I glanced around our backyard. The sun gently filtered through the oversize willow tree, leaving abstract shadows in the mud, where a healthy lawn had once grown. I followed the shadow to my shoes, barely visible under the thick, crusty layer of muck. My eyes, trailing the shadow, followed it away from my feet through the mounds of muck and into the hole that once used to be the shoreline. The sides dropped down steep, with earth still falling in, like dozens of mini avalanches. The water was still, with only the sound of soil splashing in, pushing the water away, creating waves that fade away, ever so slowly. I then turned my attention away, and examined the lake. It too was very calm, with only a subtle breeze blowing the trees. The excavator that had once been on the shore moving muck was now under the water, motionless. The only part of the excavator visible was the arm and the bucket, extending out of the water, as if searching for rescue. I wandered closer to the hole, carefully stepping between the mounds of muck. I peered into the water. Barely visible was the cab, only about a foot sticking out of the water. The door was open, with a mound of muck piled up against it, obstructing its path, preventing it from being opened any further. Slowly, I walked back to my spot next to my brother, trudging through the brown, slimy muck. He had a blank expression on his face, just staring at the mess in front of him.

"I, I, I don't know what happened" my dad uttered, from across the crater he created.

His jeans, now a much darker blue than they were earlier, were muddy and dripping with water. Soaked up to his shoulders, he stood there, arms out slightly, clearly uncomfortable from the cold shirt, glued to his chest. In the back of my mind, I recalled the moment when my dad said “Hey Konrad, pull forward a little, that way we can reach more muck.” I had refused because I didn't feel comfortable getting any closer to the water, with that monster of a machine. I, for once am glad I didn't listen, knowing that my dad would find a way to put the blame on me.

"How did this happen?" My brother questioned.

My dad just stood there, confused as to what just happened.

"We told you not to get closer!" my brother added.

I glanced around, and and saw how serene everything was. The sun beamed down. The birds chirped, in the light breeze, and the clouds were passing by, high in the bright blue sky.

Now that everything is okay, and no one had gotten hurt we can look back at this event, four years later and laugh. Thinking about how everything played out makes me realize that there were many other possibilities. What if the door had been jammed shut from the muck? What if it had gone just inches deeper in the water, not giving my dad the ability to breathe? I sat there and thought about all the potential consequences that could’ve changed that day forever. Then I fade back into reality, I gaze up and see the anger in my dad’s eyes as he tries to scold me for my mistake, and I slowly start to smile, not paying attention to what he’s saying, but the fact that he’s there in front of me.