Kyra

In a country where morals and decency are viewed as hateful and dangerous Christians have been labeled as a hate group. This is how Kyra became a fugitive.

 

The wind swept wisps of snow across the path. The trees blocked some of the wind but gave little shelter from the cold.  We were hiking the trail, or at least we hope that we hadn’t strayed too far off course.  The map that we were provided was vague and hard to follow.  I was sure we were lost.       

            Just so that you know, I never wanted to make this journey.  I had a good job and a nice home.  I was settled into my comfortable life before it all came crashing down around me.

It all started innocent enough, laws being put into place to keep everyone safe.  It was several years ago, but everyone still remembers the pandemic and the riots and the disputed elections.  So giving up our rights for everyone’s safety seemed reasonable?  But then more laws were added, and our rights continued to be taken away until the laws became oppressive.  We were encouraged to turn in our neighbors for being subversives.  The advertisements were everywhere encouraged us to “Just tell. It’s the right thing to do.”  Those simple words became the undoing of our society.  Neighbors no longer trusted one another.

            Of course, it didn’t happen all at once. It was engineered to take place little by little.  We were the frogs in the pan of water; and the burner was turned to high. 

Little by little, we lost the right to speak out against our government.  They claimed that it was for everyone’s safety after all.  We were arrested if we dared to take a stand for anything.  Along with our lost rights, we were entering an economic collapse. The world’s economy was in serious trouble.  The world leaders tried to fix things.  Our president implemented programs that were supposed to help.  The government forgave all student loans.  They implemented healthcare for all. Finally, they passed a bill that made unemployment permanent.  You could retire on unemployment! 

During this time the world seemed to be following this same strange path.  Religious groups and ethnic groups began to turn on one another.  They blamed one another for the problems that they were facing.  Here, in the US everyone seemed to blame Christians.  

Our President used this unrest as an opportunity to take more rights away through his Executive Orders.  One of those orders made the police and sheriff offices part of the Federal Marshals.  We soon became aware that we were being governed under an autocracy.    

                       

1

            I was in the coffee shop on Main Street during my lunch break.  I like to sit by myself at a corner table.  I was reading the news on my tablet when I noticed a young lady walk in. She looked pretty ruff, like she was homeless.  Her clothes were tattered and dirty and her hair was unkempt. I looked at her and smiled as she walked up next to me.  “Do you mind if I have a seat?”  I gestured to the empty chair across from me.  She reached to shake my hand and said, “My name’s Kyra.”

            I asked her if she would like something to eat.  But she didn’t answer.  She looked at me and I could tell from her expression that she was distressed.  I put my tablet down and I asked, “What’s bothering you?” but she didn’t answer right away.  She looked as though she was going to say something but then her eyes tired up a little and she blushed, and then looked away.           

I sat quietly and let her regain her emotions and then she finally asked. “Have you ever watched one of those movies where the person wakes up one morning and everything has changed, but no one else seems to notice?  Well, one day I was just another person going about my life.  I was happy with my routine. I was working five days a week, looking forward to my weekend; and then suddenly it happened.   I became an enemy of the state.”

She quit talking and reached her hands out on the table as though she was reaching for something.  Then she continued, “I was awakened at two in the morning.  The Police kicked my front door in and rushed into my bedroom.  Rifles were pointed in my face as I was wrenched from my bed and slammed to the floor and then held there.   A large police officer had his hand on the back of my neck as someone put handcuffs on me.

As he lifted to my feet and pushed against the wall and said, “Search the house.”  Then he said, “If you cooperate this will all be over in a few minutes.”  I asked the Officer “What are you looking for?”  He leaned toward me and sneered, “If you cooperate, this will be over soon.  So keep quiet or I’ll make this a lot harder.”

I stood against the wall while they picked through every room in my house.  Finally, an officer came and stood next to me.  He held my Bible up close to my face.  “Is this yours?”  “Yes,” I answered.  He glared at me and said, “You’re a Christian.”  I answered, “Yes.” He tossed my Bible on my bed and then left the room.  A little later another officer peeked into the room and said, “We’re all done.” 

