At the Water’s Edge

Five days ago:

This morning, crews extinguished a small fire on a dock on the Lake Kittamaqundi Trail at the Columbia Lakefront. The Office of the Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. The affected area has been roped off, but the trail remains open. - - Howard Country Fire & EMS

Image: Howard Country Fire & EMS

Two days ago:

Police are investigating a suspicious circumstance at Rocky Gorge Reservoir in the area of Scott's Cove Recreation Area. If you recognize these clothing items contact police at 410-313-2200.

An extensive search was conducted in an attempt to locate a person that may have been wearing the clothing, but no one was found. Preliminary, there appears to be no signs of foul play.

UPDATE: The pictured clothing was found near the water. - - Howard County Police Department

Image: Howard County Police Department

I’m not familiar with Scott’s Cove so I looked it up.

Image: Jamie Turner Photography

What these events have in common:

They happened within the last week.

They happened near water in recreational areas.

They happened in Howard County.

The ways that they differ: we really have no idea.

The facts that I have as an ordinary member of the public aren’t comprehensive enough to assess that. There could be plenty of details which make these two occurrences wildly different. We don’t know if we are looking at a prank, a crime, or evidence of someone in distress.

If this were a mystery or crime show these two events would likely be connected and crucial to the figuring out of some larger story. On the other hand, if I were writing about it I would want the (fictional) story to end up revealing something that showed people coming together to help someone, set things right, make things better.

Human brains like to see patterns and connections. If we are not careful we take those perceptions and turn them into something else: proof of a trend, perhaps, or a definitive indicator or omen. If you hang around social media long enough you’ll see this in action.

We may never know the stories behind these events. It really depends on how much the general public truly needs to know. But it was a good opportunity for me to remind myself that not everything that looks connected actually is.

Village Green/Town² Comments

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