Trip To The Cabin

Ashley looks out the window of the car.  There is fog all around.  She think it's spooky how it lingers to make clouds that seem to make the world appear above them.  Ashley sucks in her breath and she pushes a foot on the pedal, and her car drives.  But something bangs on the hood and a hand slaps the windscreen which has fogged over.  Ashley gasps and stops immediately.  Immediately after a truck speeds in front of Ashley's car narrowly missing her.  Ashley shivers.  As the sun filters down she realises she is at a cross road, and she gasps.

"Was that a sign?"  she asks before she drives on.


At the cabin Ashley drinks on hot chocolate as her friends Kym and Adam talk about what decorations the put on the tree.  Ashley is still freaked out about the car drive and she stays quiet - both her friends notice.


Late that afternoon Kym pokes Ashley's shoulder.

"Hey are you okay?  You've been quiet;"  she mutters.

"I almost crashed on the way over, it still freaks me;"  tells Ashley.

"Oh, that's too bad;"  tells Kym as she raises her brows.  "But you can't let that ruin Christmas;"  she adds.

"I guess not;"  retorts Ashley as she forces a smile.

Kym smiles, then she leaves to collect snacks.  Ashley sighs.  She knows she has been quiet but getting the stiff talk doesn't make her feel any more cheerful.  Sure everyone wants her to be peppy, but they don't have to force her to be peppy.

Adam walks in with drinks - punch and tea.  Ashley moves to choose tea and he pushes her hand away.  

"I think you need punch;"  he tells her.  "It's got real alcohol;"  he mutters with a wink.

"I think I need a break;"  mutters Ashley as she rolls her eyes and moves to go outside for a walk.


Ashley walks around the forest that surrounds the cabin.  She feels sour.  Adam her best friend wants her drunk, and that makes her feel mad.  Why should he steep to low lengths to make her feel so lousy.

"I'm not that bad company;"  she mutters as she walks around a tree raking her nails against its bark so that it crumbles to the earth.

Ashley sighs.  It has been an hour and no doubt the two friends in the cabin are talking about her.  Ashley thinks of leaving, but she will have to go inside to collect her bags and that will put more shame on her.

"Maybe I should just give it another go;"  she mutters as she shrugs.  "Then if nothing gets better I'll tell them I'd rather drive home then spend Christmas with them;"


Adam greets Ashley by the door.  He smiles and holds out a cup of ice tea.

"Sorry you didn't want punch;"  he tells her.  "Here's the tea you wanted;"

Ashley smiles.

"Oh thanks Adam;"  she mutters with a smile.

"I made chicken fingers!"  adds Kym.

"Oh thanks guys;"  tells Ashley as she begins to relax.


Conversation turns into trivia, trivia turns into movies, and movies turns into the sports channel on cable.  It is night and all the punch and ice tea have been drunk.

Ashley looks to Adam who has drunk most of the punch.  He sits in the chair sluggishly with a silly grin on his face.  He looks drunk, but he is not moving enough for her to see how drunk he is.  Ashley looks to Kym who has fallen asleep.  The party seems to be over, so Ashley decides she would like to go to sleep.


However after showering Ashley moves to put on some night cream, and a hand slaps the window.  Ashley looks at it -  it is the same creepy hand that showed its face before!  Ashley gasps, and then she races outside to see if she can sight the person -  she sees nothing.

Ashley crooks her head, and then she feels a chill.  She looks behind her and sees Adam.  He still has a drunk look on his face.

"What's the matter?"  asks Adam.

"I thought I heard something;"  mutters Ashley as she feels her face fall down.  

"There's nothing to worry about;"  tells Adam.  "You want peace always come to the woods;"  he adds, before a light beams on them.

A truck races towards the cabin with its headlights blaring.  Ashley gasps, Adam clutches her.  Both stare as the blonde lights highlight them, and the truck comes towering towards the cabin like it is going to run it over.  But at last minute it stops and Ashley and Adam tremble as the lights stop only a couple of metres before them.

Adam lets Ashley go and he races to confront the driver.

"Hey what's happened?"  he asked.  "You lost the wheel and almost hit us!"

Th driver looks to Adam.

"Sorry, the roads are like ice I lost control;"  he tells.

Adam shakes his head.

"That's no good!"  he wars.  

The driver apologises but Adam still won't let the moment go.  So he collects the drivers details, and then he slips into the cabin with a pad in his breast pocket.  He is going to make a complaint, and he is going to do it immediately.

"Are you okay to leave?"  asks Ashley as she glares at the driver.

"Yep;"  smiles the driver.  "Just gotta back her up!"  he tells her.

Ashley nods.  She then leaves the driver alone as she slips into the cabin to calm down.

Inside Adam hangs up the phone and then he throws the paper away.

"What's wrong?"  asks Ashley.

"The police said if no one was hurt then don't bother to complain;"  he mutters before he goes to the fridge to collect a beer.


Ashley settles down into bed.  Her mind is in chaos.  She has had two sightings, and both sightings involve close calls with trucks.  Ashley feels lucky, she feels unsafe, she feels scared, she feels curious.  Ashley sighs.

"Maybe the woods are haunted;"  she suggests.

But she cannot calm herself.  She just thinks herself lucky to have been disturbed by two hands, and she hopes they continue to warn her that danger is afoot.


