. Water from the North Platte River forms the largest lake in Nebraska.

In summer, there is a busy world of outdoor recreation.

The lake is created by an earthen dam—engineered to provide hydropower and irrigation—downstream.

Despite any bad press you might hear about dams, there are many positive things going on here.

This is summer but our story takes place in winter.

Winter attracts many birds, including gulls, pelicans (yes, pelicans) ducks, geese, and bald eagles—all additional metaphorical fabric for our story.

The dam and the lakes are characters and key locations. The cold land and frozen waterscape are solemn places for our isolated, on-his-own main character.

 Words and photos copyrighted Jamie Vesay. Thank you.