Two paths to the sea

Cape Breton


[GUELPH PUBLIC LIBRARY] There is a hill with two springs north of Whycocomagh. One stream runs east to brackish Bras D'Or¹ Lake where village lights shine across still water at night. The other trickles west to Lake Ainslie below sloping hay fields, with terns screeching on a rocky strand. It feeds the Margaree River, winding to the ocean through a deep valley dotted with white farmsteads.

At the divide, one might expect to find the jagged teeth of Cape Breton highlands; in fact a low mountain looms behind the farmhouse, but the two sources arise from one meadow, a few paces apart among goldenrod and wild apples. A man bought this land to live out his dream, building gardens in the rocky soil. He plants wild blueberries among the goldenrod and hopes to retire with the earnings. Green tomatoes hesitate to ripen in the cool summers, but there are hundreds of fat peas and red beets. He used to break his life into five-year plans, but this endeavour might take longer.

Each winter seals cross miles of mountain and forest from Bras D'Or and slide across the lane in search of sea. They have faces like puppies, but are too fierce to approach.

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¹ Locals pronounce Whycocomagh and Bras D'Or this way: why-COG-a-muh and b-DOR.