I was reading through craigslist and came upon an ad for a part time handyman for winter break. The campground around the corner from my house needed some off season work and I could use some spare cash for next semester. I called for an appointment and spoke with Bill Jones, the owner.
Mr. Jones was happy to get my call and needed someone right away. He asked, "Could you stop by around 7PM for an interview and a tour of the grounds?"
He went on to explain their last handyman seems to have fallen off the radar and can't be reached by phone so they ended up letting him go for failure to show up for work in over a week.
I arrive at the campground and pass a sole odd looking trailer on the way into the office. When arriving at Mr. Jones building just before 7PM, he came out to meet me and gave me a firm handshake.
We hit it off right away and he was eager to get the projects started so I was then hired on the spot. "Great, I said. when can I start?" Mr. Jones explained I can start first thing tomorrow and gave me a list of jobs that needed to be done during the two weeks. On the way out the door, I asked about the lone small trailer at the bottom of the hill on the way in.
He went on to explain, "That's Rose, our only year-round resident. She's nice enough and keeps quiet all to herself. She pretty much stays in the camper unless going for a hike or getting supplies".
Looking back on it, I remember when I was a kid about hearing stories of a witch that lived in the campground and how she'd catch lone children and eat them if they stayed in the campground after dark. I think it was planted by our parents to keep us from milling around all night in the forest, but thinking about it now gave me a good laugh and didn't give it much thought afterward.
When I got home, I reviewed Mr. Jones' list and found there wasn't much on it and most tasks were pretty basic. I had a full two weeks to get through them all but could easily wrap them up in a weeks' time. On the list was some fence work to repair damaged done by some deer and some preventative maintenance on plumbing and light electrical, all within my skill set.
I was happy to make some extra cash and put some old skills to work that I don't get use of during college. It's nice to keep those handy skills sharp for when I may need them later. I set the list aside and settled in for the night to get an early start in the morning.
I wake up early in the AM and take a quick shower to get started at camp as soon as possible. It's not quite snowing yet but getting cold out so I grab a jacket before heading out. I walk around the corner and pass the entrance to the lonely looking campground. You wouldn't know by the looks of it but it's so popular in summer there's a waitlist every year. (and the witch doesn't seem to scare them off much either).
I come around the corner and get a glimpse of Rose. She's a heavier woman, short in stature with curly black hair and streaks of gray. She also has dark makeup around her eyes and tattoos. Kind of like Goth before Goth was cool! I see where the "witch" thing got started. I pass by her and she waves hello, I wave back trying not to stare too long and head on my way toward the tool shed.
I go into the tool shed and start sorting out items I'd need for the day. After getting everything prepped and into my tool belt, I hear a knock on the shed door. I turn around and suddenly behind me, it's Rose, the year-round resident.
Rose leans in close and looks over my tool belt and say's "New handyman??". I get a hint of her perfume and it's overpowering.
She's not attractive in the least but she's wearing a chunky rough icelandic wool sweater and jeans which happens to be a real weakness for me. Women in heavy sweaters, that is, especially strong women. I could never really explain why, but it's always had a powerful effect on me. It's not that I'm interested in Rose at all but the combination of that perfume and a raw wool sweater has me honestly at a real disadvantage..
I stammer a response before she senses my other thoughts, "That's me, handyman for the season at least", I say with a nervous laugh.
She replies "Great! We really could use some work done around here". "That last handyman never got a thing right and I'm sure you'll work out much better".
She then ends by asking "Do you have some time to stop by my camper and look at a lighting issue for me?" "I can't seem to get the light over my bed to stay on. Maybe you could take a few minutes out of your day to give a lady a hand??"
I muster up a reply trying to keep my thoughts right and say "Sure Ma'am, I can stop by this afternoon to check it out and get things working again".
Rose glances back and say's "Much appreciated, kind sir, brushing against me closely with her rough sweater before strolling back down the path".
I shudder at her pass and am instantly aroused but need to get my mind right and get back to work. Although I do find it odd that someone who I just met is already asking favors, it seems she senses my weakness knowing I couldn't say no.
Considering Rose will be my only company for the next two weeks, I should just try to be friendly and help out and try my best to hide those nasty demons. Maybe it's all innocent and all she just needs some minor stuff that can be done in minutes. Perhaps she'll put in a good word with Mr. Jones for me to boot."
I quickly wrap up almost a third of the projects by late afternoon and I'm way ahead of schedule. I decided to stop by Rose's trailer to see what the fuss is about with that lighting issue. I quickly head back to my cabin to grab electrical tools and realize it's starting to get dark and cold outside.
As I enter the cabin, it's much colder than expected and decide to put on my heavy Aran white wool sweater. I've always relished the warm but itchy feeling of it against my skin and opt to remove my shirts and go with it against bare skin. I start to get aroused by its feeling and have a fleeting fantasy about those boyhood stories of being caught by the witch. I laugh that off before I never get out of here as it's getting kind of creepy outside and want to get done before it's too dark.
I arrive at the small trailer and knock on the wooden door. Rose appears in the doorway wearing that same rough sweater and a matching scarf. I ask her to show me the problem and she points to the back of the trailer where the bed is. Upon looking up, I see the light fixture is hanging by a thread and simply needs to be re-spliced and mounted. This should only take a few minutes and I'll be on my way. Before getting started, I notice the heat must be blasting in this little trailer.
I ask Rose "Would you mind turning down the heat while I'm working? It's blazing hot in here!" She responds, "The thermostat is on the fritz too. I'm usually very cold but will crack a window. Wouldn't want to get you too hot in that irish sweater."
Rose glances over at me and asks "Are you wearing that without a shirt underneath? That must be torture!" She lets out a wicked grin and steps aside to let me work. I remove my tool belt and set that aside until I can get up and survey this lighting issue.
As the light fixture is a little out of reach over the bed, I ask Rose if she has a step stool. Rose says "No stool but you can try this chair. It's strong but might not be all that stable."
I look down at the bed and see it's covered with a chunky knit blanket. It's definitely custom made with knitted yarn as thick as rope and covers the entire queen bed till it drapes to the floor.on both sides. It has huge holes so it doesn't look like it's meant for warmth, just for decoration I suppose. If I fall off that chair, it will be a soft landing so no danger there. Rose hands me the chair, and I step up on it slowly to survey the light fixture.
She's right, this chair sure is wobbly, I ask, "Rose, could you give me a hand and hold this steady for me?"
Rose comes over close leaning in with that damn perfume looking up at me offering "Let me help you out with that". She reaches over to the chair to hold it in place and instead lightly pushes my legs causing me to fall over slowly onto the edge of the large bed.
I immediately say "What the hell, Rose! I'm here to help you out and you push me off a chair??.. You're on your own.. I'm outta here!!"
