"I would love to see more of this place before I go. Are their any landmarks near here?" Noralee was dressed, full from breakfast and feeling restless.
"There is an old, abandoned mining town about a day from here." Bear was finishing up the dishes.
"That sounds interesting. I could get some great photos." Noralee enjoyed finding things off the beaten path. She wanted to keep her mind off leaving because in her heart she knew saying goodbye was going to be difficult.
"We need to pack some supplies and food. We could make it there by nightfall if we leave now." He seemed excited about the prospect of a little adventure. Packing her backpack with her tent and Bear grabbing his rifle and a backpack of food and water they set off into the deep forest.
The day was overcast and threatening to rain on them, but they walked at a decent pace, keeping step with each other. The destination didn't seem as important as the journey with him by her side. They were going deeper into the unknown wilderness, a place where few people bother to trek and it was exciting to Noralee. In a way, they were advancing deeper into their relationship, the unknown parts still waiting to be discovered. The further she got away from society, the less she missed it and the longer she stayed with Bear, the idea of missing him made her feel like dying inside. He draped his arm around her neck and pulled her close to him as they walked and kissed the tender part of her neck, just behind the ear. "You always smell so good."
Noralee loved the way he talked to her and she wrapped her arm around his waist, lacing her finger in his belt loop. They were attached at the hip. Inseparable. It felt so good to be with someone who was as crazy about her as she was about him. They stopped for water a few times and took kissing breaks. Noralee leaned her back against a tree and let Bear kiss her long and deep. The world disappeared, only his lips on hers, his tongue flicking and teasing hers, was the only thing she registered in her mind. He was sensual, intuitive to how she liked to be kissed. She didn't need to tell him she didn't like the sloppy, wet kisses, but the slow, building, teasingly urgent ones. She could kiss him for hours it felt so nice. Her eyes closed and a feeling of deep excitement and soothing calm coursing through her until he would break the spell by withdrawing his lips and say, "Break is over. We need to get moving. I could do this all day with you. You taste like strawberries and your lips are so silky. " He ran a finger over them tracing them slowly. It was beginning to rain, the dark sky making good on its promise. He looked beautiful in rain, his hair clinging to his high cheekbones, raindrops trapped in his thick beard. He took off his shirt and held it over her head to shield her from the dripping rain that intensified once they left the shielding boughs of the forest and headed into a clearing of tall grass.
It was torture, but sweet torture to wait for another "water break", but Noralee was patient and knew he was anticipating another kissing break as much as she was.
"I feel like I am dreaming about you and here you are. Real, living and I can reach out and touch you." He kissed her hand and hugged her close to him.
"Does this place have a name?" She was wondering if she had read about it.
"It was called Gold Forks, but it is known now as Devil's Fork."
They reached the abandoned mining camp, making good enough time to check it out before it got dark. It was laid out like an old Western town movie set. A saloon, a bank, a hotel, a one room school house and a general store all sat alone and vacant for a hundred years.
"The vein in the mountain dried up and people moved on. It was a thriving town once. The gold brought people from all over the world here. There is a legend that it is haunted and people left because of disturbed spirits seeking revenge for violating sacred land."
Noralee loved ghost stories and listened intently. Why did the town not survive? Surely, there was enough land and game for it to thrive, even though it was remote. "Tell me more."
"I am not sure you will sleep tonight if I tell you what I heard." Bear pulled her away from the Saloon entrance and down the overgrown street, "I want to show you the mine first."
"Oh, you can tell me. I love a good ghost story." She pleaded with him to tell her everything he knew about the town.
"In 1889 after the gold vein was almost gone, a good number of residents tried to stay and make a go of the town. It was the only town on the way in many directions. A good place to spend the night or for settlers to get supplies. One day, a trapper happened upon Golden Arrow, and found it completely deserted. There was no sign of struggle or disaster. Everything was just as the residents left it; plates of food left on dining room tables, clothes hanging out on clotheslines, beer mugs on the counter of the saloon and schoolbooks open in the school house. It was like they vanished where they stood. Now, one of the richest merchants in Anchorage had a daughter who was the wife of the town's only banker. They were well off and their disappearance alone launched a massive search and investigation. The area around the town and the mountains were combed and searched, but never turned up any sign of the townspeople. The craziest thing is the bank was still full of money. The merchant from Anchorage was heartbroken, never stopped searching for his daughter and everyone in the state knew the story. People refused to come here. They say the merchant still walks the streets at night searching for his daughter, Emmaline."
"Do you think it was wild animals or natives?" She started to feel a little chill up her spine.
"UFO." He said in a serious voice, "I think they were taken."
Noralee started to laugh so hard she almost peed her pants. "You are having me on! Good one! I will give you points for this."
Bear wasn't laughing, "Some hunters fifty miles away said the sky lit up with a glowing red light in the direction of the town. Now, what could have made a light like that in 1889. People go missing out here all the time without a trace."
"Oh, my Gosh, you are serious?" She clung to his arm, suddenly very frightened. It seemed plausible that alien life could exist and what would be a better place to collect specimens? The town was so remote, there would be no witnesses and no one would miss the people for a long time. They passed an old wagon, derelict and the wheels fallen off. It was like someone stopped a watch and time stood still for the town. "Do you think it is safe for us to be here?"
"Yeah. I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't. I have been here many nights and slept in the saloon when the weather was bad. Another theory is one of the miners went crazy and killed everyone and drug their bodies deep into the mine. The Oldtimers kept telling the story to keep their gold stakes safe and people away."
Noralee didn't feel better, "A crazy miner?"
"Oh yeah. Some people go crazy from gold fever. The look on my own Da's face is not the same when he gets gold in his hands. It's mine! He would say and we knew to leave him alone. Many miners lost their reasoning over their greed for the gold." They were standing in front of the opening to the mine and Noralee trembled. She could imagine a maniacal, crazy miner dragging the bodies of the townspeople up the hill and covering his secret evil in the dark, heart of the mountain. She looked down at the dilapidated town and could imagine red beams coming down from a spaceship and lifting the helpless town folk to certain doom.
"Alaska is beautiful, but she has secrets." Bear said looking pensively into the dark, open throat of the mine.
YOU ARE READING
Chasing Fire
RomanceNoralee Hale needed time alone after finishing college. Her longtime boyfriend since high school decided it was time for them to date other people after they finished college. It was not what she was expecting. She decided to take a dream trip to...