Ashley wakes in the morning and Kym is cooking eggs.  Ashley cheers hello, and Kym looks at her with red sore eyes.  For someone who has slept all night she looks mighty tired.  Ashley decides to leave Kym alone, and so she move to watch television.

In the lounge room Adam rocks on a chair as he puts a pen under his chin.  He is in a war as he thinks, and then he lets his thoughts go as he puts down the pen.

"Good morning Adam;"  tells Ashley.  "How did you sleep?"

"Good;"  he mutters as he releases himself from distraction.  

"What are you doing today?"  asks Ashley.

"Nothing, just more eating and watching television;"  tells Adam as he raises his brows.

"Would you like to go for a drive?"  asks Ashley.

"No, I don't take vacation to drive, I take it to eat and watch television;"  tells Adam.  "I went out today, and it was to see if the roads had ice, and they do;"  he mutters before he picks up some chips and begin to eat. 

"Should we pass the Christmas presents today?" asks Ashley.

"No, it's not Christmas until tomorrow;"  tells Adam as he shakes his head.  

"I can't wait;"  mutters Ashley before she leans back to lounge.


The day passes slowly.  So slowly general gossip overtakes television.  The three grow bored, and so they go outside to take a stroll.

Afternoon becomes dusk and the three decide they are lost.  Adam shakes his head.

"How can we lose our way?"  he asks.

Ashley and Kym shrug.

"This bothers me!"  gasps Adam as he narrows his eyes.

Kym looks from tree to tree trying to decide on suggestions, and Ashley grows distracted at a stump that she thinks she has seen before. 

The three decide on direction and they walk.  They walk across to a bush, then they curve around it.  They try to be brave but they end up huddling together near the base of a large tree.  They hang their jackets to serve as a tent, and then they move to sleep.  Everyone is worried when they shut their eyes, and it is only sleep that stops them from worrying that they may be lost.


Ashley wakes with a start.  She moves and she walks away from the other two slumbering friends.  She walks back to the stump that then she walks over it.  She marches forth, and after fifteen minutes she finds the cabin.  Ashley sighs, then she races back to tell her friends she knows the way back.  They have moved on.

Ashley sighs.

"Hey guys!"  she calls.  "Where are you?" 

There is no answer and Ashley worries.

"Hey guys I found the way back!  It's past the log!"  she calls in her loudest voice.

Still no answer.

Ashley walks forward a little.  After a few minutes she calls again.  There is no answer, so Ashley returns to the cabin alone.


Ashley looks at the Christmas tree and the presents under it.  It looks perfect -  what is missing is the company to celebrate Christmas.  Ashley has warned the local ranger that her friends might be lost, and they have put out a red alert.  Ashley can only wait as the Christmas day passes by, and she waits with fingers inside of her mouth.


Night falls.  Ashley has just showered and is ready to go to bed when a knock is heard on the door.  It is the ranger.

"Hello;"  he cheers.

Ashley nods.

"Hi;"  she answers.

"I've been scouting the area, I can't seem to find your friends;"  he tells her.  "Do you have any idea where they could have gone?"

"None;"  tells Ashley as she shakes her head.  "I just know they were fifteen minutes walk away from the cabin before they disappeared;"

The ranger shakes his head.

"I've done all I can today, but patrol will be out tomorrow looking for the missing people;"  tells the ranger.  "I can search for up to one week, and then that's all I can do;"  he adds.

Ashley nods.  She wishes she could feel happy but she feels numb.  She isn't sad that they are lost she just wishes they could be found.  So Ashley tells herself the next day she will take a walk and look for her friends herself, and then she will leave it alone.



The next day Ashley puts on her boots and she goes for a walk.  She meets the stump and then she walks to the tree where they had huddled.  Ashley walks for one hour straight ahead, but she does not find anyone - not even one patrol person.  Ashley tells herself to give up, but she walks for one hour more before she gives up.  It's useless.  So Ashley gives up and returns to the cabin.


In the cabin Ashley collects her and her friends belongings.  She puts everything in the car, and then she drives away.  Seeing her two friends cars parked before the cabin freaks her, and she says a sad goodbye.

Ashley then drives back the way she had come.  Ensuring to look out for danger and sighting of her friends.  She discovers nothing, so she drives on home alone.


Turning a curb Ashley spots two strangers huddling by the side of the road wearing jackets.  Ashley stops by them and she opens the car window.  She can't see them, and so she gets out.

Ashley approaches the two.

"Hey are you okay?"  she asks.

The two look at her.

"What yer want?"  asks one of the strangers sharply.  

"Nothing!"  gasps Ashley as she backs away.  "I thought I might have knows you;"  she adds.


With tears inside of her eyes Ashley moves on.  Throwing away the off chance of finding her friends, and going home.


Ashley returns home and she notices the answering machine full.  She listens to the messages - two are from her parents, three are from her sister, and four are from Adam.

"Adam?"  asks Ashley as she raises her brows.

She listens to the message again.

"Hey, thanks for leaving the keys under the tyres.  We found it back, and we're home;"  he adds.

Ashley feels a flood of relief.  She then calls Adam and he picks up the phone.

"Do you want to come over to open the presents?" she asks.

"Tomorrow;"  tells Adam in a calm tone that suggest he might be slightly drunk.  "I promise;"  he mutters.

Ashley hangs up the phone.  She is glad her friends made it back to the cabin but she has so many questions.  She will have to wait until tomorrow, then it will finally be a merry Christmas.