The sun peeked out over the eastern horizon, sending streams of light to welcome a new day. Nothing had changed, and they still faced a forest filled with growth of all kinds, from spruce trees, oaks, and dogwood down to tall grass that waved in the breeze. They took the same path that they had come from, making their way back to where they thought the cottage should be. Carl led the way, with Beth close behind.
Beth’s eyes glanced down at the ground more often than not to avoid another encounter with a slithering something or other or a fall from some waiting vine ready to grab and pull her down to its pleasure. The ground was soft, a little muddy at times, so their boots sunk in almost an inch as they made their way closer and closer to an area thought to be the right place.
The smell of the refreshing cool morning air surrounded them, but had a little sting. Overhead the sky grew lighter, clear with few clouds. The time had to be somewhere around eight or nine in the morning. Another hawk soared overhead while it searched for its morning feast.
Familiar tall trees and tracks in the path brought them to the clearing where the cottage should be. As expected, it was not there.
“Now what?” Beth insisted as she stood with her hands on her hips.
“Don’t look so surprised, we both had an idea it wouldn’t be here. After all, we searched this place yesterday completely, but I just thought by chance…maybe…”
“Well, it’s not here, so what next?” She took a straight-up stance and looked him right in the eyes with a mocking grin, hands still placed on her hips as though it was all his fault.
The absence of the cottage presented the problem of where to go, what to do, and Carl didn’t have the answers. He shrugged his shoulders and put his head down.
“I think we would do best to go the other way, instead of back there.” He pointed away from the direction they came from. “That direction is where the office for the park would be. Maybe something is there, or someone. We don’t have any choice, so let’s get going.”
The path to what he thought would be the right direction to the office took on a greater challenge than he thought. He found nothing in the way to guide him but trees, more trees, bushes, fallen trees, and high grass with more of the same, with what seemed like no end. Beth stayed close behind most of the time but came up to his side whenever there was an opening to allow it.
Suddenly, a clearing appeared just ahead of them. They could see it through the brush. They both pushed away at the growth holding them back from getting there quickly. With no sound coming from the area, they wondered if anyone would be there. Caution was needed as they came closer. He pulled at her arm to get her to squat down with him so they could look the place over while still hidden behind the bushes.
Evidence of a cleared-out area around a small log cabin made them think someone had been there. It couldn’t have been more than one room inside from the looks of it. No windows, just a few small square openings, one in front and the others at the side, with a place cut out for a doorway but no door. Carl slowly walked out from the bush as he motioned for her to stay behind. He stepped out into the open, looked around and then walked a few feet further toward the center of the clearing. He motioned for her to come out. She hurried to him and stood at his side. Both had eyes darting back and forth in search only to find nothing there. How eerie this abundant place was, but they crept closer with caution.
“I’d say this might be an old cabin travelers still use as a stop off to rest. It sure doesn’t look like something anyone would want to live in,” Carl noted.
Beth held tight to his arm as they came up to the open doorway. A hitching rail stood firm in front of the narrow porch, some of it broken, hanging hopelessly across the front. Dust rose from under his foot as he placed it firmly on the first step up to the failing structure. The boards beneath him creaked from the strain of his weight and the sound echoed out into the forest. The scrimmage of several small chipmunks making a mad dash to the outside brushed the intruders back a foot—a reaction to the initial surprise of their appearance. Beth had her heart up in her throat while Carl just laughed once he saw what the sudden disruption was.
“I don’t think it’s so funny,” she told him as she slapped his arm.
It only produced a silly grin on his face. “Okay, those terrible creatures were some kind of monsters, all right.” He shook his head. “Let’s take a look inside of this priceless piece of real estate.”
“Aren’t you the funny one?” She wavered as she followed him up the three stairs of the rickety old porch, keeping close behind him.
Inside, completely deserted, was an open room with a large fireplace seemingly used for not only heat but for cooking as well. An old black pot hung by its handle attached to a long rod that went across the top of the opening, supported by huge nails imbedded into the stone wall of the fireplace. Thick dust had settled and flew up from the floor as they walked across it. A stream of light coming from a cut-out window crossed the room like a hazy intruder.
