Storm (G/T)

Inn and Out

Summer. The sun blazes down against my skin, giving me a slight pink burn. I'll put aloe on it later, since I'm packing it with me anyway. Cicadas buzz all about, and birds have conversations with each other at treetops. The world is at peace.

I walk around my new-ish house, paid for me as long as I give rent in, which is much lower and much better in ratio to the size of my home. It's good to be alone. The money I've saved has given me a couple more surgeries here and there, making me feel much more confident in myself. Entering my room, I grab my copy of the forest map, which I'd copied down onto a normal sized piece of paper. Can you imagine lugging that wall-sized paper over a three-day trip? This is endlessly more efficient. The original map resides against the wall with about thirty thumbtacks, taking up most of it like an oversized poster. 

I have enough clothes packed for a week, along with enough food and water for four days and some other necessities. Sunscreen, aloe, bug spray, money, phone and charger packs, toiletries and extra-strength duct tape. It'll be hell to get to the door bell, but tape worked just fine the last time I needed to get to a high up place.

Off I go then. I still don't have a car, but even if I did, I think walking would be more memorable. Only pulling out my phone to check maps, it cuts off sometime before the forest starts. It's only my guess on how far into the "uncharted" area it is. There's an inn about halfway between here and there, a good ten hours away. I'll stop there to sleep.

The path to the forest is more peaceful than it's ever been. A compass is kept with me as to not go off track, which I pull out every hour or so. 55°. Perfect. This is nice. My body isn't overwhelmed by cold or snow or ice or anything, in fact, my only problem is overheating if anything. I keep stopping by large trees for shade and water, then going back on my way. All I need to do is get to the inn before midnight or so. It's 24-hour, but I don't want to doddle too long.

The storm made it so I couldn't see much through the snowfall, including potential places to stop. A few homes with flags hanging outside their windows, including LGBT flags and other welcoming ones. They'd be nice the first time around, but they're no longer my goal for a place to visit. I quickly stop underneath a tree in someone's yard to get water. Bad timing. The owner of the house walks out. "Um, do I know you?"

"Apologies, I'm on an... extended walk," I explain. "I'm... done. Being on your lawn. Thanks." I continue on my way, overly embarrassed. The owner then goes to their car and backs out, likely the reason they'd left the house in the first place. Continuing on, it's getting close to sundown. Am I near the inn? It's about an hour away. It's currently ten after nine. I'll be fine.

I expect the hour to go as slowly as the rest of the day has, but it moves a lot faster. The darkness of night allows a cool breeze to pass, making me feel much better compared to the beating summer heat. The inn is finally here. Walking in, it's got a nice homey scent. Hunted game is everywhere, from taxidermy deer heads to a grizzly bear rug beneath my feet. A stray bone sits in the back corner of the check-in room. "Quite a big bone you've got here," I point out, leaning in to get a good look at it. It's slightly taller than me. "What animal?"

"No one's sure," replies the innkeeper. She's got a thick southern drawl. "We sent it to scientists and they said it lines up with human, but it's surely too big. Not less some giants are roamin' 'round." I freeze up at her comment.

"Horrifying. But surely you don't believe in those kinds of fairy tales," I joke around.

"Well don't get too close-minded missy, an imagination's the best thing your brain can have."

I turn back and look at the prices. One night for $30. Crazy cheap. That's a good and bad sign. "I'll be sure to keep an open-mind next time," I slide a bill across the table. The innkeeper smiles and accepts the money.

She can't help but press the issue. "What kind of bone do you think it is?"

"Well," I turn back to face the artifact. It's definitely from a giant, not that I'd let her know about my knowledge of them. Something in the hand for sure. "Assuming it's not the impossible, I'd guess it's a... publicity stunt. You know, from fantasy geeks trying to get attention. They make some manmade 'bone' and get it all covered with human DNA and frame it as some crazy discovery." Not a bad lie.

"I see, a non-believer." She's got a twinkle in her eyes. "You hear the story of the girl a few months back who was kidnapped by a supposed giant?"

"I didn't..." I trail off. "What about it?"

"Well, I surely didn't believe in such a thing until I saw the evidence. Some girl, I think she was 16? Left home and headed toward that forest a couple hundred miles out, footprints were tracked in the snow but came to a stop. From there you could see these 'nourmous footprints, filled with human data. Unidentified. Couldn't track it after a while, got lost in all the rest of the data in that forest. They found her a week later, and some eyewitnesses said they saw one of the beasts with her."

"Wild," I reply. Not much of a beast, though. "Any chance you heard of what the giant looked like?"

"I heard glasses, which is surprising, but not much more. Tall, I expect," she laughs. It's a hearty laugh, nostalgic and motherly. "Now you enjoy your stay, miss."

"Sure will." I take my key and head toward the showers.

I step into the water. It's cold and has absolutely no pressure. There's gravity backing it, but not much else. Not the best cleanse I've ever had, but it's just fine for the price. I brush my teeth and get redressed to settled for sleeping. It's a squeaky springy bed, but it's a hundred percent better than a snowbank, I can assure you of that. My thoughts drift into soft dreams about tomorrow's promises.

When I wake up, it's about 7am. Perfect. My phone's at 100%. Another long trek awaits. If I'm lucky, I can reach the forest by sundown and rest somewhere safe. Then by tomorrow night I'll be there. I continue on, ready for the next adventure.