This story is fiction based loosely on people, places and events mostly from my life. I strongly suggest that you read the previous chapters before you read this one.
I love feedback, comments, and criticism, but I am beginning to wonder if anyone is reading my work. Please leave a comment or send me an email so I know if I should keep writing.
Enjoy,
DaniSub
Phil's SUV had a little panel in the roof above the windshield. Okay, so maybe that isn't a big deal. But the fact that it displayed the direction we were traveling, and, more importantly, the outside temperature, fascinated Tina and I. We watched the movie we picked out with one eye, and the digital display with the other.
When we left Tina and Phil's house, the temperature was eighty-one degrees (that's Fahrenheit for those of you who use that other temperature). As we drove toward the mountains, it got up to eighty-three, but as soon as we got to the base of the mountain, it started to drop.
We were making good time, too, according to Phil. By three o'clock, we were off the highway and taking little two lane roads up the mountain. That's when the scenery got interesting. The houses seemed to be built on little plots of land cut out of the dense woods surrounding the road.
Some of the houses had little signs outside of them identifying the goods or services offered by the person living in the house: Tool Sharpening, Firewood, Dog Groomer, and Chain Saw Repair, just to name a few. It was like we changed time zones, and had to set our watches back about...fifty years.
As we got further up the mountain, we started to see piles of snow on the sides of the road and the thermometer read fifty-four degrees and it was almost four in the afternoon, the hottest part of the day. We stopped at "Frank's General Store", which was also the only gas station between the highway and Keith's cabin. We all got out to stretch our legs, and meet the owner, Frank – what a surprise. Frank was nice man; he didn't look at all like the seventy-two years old that he kept telling us he was.
He was glad to see Keith, and, while Phil gassed up the car, Keith, Tina and I went into the store to look around. It was like the general store you see in the old movies. Old wooden shelves, big wooden barrels, even a big, old cash register with a crank on the side.
Frank told Keith that the cabin was stocked up like he asked, and if we needed anything, just let him know. He said they were expecting snow tonight, only about four to six inches, but it was good thing we brought up the SUV. We piled back into the car and we were off on the short last leg of our journey.
After about ten minutes we pulled off of the paved road and onto a gravel road. There was a sign that said, "Private Property – No Hunting." I asked who owns this property and Keith said, "We do. I bought almost a thousand acres about four years ago. It's not fenced because fences interfere with the animals, but there are signs posted marking it as private property. Since there is no hunting, we rarely see anybody up here."
After about a half-mile, the gravel road turned into a dirt road and after another half-mile we turned into a clearing and there was the cabin. It was almost four-thirty and the temperature was forty-nine degrees.
The cabin was really big, but it was a still a log cabin. I guessed we were going to spend the weekend roughin' it. There was a lake about fifty yards to the west with a little dock and a path that led from the dock to a large porch on the front of the cabin. Phil pulled the car up next to the cabin so we could walk up the side steps onto the porch.
The guys were getting the bags out of the back of the car; Tina and I walked up onto the porch. It was cold, but not bitterly cold and I began to wonder if the snow suits wouldn't be overdoing it. Then again, Frank said it was going to snow tonight.
The wooden porch looked old but well maintained. No broken slats, or splintered wood. In the summer, you could walk barefoot out here without fear of getting a splinter. Tina and I tried to look inside, but there were curtains on the windows. We looked at each other and we both said, "I hope there's indoor plumbing." and started to laugh.
Keith yelled up to us, "The door should be open. Go ahead in and leave the door open for us."
We went to the door and Tina opened it and walked in with me behind her. We both stopped and looked around in shock. It was hard to believe that this was the inside of the same cabin we saw from the road. It was big, beautiful and ultra modern.
On the far wall, there was a giant stone fireplace with chairs and a sofa facing it and the traditional bearskin rug in front and some other furry rugs scattered around. Above the fireplace was a not so traditional wide screen flat panel television. There was a modern, eat-in kitchen and a dining area, Rugs on the floor in the living room and hardwood floors in the kitchen and dining area.
Keith and Phil stumbled in carrying the bags. "We're only going to be here for three days." Phil said, "Why do they need so much stuff?"
"Come on, Heather, I'll show you the bedroom." Keith said, carrying the bags. He walked toward a set of steps that went up one side of the cabin. "There are two bedrooms and a bath up on this side and two more bedrooms and a bath on the other side." he said nodding to the other side of the cabin.
Phil was carrying their bags toward the set of stairs on the other side of the cabin. 'At least we'll have separate baths and some privacy in bed at night' I thought to myself. I offered to take the garment bag from Keith but he said he was fine; it's a macho guy thing.
We got to the top of the stairs and walked down the walkway, like a catwalk, that overlooked the entire first level of the cabin. It had a beautiful redwood rail with posts every eight feet or so. It reminded me of the saloons in the old cowboy movies; somebody always gets shot off the walkway and falls over the rail and onto a bunch of cowboys sitting at a poker table.
We walked past an open door; it was a nice sized bedroom with what looked like a queen sized bed. We walked to the end of the catwalk and through a door into a huge bedroom. There was beautiful wood furniture, closets and a king size bed, and a beautiful area rug over the hardwood floors.