A bed against the wall, covered with old weathered blankets and a dirty pillow, sat low to the floor with only a few inches beneath it. Four tall posts stood at the head and foot of this beat-up piece of furniture. No tables, chairs, or shelves, only that old sunk-in bunk. What made it interesting was the coat hanging on one of the posts. It looked like it had been there for a long time.
With some caution, Carl gently took it down. “Look at this thing. It looks like something out of the Revolutionary War.” Ground-in dirt with mud spots patterned the old brown wool jacket all the way down to its long tails and—what might have been white at one time—a three-inch trim with brass buttons down the front of the coat. “This is something they wore back in the seventeen hundreds. I can’t believe this was here all this time and no one found it. What kind of a place is this?”
His eyes drifted from one end of the room to the other as he set the jacket back on the bunk. A musty smell filled the small room, with a smothering feel to it.
“Revolutionary War! You’re kidding.” Beth shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t think I can go for that one. You know how many years ago that would be? It must have been a place where some group interested in the war had re-enactment of it. You know, like they do down South for the Civil War.” She turned the coat over to look at the back of it. “This is real wool.”
“Yeah, it must be…a re-enactment.” He scratched his head. “But what’s with the forest, the woods?” he looked around. “Someone has been here, but how long ago?”
“It doesn’t look like they were here real recently—maybe a few weeks, a month.” Beth walked to the fireplace to look at the pot inside. “I bet they moved all the furniture out of here when they were through with their deal. Look at the marks on the floor. There was something placed right there in the middle of the room. You can see it had to be a table and chairs.”
“From the way the bunk is, I can understand why they didn’t take the crappy thing with them. Can’t see how anyone could sleep on it,” he said with a chuckle. “Probably full of fleas too.”
Carl opened the backpack to search for something to drink or eat. Only one more candy bar and a bottle of water left. He took them out and handed them to Beth. “Here, open these up. We’ll share them before we go on. I’m thirsty and hungry, but this is all we have, so eat up.”
“You can have the whole candy bar. I’m not hungry, but I do want a drink,” she told him as she handed him back the wrapped treat. She took the cap off the bottle of water and took a quick swallow before she passed it to him.
Up high in the eastern sky, the sun brought a ray of warmth so very much needed. The cool fall air had caused them to wonder how they would stay warm while searching for help in this never-ending wild forest.
Looking for more evidence of earlier occupants, they walked around the one room cabin searching every corner and every inch. In one of the darkened corners they found a small, empty leather bag with a long handle. Torn on one side, it had been discarded. The leather, still soft, told them it couldn’t have been there very long.
After a thorough investigation of the lonely cabin, they went to the door and started out once again into the wilderness to find help. Carl looked back at the cabin in deep thought. “I need to remember where this place is, in case we have to come back here for shelter.”
“Don’t you think we will find help soon?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but if we don’t, this may be our only chance for somewhere to stay when night comes. I’m sure you don’t want to be out in the open with all those nasty critters that would eat you up.” He had a frown as he said it.
“I’m sure!” She threw a hand up in the air at him in disgust with his silly humor. But he was not far from the truth with his remarks.
Weary and hungry, they started out from the small fort with its one-room cabin, to venture into the woods again in search for someone who might help them. Just as they entered the forest, once again, overhead a large hawk circled above as though it was watching them.
“It’s gotta be the same hawk we’ve seen before. I think it’s following us,” Carl said. She shook her head.
The air was soft with a slow breeze whistling through the trees, a soothing melody of the earth and sun coming together in complete harmony. Rather comforting.
Pushing back twigs that tried to stick them in the eyes, kicking at the vines crawling across the ground, and stomping down high grass to make it lay where they walked seemed to hinder their effort to proceed. But they went on.
Beth held a close position behind him as they made their way toward what he thought was the area the office and the highway should be. Suddenly, without notice, he reached in back of him and slammed his open hand against her chest and pulled her down. The rustling sound of someone or something ahead gave cause for alarm. They both ducked behind a large tree and waited to see who or what was approaching.
