Experiment X

9 | The Cabin

9 | The Cabin 

     The small glowing fire crackles softly, watched by a pair deep brooding brown eyes. Manu sits on a makeshift chair: an old wooden crate with its weathered label still stapled on it beyond recognition, holding his steaming cup of tea. There’s not much left of it, not much at all. The kettle sits on a shabby table before him, suspended by the iron rack. His bearded face is shadowed, like Sera’s, who is sitting across from him on the floor cross-legged resting her chin onto her propped up hands, casting her eyes elsewhere.

     Teran’s face is downcast, faraway as he still sits with his unconscious mother lying on the rusted, thinly padded metal bed against the wall with the grimy, paned window. The room’s shadowed, bearing the same look as each of their faces: dark, contemplative, and weary. There’s an occasional groan in the wooden floors and walls, as the cold winds outside shake the shack, breathing its ancient, withered age. The only lighting comes from the hearth fire, outside the window is pitch-black, and despite the gloominess, the fire gives the place a somewhat cozy feeling. A somewhat earnest ember: a somewhat faint feeling of home.

     The succulent, savory smells of the roasting rabbit meat on the iron spit in the hearth is mouthwatering, drifting through the dusty air of the cabin. It’s more than Teran can stand, but he keeps quiet, his stomach aching with hunger, clasping his mother’s limp hand.

     She isn’t dead. Just still unconscious. Her heart still beats. The aroma of cooking food would soon awaken her, Manu had assured. But it had been awhile since they arrived having walked what seemed like to Teran forever, but maybe that’s just because he’s so hungry, exhausted, and weak. Manu had first laid his Mom down, attempted to awake her physically—but they did not good, so they decided to wait, and he went to skin the rabbits. Time passed. Manu or Sera hadn’t once said anything. Hadn’t asked about his mother. About their life, where they came from. He had guessed they were thinking about it; it was written on their faces, but they had said nothing. Teran supposed Manu would ask when she awakened, whenever that would be. Instead, he began to cook the rabbit meat, and still she lay there nearly lifeless, only the sound of her barely audible breathing keeping her from being believed dead. Teran’s hand had grown tired, sweaty, and sticky of holding Teresa’s so long. But he wouldn’t let go.

     Suddenly, there’s a stir of motion in her hand, and Teran sees his mother’s eyes flicker open. She blinks rapidly, taking everything in, gasping for air. Teran drops her hand immediately, and springs for her, shouting, “Mom!? Are you ok?”

     Manu turns his head toward Teresa, and sits his tea onto the table, standing alert; Sera does the same, her eyes full of curiosity, and Teran’s full relief as he stares at his mother.

     She gives him a blank look, as if confused—hazy, waking up from a strange dream. “Teran…Is that…You…Where…am I…Where are we?”

     Teran gives Manu and Sera a convinced look, and returns a smile. “With friends…In their cabin.”

     “Friends…In…a…cabin,” she mutters, and glimpses Manu and Sera in the distance, and reason slowly takes her. “Oh…These were the…You were talking with them—weren’t you Teran?” Her eyes catch hold of her son’s, wondering.

     “Mom—Mom, do you feel okay?”

     “Yeah, I feel—alright, I guess…Just really…faint, that’s all,” she mumbles, struggling to get up. “But tell me,” she continues, readjusting herself, and looking at them again and then back at Teran. “…Explain all of this.”

     “Don’t you want to eat first?”

     “No, I want to know—”

     “You fainted as soon as you saw us, and I carried you here,” Manu says, approaching them, a kind look etched into his face. Teresa’s eyes lit open him, widening, and her mouth opens, speechless. “Hi, my name is Manuel, but everyone calls me Manu…My niece is Sera, and she’s over there.” He eyes her now standing, stepping forth, her smiling weakly, and at first Teresa’s face is unresponsive. She blinks.