The Lake House

Part 3

Aleksa was eager to get out of the house the next morning. She suggested a walk of the trails before they left to town for breakfast.

"It's a beautiful day," she urged Luca and Rianon to change for the day, all seated around the kitchen table.

"I think you're just afraid of the ghost in the house." Luca smirked before lifting a mug to his lips/ Steam danced across his face.

Rianon rolled her eyes and kicked his shin under the table.

"It was just a nightmare," Aleksa shrugged. She didn't know who she was trying to convince more, herself or her siblings. She eyed the sliding doors through the entryway into the formal dining room. Had she really seen a drowned woman there? Really felt her cold hands on her skin?

"A walk sounds nice," Rianon said.

Aleksa was the first with her shoes on and she waited for the others on the porch swing. The air was crisp. Water lapped at the shore a dozen yards from the front lawn. Aleksa found herself searching for the chirping of birds or the purr of passing cars, anything to block out the water. The morning sun should have warmed Aleksa's skin, but she tugged her jacket tighter around herself, protection against the icy chill that seemed to come off the lake. She had assumed this late in the season they would be able to swim, but the cold may keep them out through the whole trip. It couldn't have been her nightmare. Nightmares hadn't effected her since she was a child. Perhaps the weather would get warmer later. She fished her phone from her pocket to check her forecast app as Luca and Rianon stepped through the front door.

They walked the flat path winding through the tall evergreen trees. Their narrow trunks cast long shadows, keeping the air cool. Aleksa breathed in a deep as they started up a slight incline. The smell of dirt and rotting pine needles cleared her mind and the night before eased its grip in her chest. She pulled her hands out of her jacket pocket. Soon, she'd be able to take the jacket off and tie it around her waist.

They approached the closest neighboring house, a one story log cabin. No car in the driveway and debris carpeting the front steps.

"No one's home," Luca noted.

They were really all alone, had the whole side of the lake to themselves. Aleksa should be glad for the privacy, the luxury of not sharing the shore with other guests, but instead she yearned to return to the house, jump in her car and drive them all to town. She wasn't ready for breakfast yet, but she could use the company of a crowd.

"There's a neighborhood just a bit further, remember?" Rianon gestured past a circle of wide trunked trees.

Aleksa and Luca followed her directions. The forest ended with the concrete road. On the other side, a collection of mailboxes signaled human life. They crossed the street and started down the cleared path. Behind the mailboxes was a bulletin board. Welcome to Pine Meadows had been carved across the top of the frame. Below ads and other announcements were pinned up. The pages had faded and weathered. It seemed that instead of taking postings down, residents just pinned on top of older flyers.

"Joe's Diner is offering free donuts. We should go there for breakfast." Rianon referred to a more colorful flyer in the top corner.

A breeze rustled the papers. Aleksa spotted something buried beneath the collection of flyers. She lifted a few layers.

"Are all those people missing?" Luca leaned closer to read the faded words.

"I think so," Aleksa murmured.

Beneath the top layer, dozens of smiling faces were smeared and creased among advertisements. Twelve year old Luna David was last seen taking the dog for a walk three years ago. Ross Finch had been backpacking around the lake when he went missing four years ago.