The appearance of a small Indian girl, or at least a girl dressed in Indian gear, took them by surprise. But they stayed back to watch her as she walked along, with a strap on her arm attached to a bag that appeared to be made of leather hide. Her long black hair hung down, only held back from her face by a narrow headband around her forehead. Wrapped around her she wore a heavy looking skin of fur that covered most of her small body. Her arms came through the open areas on both sides to allow her to move about with ease. She wore moccasins on her feet tied with leather-looking strings around her ankles. It seemed as though she were searching for something. They continued to watch with great interest as she went up and down the open area checking each bush.
When Beth opened her mouth to say something, Carl set two fingers to her lips to keep her quiet. “Shhh…” he managed the sound very softly.
The young girl went a little further away to a bush with red berries and began to pick them. As she got a handful, she put them in the bag, then continued to pick more.
With nothing to do but stay down and watch, they were certain this was not a girl who just dressed up for a re-enactment of anything. This little lady was a real live Indian girl. They watched her linger as she almost danced around the bush to fill her bag with berries, a happy one who was not aware of her audience. When a squirrel ran out from behind a tree near her, she shooed it away with a waving hand and yelled something they couldn’t understand.
Once she had the bag close to full, she turned and strolled past them on her way back from where she came. The urge to follow her had Carl itching to go, but Beth held him back. “Are you crazy? You don’t know where she’s going and how many more like her there are. No way are we going to find out. Not as far as I’m concerned.” She kept her voice low and soft but stern and unyielding.
It didn’t take long for the young Indian girl to disappear from sight. Carl took Beth’s hand and they moved out from their undercover location while scanning the area to make sure they were once again alone. They waited for several minutes for any movement, listening for sounds other than those of the wildlife before venturing too far out in the open.
“I don’t remember any Indian reservation around here—although I know there are some not far from here. This is really strange, Beth. I don’t know what to think.” The deep frown on his forehead brought his brows together as he stroked his chin.
“I think your first guess about a time warp is closer to the truth. This could be some time in the past—who knows when?” She crossed over to the bush with the berries. “I’d like to know how we get out of this.” She plucked a few of the berries left on the bush with her good hand and put them in her mouth. “These are not bad. Can’t be poison if the little girl wanted so many.” She rubbed her injured wrist. The pain was almost gone now that she’d stopped that hand and kept it free of any strain.
Carl tried a few for himself. “I don’t know how we get out of here. We both heard of other dimensions. Also, anything’s possible.” He took down a few more berries while Beth went on to check for more of the same bushes. They both knew the berries presented them with possibly the only food they would have for now or maybe even several days.
“I hope these bushes grow in abundance all over this forest,” Carl remarked as he held a handful of them in his open palm. “We need to move on. The sun is almost overhead, making it somewhere around noon. I don’t want to be caught out here at night. We have to either find some shelter or go back to that exclusive dwelling we came from. It’s cheap rent.”
At least the afternoon sun had warmed the earth enough for them to go on without the bitter cold that persisted during the night.
Carl knew they were headed in the right direction due to the downward lay of the land. It meant they were moving away from the mountains and closer to where the highway would be or would have been. Hope raged within him as he marched along faster and faster, leaving Beth with the problem of keeping up with him.
The thickness of the forest thinned as they went along until they came to another clearing so large it could have been a football field. High grass swayed in the wind like a giant carpet lying before them. At the edge of this wide, open space they made a search of its perimeters to make sure there were no surprises tucked away to jump out at them. Sunbeams laid a glow on a boulder across from them shining like a bright jewel. Trees behind it, now almost bare of their leaves, stood majestically high with wide trunks. The air was cool but the sun warmed the earth some as it traveled to the west of the clear blue sky with not even one small cloud in sight.
“I believe this is the area where the office and entrance to the park should be. That large boulder looks like the one right by the drive coming in.” He pointed to it as he spoke.
“I don’t know—I suppose it could be, but it looks just like a big rock to me.”
“It’s not just any rock, it’s the same boulder at the entrance to the park—I know it.” He took her by the hand and led her further out toward the boulder. “That sucker is much too big to move. Bet it’s been there for centuries.”
“If you’re right, then we are in the right place, but there is nothing here. It’s all gone.”
As they walked up to the boulder, he took his hat off and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. It really wasn’t warm enough for him to be sweating, but it was just a habit when he had to think something out. “Let’s get behind this thing.” He told her as he pulled at her hand.