He took the handcuffs off of me and then he asked, “Where is your firearm license?”  I reached on my bedside table into the pile of things dumped out of my purse and handed him the card.  He took it from me and asked, “Where are your firearms?”  I answered, “I haven’t bought one yet.  I had to have a license before they would let me pick one out.”  Then he looked over at the Bible on the bed. “Why do you have that?”  I answered, “Because I’m a Christian.”  He said, “Well congratulations little Christian girl, your activity has put you on our watch list.”  I was puzzled and a bit angry so I asked, “What activity is that?”  He didn’t answer, but instead told me, “Get some clothes on, then we’ll talk some more.” 

            I hurried and got dressed and then walked out of my bedroom. They had trashed my living room, what a mess!  The man standing next to my busted front door pointed to it and said, “You better get this fixed.  This isn’t the best neighborhood you know.” 

            He told me that if I didn’t want him back in the middle of the night I was going to have to turn in all of my firearms and ammunition. I said, “I would like my firearm license back please.” The officer frowned at me for a moment but then handed me the license.

            The officer started asking me questions about my activities with my Church.  He wanted to know if we discussed politics in church.  He wanted to know if we ever had discussions about races or the LBG or other religions. He demanded to know if my church taught any form of intolerance.  I tried to explain that the Bible teaches that we are all sinners but he interrupted me and said, “So you just admitted that your church teaches intolerance.”       

            After they left I pushed the front door back into place.  I would have to wait until morning to get it fixed.  Before I began cleaning my house, I texted my boss and told him that I wouldn’t be in.  I told him that I had a few problems I needed to take care of.  I spent the next two hours cleaning up the mess that they left me.  I sat back on the couch to relax. 

            The next morning I awoke on the couch. I sat up and looked around the room wishing it had all been a dream.  I walked into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee.  Then I sat at the kitchen table listening to the coffee maker as it brewed.   Suddenly there was a knock at the front door.  I hollered, ‘come in.’ as I walked toward the front door.  My neighbor poked her head in and said.  “I thought I would check on you, I saw all of the police cars here last night.” She looked at the busted doorframe and the large crack in the door and said, “Wow, I guess they had a little trouble opening your door.”

            I invited her in for a cup of coffee.  She sat at the table and I poured her a cup.  I put a platter of lunchmeat and cheese on the table along with a box of crackers.  I told her about my visit from the police and that they were looking for my guns.  She smiled and said, “They didn’t find them, did they?”  I smiled and said, “No.”  She looked serious and asked, “Are you ok?”  I just smiled but didn’t answer.  I told her what they said about my Church.  She frowned and said, “I told you that they were going to come after us Christians.  That’s why I quit going to Church.”

            We talked while we ate breakfast and then finally she said her goodbyes and then left.  I cleaned up the dishes and then got ready for the day.  I was looking over my front door when a police car pulled up in front of the house. 

I walked out to meet him and he said, “I have a court order to pick up your firearms Ma’am.”  I smiled and said, “You’re kidding?” He answered, “No Ma’am, I was sent to collect your firearms and your ammunition.  I answered, “Sir, your people came here last night and broke into my house.  They trashed my house while pointing rifles at my head.  They searched my entire house looking for guns and ammo and didn’t find anything.  So it should be clear to you guys by now that I don’t have anything.”

            “You say they broke into your house?”  I walked over to the front door and shoved it open and pointed to the busted jam and big crack in the door.  He looked it over and then he looked at his tablet.  He said, “The report said that they knocked several times but you refused to open the door.  It also indicates that you were uncooperative and they had to restrain you.”  Now I was angry so I asked, “Would you like to review my security cameras and see if the report matches the video?  He stood up straighter and asked, “You have a video of them entering your residence?”  I said, “yes, not only entering my house but I have security cameras in my house.  You can see for yourself that I was cooperating.”  The officer’s expression didn’t change.  He asked, “Do you mind if I review your footage.” 

We went into the house and I opened my laptop.  I clicked on the folder that held the security videos.  I found the door camera video and clicked on it.  I turned the laptop screen so the officer could see it.  He watched the screen for a few seconds and then asked, “Are your other videos on here?”  I answered “Yes.”  He closed the laptop and then said, “Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”  I did as he asked.  The officer handcuffed me and then taking my laptop he led me out and put me in the back seat of his car. As he drove me to the police station I told him, “That video is also loaded to the cloud.”  He looked at me through his rearview mirror and said, “That video won’t help you now.”

