This is part of a story idea I am working on that may turn into something much larger. I'm looking for feedback- specifically, would you read on if I were to take this story further?
In response to some earlier comments: I made this one long at the request of some of you who complained that other scenes I have posted are too short to be a truly satisfying read...
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The morning air was heavy with smoke from the wildfires that had been burning out of control for the last three weeks. It smelled like a nearby campfire to Kat from the balcony of her cabin in the Cascade Mountains. She marveled at its effect on the sunrise and sunsets high up here in the woods. The sun boiled red just above the craggy saw tooth range she could see perfectly from the end of her driveway.
Her excitement grew these last few days each time she made the one-and-a-half-mile-trek to check the mailbox at the end of her driveway. None of her mail was ever sent here to her cabin- not even the typical junk mail that filled her P.O. Box and home box where she lived full time in the city. In this box she received her most highly anticipated correspondence.
Giddy as a schoolgirl, she jogged the final few steps to the rusted old mailbox atop a pedestal of river rock. The door squeaked loudly as she opened it. Inside, pushed all the way to the back, she found a note. She had to extend her whole arm in to the box to reach the tiny scroll.
The note was on a piece of paper birch bark with a leather string tied around it with a bow. Tugging gently, she untied the string and smelled it. Putting the string in her pocket, she carefully unrolled the scroll.
Written in a purple ink she supposed had been made from the blackberries that were plentiful this time of year, she read her instructions:
SATURDAY 7PM
NORTHBOUND HWY 16
MILE MARKER 89
HAIR AND MAKEUP
PINSTRIPES AND HEELS
INSTRUCTIONS UNDER SIGN
She read the note four times to make sure she understood. It was Saturday morning and she would have to get to town in less than an hour if she were to get an appointment. Walk-in's at Wanda's were not welcome, but Kat figured that the promise of a healthy tip might make her unscheduled arrival welcome.
As she jogged back up the driveway, her mind traced the map inside her head along Highway 16. She enjoyed taking long drives up the winding curves of the old two-lane highway. It was the only pass over the mountains that could get you to the city from these remote parts until the new highway was finished a few years ago.
******
Waiting outside the door with a twenty ounce, non-fat, sugar-free, three-pump vanilla, one-pump-white-mocha, three-Splenda latte Kat greeted Wanda with an uncharacteristically inviting smile. "I suppose you think you could bribe me with a drink to get you in without an appointment today," Wanda said, her voice muffled from the vape smoke that poured out of her mouth.
"That. And the $50 tip I am prepared to bribe you with," Kat said.
"I'll bump Tina, but only if you call that old bitch to break the news," Wanda said with a conspiratorial smile.
Two hours later, after successfully dodging all of Wanda's prying questions, Kat strode out made up like a Vegas performer. Big hair, bright cheeks, heavy eye liner and enough red paint on her lips to cover a Corvette.
Back at the cabin, she made good time putting together her wardrobe. The navy blue suit she wore to meetings of great import was her favorite. A button-up blouse, low cut with frills around the collar worked perfectly with the vest that pushed up her breasts. The exquisitely tailored jacket fit her perfectly, accentuating the hourglass contours of her chest, slim waste and ample hips. A pencil skirt completed the ensemble, hugging her lower curves with equal aplomb as her vest.
While many people complemented her when she wore this outfit, it was his nodding approval that she appreciated most. She imagined modelling it for him only a few short hours from now. But first, shower and shave.
•••
Her Dodge Challenger aced the turns and tore its way up the steep hills as she made her way up Highway 16. It was 6:15PM when she arrived at mile marker 89, sixteen miles outside of town. There was a large turn-out to the right side of the road buttressed by thick forest. Shutting off the engine, she sat in her car for a few moments to let her nerves settle.
Stepping out, she took in the view for a moment and noticed how totally quiet it was this far outside of town. In the five minutes she had been there, she had not heard even so much as an airplane flying overhead. He had certainly picked this place for its isolation.
Behind the mile marker sign, Kat found another note as promised.