The yellowing grass was high but low enough for them to proceed without a struggle. There was a good chance some kinds of animals grazed there not long ago.
Coming up closer to the boulder, he gently pushed her behind him. She then followed close but kept a short distance. He walked up to the side of the large rock and motioned for her to stay there while he went around it to have a look at the other side. The strong smell of livestock filling the air led him believe there could be some animals on the other side of the boulder.
She observed him from just a few feet away and noticed his eyes widened. “What is it?” she asked softly.
Curiosity became too great…she moved up beside him. Standing only yards away, four buffalo stood grazing on the grass spread out for miles—as far as they could see. Nothing could have shocked them more than to see real live buffalo standing within throwing distance, unsuspecting they were being observed. This only confirmed the idea they were back in time where Indians and buffalo would exist. Were these Indians friendly? Would they be willing to help them, or would they want to capture them and do whatever savage Indians might do?
“Okay!” He held both hands wide in the air. “What year is this?” His face flushed, his voice loud—so loud it startled the buffalo so much they let out a loud bellow and took off running fast toward the wooded area of the clearing.
“Are you crazy? You want those Indians to hear you and come after us?” Beth held her hand up to his mouth. “I know you’re upset, but yelling won’t help.”
He pushed her hand away. “I need to think. We have to go back to that little cabin and try to figure out what we can do, if anything. At least we’ll be inside, out of the elements. I’m not sure what we’ll run into next and I’m not anxious to find out.”
“Carl, listen to me. We’re going to have to trust one of the Indians for help. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else around. I don’t know what they can do for us, but at least they may give us some food and shelter.” She hugged her arms. “It’s going to be very cold out here, and I would rather take my chances with one of them and be somewhere inside where it’s warmer.”
“All right, but we need to go back to the cabin first. I have an idea it was not built by Indians and there is someone else wandering around here. Remember that coat. We have to take another look. There could be more evidence of others who may be nearby.”
Heading back seemed longer than it took to get to the clearing. An indentation of the growth made a path for them to follow, but it still took some effort to plunge through. Some places had them in mud halfway up their boots, while in other places dry, thick and crumbling vegetation stuck to their clothes as they pushed through it. The sky took a sudden turn of darkened cloud cover, showing a promise of rain in the next few hours or sooner. With the sun hidden behind the dark mass of them, the temperatures plummeted to a cooler, brisk level. This meant a very cold night without food or heat. The abundant cabin became their only likely salvation for the night.
Beth had a hard time keeping up with Carl. He hurried along, knowing all too well what kind of a situation they would be facing soon. Lightening streaked across the sky followed by rolling thunder as the drops of rain began to fall. They were some few yards away from the open area where the small cabin awaited their arrival. He put his arm around her shoulders and tugged at her to hurry along as the rain became more intense. The increased downpour hit them hard, cold and furious. When the cabin came into sight, it prompted them to run for cover even faster.
They both shook off the rain as they entered the lonely, forgotten dwelling. Carl dropped the backpack to the floor and opened it to get out a small towel Beth had put in there. He handed it to her. “Try to dry off the best you can. I’ll see if I can find some wood for a fire.”
Lightening lit up the forest followed by the roar of thunder. Beth looked out the cut-out glassless window. The rain splashed in and hit the floor below. “You can’t go out in this. You’ll get soaked and then what? Better wait until it stops or at least until it lets up a little. It’s coming down too hard.”
He looked annoyed with her. “Beth.” She didn’t answer or turn to him. “Beth…Beth…Elizabeth.” Even speaking her full name, she didn’t answer or turn around to him. Her eyes were fixed on something outside as she stood frozen at the window with her mouth open, her eyes wide.
He realized there was something out there holding her in a state of alarm, so he stopped calling out to her and came up behind her to view what had her staring.
The hard downpour couldn’t hide the appearance of three poorly dressed men. One was in a uniform which dated back many years into the time of the Revolutionary War and the other two wore what looked like torn shirts and pants. They came running toward the cabin. Carl pulled Beth down to the floor below the open window case.
“Don’t make a sound, just keep your head down. These guys don’t look like Indians, but they could be dangerous.”