Little Yellow Bug

Left Cheek

"We've made it Midnight Man." I pulled into a long twisted driveway.

He looked up at me and then at the outstretching driveway before us.

"Where are we?" he asked groggily.

"Montana." 

I could hear him grumble in the backseat while I navigated the narrow path. It was autumn in Montana and the leaves were the prettiest shades of a blazing sunrise. Every few seconds, a leaf would float on the wind and land gently upon the windshield. I could tell it was getting pretty late just by the fading glow of the sun. 

The cabin is what you'd expect to be living in in the late 1920s. It was severely outdated and even is equipped with a fence-post to tie your horse just outside the front door. Just beside the house, there were the remnants of a faded fire ring, just barely noticeable by the pattern of the weather-worn rocks. The old wood foundation still was steady despite its age. Just stepping out of the car you could tell the house has been neglected for quite some time. 

"Let's go," I said harshly opening the side door to the vehicle. 

Midnight Man gingerly stepped out of the car to avoid ripping his stitches. Just from the look on his face, I could tell he doubted the quality of life that this outdated cabin could provide. Out of my peripheral vision, I could see a raccoon sputter across the foreign pavement and russel back into the woods.  

The door creaked on its hinges and revealed the not so lavish inside. A wood-burning stove was nestled in the corner and a side bedroom containing just a mattress and a nightstand was across the "kitchen". There was also a sink basin beside the stove and some windows adorned with a sheer white curtain spun from what felt like wool.

"We're not seriously going to stay in this place."

"This is all we got."

I stepped outside to the back of the house which contained a couple of paddocks to acquire the animals that once lived here. The paddocks were definitely worn in and looked as if the horses had just left. All that remained was some cracked mud. 

The exterior was embellished with a barn which had a couple of stalls and some riding tack as well. The dust which caked one of the saddles was thick and hard to rub off. There was delicate detailing on the saddle and it looked like it had come straight out of a western movie. In the loft of the barn, there was another bed and a couple of books in which the spines were worn. A wool blanket still remained on the wall thick with dirt and dust.

I slung the blanket on my shoulder and walked back into the house. When I returned, the earthy mud clung onto my boots from the rain earlier this morning. 

Midnight Man was sitting on the bed when I walked in. I set the blanket on the floor and put it in the washbasin. 

"I have some contacts so I will be gone for a while." 

Midnight man just sighed and stared blankly at the wall. 

"Don't go anywhere."

"Very funny." snarled Midnight Man.

I came home with Clay in a red pickup truck full of groceries with another bed and couch.  The gravel crunched beneath the rubber tires as we pulled into the vacant lot. It was dark by this time and the twinkling stars started to emerge within the darkness.

"So, you're really doing it," mentioned Clay.

"Yes, I'm holding a man hostage in the cabin." 

"Robin, I knew you were crazy but not that crazy."