Once I was inside the police station I was placed in a small room and handcuffed to a desk.  I sat waiting for a long time before anyone came into the room.  Finally, the door opened and a tall young woman entered.  She sat across from me.  She was talking on her cell phone and seemed to ignore me.  I was listening to her as she was talking.  She said “Oh, by the way, I have a candidate for you. No, she is a little old for that but you know what she would be good for.”  Then she tapped on her phone and then turned it up toward me.  She said, “Smile for the camera.”

            She got up and started to walk out of the room.  I said, “Excuse me.” She stopped and looked at me.  I asked, “Am I being charged with anything?”  She chuckled a little bit and said, “How would I know?  I’m not with them.  Someone should be with you shortly, maybe.”

After she left the room I sat for another hour or more.  Finally, the door opened again.  A large woman walked up to me.  She was wearing Nursing Scrubs, and she reached into her pocket and pulled out a syringe.  She said, “I need your arm.”   I looked at her and asked, “Why?  Are you taking blood or something?”  She said, “Or something; your arm please.”  I leaned back and straightened out my arm the best I could.  She poked me with the needle.  I realized that she wasn’t taking blood; she had given me a shot.  Right away I began to feel light-headed and drowsy.

When I woke up I was lying on my back.  I was in a large room on a bed made of plywood and two by fours.  I looked around the room and row after row of wooden bunk beds.  It looked like a warehouse for people. 

She stopped talking and looked at me for a moment.  I said, “Let me buy you a cup of coffee.”    I ordered her a cup of coffee and a sandwich, and then I went back to the table and joined her.  She looked embarrassed and mumbled, “I shouldn’t be bothering you, I’m sorry.” She started to stand.  I said, “No, no, it’s ok, please sit.  Besides, your order will be here in just a minute.  You need to eat something.”  She sat back down and reached out her hand to introduce herself.  “My name is Kyra.  I didn’t plan on interrupting your morning.”  I smiled and introduced myself.  I encouraged her to continue her story.

She leaned back in her chair and then began.  “Like I said I was a little groggy so I sat on the edge of my bed until I felt a little more stable.  I asked the girl closest to me where I was and she looked at me with hollow looking eyes and said “You are in hell.”  Another girl spoke up and said, “Don’t do anything to get their attention.”

She told me that I was in a small compound that was run by police and gang members.  The police ‘arrests’ us and brings us here, and we become their merchandise.  They take photos of us and make a profile on the internet where people can buy us.  If we aren’t sold right away, we became prostitutes.  We are also placed on a donor list for the super-wealthy.  She said she had been here for a year.  She said that if a client chose you, first you are taken to the salon where you are cleaned up and dressed.  Then you will be escorted to a room where you are at the mercy of whoever paid for your services.  If they bought you, you are never seen from again.

I asked her if anyone ever tried to escape.  She said that a few had tried.  She said that they were caught and after being brought back and ‘put on display’ some were still alive, either way, they were never heard from again.  I found out that the room was essentially a large warehouse.  A small area at the very back of the building is divided in two. This is where the restrooms and showers are located.  Next to that is the cafeteria.  We were fed twice a day.  The meals are always the same.  We are fed beans and rice with some sort of vegetable mixed in.

I knew I had to escape.  I started looking at the room I was in.  The ceiling looked to be made of metal with spray foam insulation.  The walls were metal spray foam as well.  All across the ceiling were iron rafters and there was a large duct that ran the length of the building and it was connected to the rafters.  I walked to the back of the warehouse to where the showers were.  I looked above the showers at the ductwork.  I knew they had to vent the moister from the showers out of the building.

They had to have cameras watching us so I searched and found what I thought would be a blind spot where I would be hidden from the camera.  I scaled the beam closest to the shower and then crawled along the rafter toward the exhaust duct.  Suddenly five large men came rushing toward me; they had rifles pointed at me.  I was caught.  One of the men pointed a rifle at my head and told me to jump down.  I was at least twelve feet off of the floor; I dropped down and landed hard.

