The forest encrusted homestead was just as she remembered. Rosalyn stared up at the single-story cedar cabin from her childhood through the windshield. Her memories were faded and discolored from time—the exterior panels were darker than she remembered and the house had always seemed so much larger where it lived in the back of her mind. Sighing, she cut the ignition and pushed open the door of her waxed ivory Lexus.
After unloading her leather duffel bag from the trunk and hauling it up to the small porch, she unlocked the door and let herself inside. The last time she'd been here, she'd hardly been tall enough to open it. A strong floral aroma filled her nostrils as she stepped across the threshold. In spite of how infrequently her aunt and uncle used this cabin, perhaps once or twice a year, the place was in pristine condition. They had a cleaning lady come on a regular basis, she recalled. Maybe it was her perfume that clung so elegantly to these walls.
Rosalyn carried her bags to the master bedroom and looked around. The paneled walls were lighter in here than outside, everything bleached from the sun's caress. A thin brown quilt covered the king-sized bed, as a thicker one would be entirely unnecessary for the warm weather. Her fingers brushed the rough fabric while her curious brown eyes roved the cabin-themed pictures and illustrations on the walls.
A half hour or so had passed before she had reacquainted herself with the floor plan. Memories played in her head of that summer spent so many years ago—chasing her brothers through the woods, dunking them in the lake, punching them when they snored too loudly in the sleeping bag beside hers in their tent outside. She missed those days.
Sundown was still a matter of time away, so she decided to trade her silk blouse and slacks for cotton shorts and a soft blue v-neck. She didn't bother with shoes as she padded out onto the back porch and down the wood path that led to the small dock. The floating patch of wood swayed under her weight until she took a seat on its edge, letting her legs dangle over. Her toes just barely brushed the opaque emerald water. Across the glass surface of the lake was a line of vibrant pine trees that belonged to this national forest. Beyond the trees were jagged crests and falls of small mountains. Somewhere beyond those peaks was the city from which she'd come from.
The sense of panic she normally encountered when leaving her apartment and piles of work couldn't reach her here, however. She smiled gracefully at the blazing orb hanging low in the violet sky, praising it as it sunk further towards darkness. A humid breeze swam past her, around her, blowing her baggy shirt around in playful billows. The weather was supposed to stay in the seventies all weekend.
Closing her eyes, Rosalyn leaned back on her hands and let her head fall behind her shoulders. This felt so nice. Like freedom. Finally freedom. She hadn't felt so relaxed in ages. Probably not since she'd started working as operations manager at the growing web design company two years ago. There was little time to breathe when one was trying to keep up with a rapidly evolving market.
No work, she reminded herself.
"Rose..."
Her eyes flew open and she jerked upright. "Hello?" she called back, glancing around.
There was no one else in sight. In fact, her aunt and uncle's cabin was the only one on this lake. She was supposed to be completely alone. As the moment sunk in, she realized she didn't recognize the voice. It had sounded distant, almost like an echo, and was deep like a man's tenor. Gulping, she rose to her feet and dusted off her legs.
"God," she muttered. "I'm going insane."
Just before she turned away from the smooth lake, set aglow by the fading sun, she saw a ripple in the water. She paused. Nothing reappeared.
"Just a fish." Shaking her head, beyond angry with herself, she marched off the dock and back towards the cabin.
