, starlings and a colony of bank swallows zipping about, there were instead a dozen or so magnificently colored birds of paradise and songbirds of every description. The one thing that made me feel a little uneasy was the fact that nowhere on the slope of the embankment, did I reappear.
It was all too much to take in. It was all I could do to maintain my position, floating about fifteen or twenty feet above the spot where I had originally settled down to contemplate the destructive ways of the world. I could feel myself being pulled away, to where I didn't know, nor did I care. I just wanted to stay where I was, enjoying the heavenly spectacle as it was spreading out before me.
The continued recession of the "buzzing"sound, now almost reduced to a "thrumming" drone, drew my attention once more. It was amazing to watch. As it receded back across the almost toxic lake, the once brown, choppy water was turning a crystal blue-green as the strange sound was receding over it. All of this adding to the illusion of my magical paradise.
The world as I now observed it was devoid of all human habitation. Was I now the Creator? Was I simply some astral being, there solely to witness and document His works? His cleaning up after His careless children? Or was I merely experiencing this phenomenon so that I would understand and do my part to make it known that it was not yet too late to repair.......reverse the mess we had made of our environment? I'll never know if there was an ultimate plan to this still wondrous episode for at that moment, my world came crashing down. There I was, back on the ground, sitting amongst the tall weeds and scrub brush. Apart from being somewhat darker, to my dismay, everything appeared as it was before that incessant "buzzing" began. Looking at my watch, I was surprised to see that almost three hours had passed in what I swear could of been no more than five or ten minutes.
I sat there another half hour, gathering my wits as best I could and then, I made my way back home. Going over the events of that afternoon kept me awake for most of the night. I know that I hadn't consumed any intoxicating substances and lunch that day consisted of soup and sandwich at home, so I know that was a pretty safe bet. All I can logically put down as the probable cause of those events is that I must of fallen asleep and experienced the most vivid, wondrous dream that I've ever had. To this day, I still question the events of that day, whether actual or imagined.
