I believed it, and with the shine of Taylor’s flashlight to guide us, we continued on our way.
The last time we came back here, I hadn’t actually taken the time to admire our surroundings. Not even when we were on our way back to the house. However, now that I knew what to expect, I couldn’t help staring at the branches above us, laden with snow. Every now and then, I’d catch the glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye, my heart rate skyrocketing until I recognized the colors or the wings of a bird. It may have been peaceful back here, but it was still a densely wooded area, and while I was more relaxed about it than I’d been before, that didn’t keep me from watching our backs.
“Still trying to find your bear?” Taylor teased, pausing halfway down the path until I caught up with her again.
“You’re never going to let that go, are you?” I asked, glancing at once of the trees closest to us. One seemed to have been struck by lightning, its trunk splintered down the middle.
“You get any bad storms up here?”
“Blizzards mostly. Thundering snow as well.”
“It thunders when it snows?” I’d heard of it happening but had never experienced it for myself. “That sounds like a terrible combination.” No wonder they lost power all the time.
“It has happened,” Taylor said with a slight nod, “but it’s rare.”
“Could it happen now?”
“Doubt it. It isn’t the right temperature. This is just your usual blizzard.”
“And none of this bothers you? This is quite a ways to walk for some privacy.” I wouldn’t usually mind, but considering our current circumstances…
“I love this stuff, actually. As for getting back to the house, Brad will come dig us out if it gets too bad. We have everything we need thanks to Mom’s leftovers. My sister and I actually had to camp out at the cabin for a few days back when we were teens.”
“And you weren’t scared?”
“It was the best thing ever. After a stupid fight over something I can’t even remember, she came to the cabin. Mom sent me after her, and once I got her to calm down, it started to get dark. So we stayed in, got the fire going, did some jigsaws, and waited it out. The storm wasn’t supposed to be as bad as it had been, but we managed. We kept in contact with my folks through the phone. Other than that, it was kind of a mini-vacation for us away from them.”
“So camping without actually camping.” I guess I could appreciate that.
“Pretty much. Granted, I could do without the snow in my socks, but we’ll warm up once we get inside. We have an indoor clothesline we can hang our stuff on in front of the fire if you want.”
“I might have to take you up on that. This jacket is soaked through.”
“We should probably go shopping after the holidays to get you a coat.”
“I’m gonna have to agree with you there. Especially if we aren’t going to stay at the house.”
By the time we reached the cabin, it was pitch black. It had taken us over half an hour no thanks to the snow, but at least we survived. Aside from my numb toes, fingers, and not having any feeling at all in my ears, it hadn’t been too bad.
The woods back here were completely empty aside from the occasional bird or squirrel. Taylor did say something about deer before, though I had yet to see one. As for the bear…
I laughed, which resulted in a curious look from Taylor once she walked back into the main room.
“Are you making fun of me?” She’d changed her clothes and had even more layers added on, including ear muffs and a fur cap.
“Of myself, actually.” I studied her puffed-up attire.
“What’s with all the layers? I thought we were staying in.”
“We are,” she said as she made her way toward the front door, “but I need to shovel a path to the outhouse so we don’t break our ankles. There’s a lot of raised tree roots over that way that are hard to see under the snow.” With that, she zipped up the front of her spare coat, then flashed me a wicked grin.
“Get the place all nice and warm. I shouldn’t be too long.”
Before I could reply, she was gone, leaving me in the cabin with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company. I shivered at the thought of going back outside to use the outhouse. You’ll have to use it eventually. Yeah, but hopefully by then, there’d be a lot less snow on the ground.
Glancing around the room, I noticed a set of photographs sitting on the mantelpiece. Dust covered their frames, which I quickly wiped away with my sleeve. Most of the photos featured Taylor or her sister, but there were a few where Taylor was posing with another girl.
An old friend perhaps?