One of the men grabbed me by my hair and pulled me up.  He slapped me so hard that I nearly passed out.  The men headed toward the front of the building.  I was dragged along by my hair, stumbling, and tripping all the way. 

They took me to a room with a large conference table.  I stood there while they talked about me; they talked about what type of execution I was going to receive.  A tall well-dressed man came into the room.  He looked at me as though he was amused.  He said, “You like to play games, don’t you. I have a game I like to play.  It’s called kill the rabbit.”  The men around me were nodding in agreement.  They looked at me with disgust.

He looked at the man who had drug me into the room.  “What do you say?  We give her three minutes?”   The men grunted his agreement.  Then the well-dressed man walked over to me and grabbed my arm.  He pulled me out of the room to the main door and opened it.  He looked at me and said, “Well run.”

I didn’t know where I was.  I didn’t know which way to run.  I saw a road leading through a wooded area to my left and a parking lot to my right.  Across from me was an office building.  A road ran to my left and right.  I ran left down the road toward the woods as fast as I could.  When I reached the wooded area I ran adjacent to the road in the grassy area.  I saw a culvert in the ditch ahead of me.  I dove into the ditch and squirmed my way into the culvert.

I stayed in that culvert all that day and night.  I heard vehicles pass by many times. Several times I could hear someone walking close to my hiding place.  I was stiff and hurting when I scooted close enough to peak out.  I looked around and didn’t see anyone.  Scooted out of the safety of my hiding place and hurried to the cover of the trees.  I continued following the direction of the road to where I could see the perimeter fence to the compound.  It was a tall fence topped with razor wire.

I walked where no one would see me.  I found a place where the drainage ditch went under the fence.  I squeezed myself through the culvert.   Finally, I was free.

Every car I saw was after me, every person I saw wanted to kill me.   I stayed off of the roads and tried to stay out of sight of anyone.   That night I slept under the stars.  I was so cold that I shivered violently.  I sat up and rubbed my arms and legs.  Off in the distance, I could see the lights of town.  I headed toward it as fast as I could.  It took me all night and into the morning.  That is how I ended up here.  They are still after me.  I’m sure of it.”

I sat silent for a while and took a sip of my coffee.  Kyra looked at me, and I could see the pleading and I saw the pain in her eyes as she said, “You don’t believe me.”  I leaned forward and answered, “I do believe you.  Now, let me ask you; how did you know to come to me?”  She looked down at her coffee and then lifted her head and said, “You look harmless.”

We sat for a few moments sipping our coffee while she gobbled down her lunch.  When she was finished, I told her that I knew of a group of people who could help her.  I studied her expression, as I thought about the danger I was putting myself and my friends in.  What if this woman was sent to infiltrate us?  Or worse what if she was telling the truth and they had followed her here?  But looking at her knew I had to help her.  I said, “I know a woman who can help you.  Her name is Anna. She is a friend of mine.  She and I are members of the same church.”

When she finished her lunch we walked out of the coffee shop and I led her down the street and out of the business district.  As we walked I told her, “It’s not much farther now.”  The old two-story houses all have a full porch with a tall roof and beautiful columns for support.  We continued down the street past houses and cottages until we came to a big two-story brownstone with large gables jutting out of the roof, it was nearly a mansion.  We walked up to the gate and I reached for the intercom. Before I could push the button, the gate began to open.

We hurried along the sidewalk toward the front door of the house.  We were ascending the stairs onto the porch when Anna opened the front door, Anne asked, “May I help you?” I answered, “Yes ma’am; I would like to borrow some eggs.”  Anne glanced at Kyra and then said, “Let’s go inside and I’ll see if I can get that for you.”

She leads us through the front room and then into the kitchen.  She motioned toward the table and said “Have a seat.”  She busied herself pouring iced tea and then filling a plate with cookies that she placed in the center of the table.

She sat across from me and then pushed the plate of cookies toward Kyra.  She looked at me and asked, “Will she be hiking the trail?”  “Yes, we need to send her right away.  I’ll let her fill you in on the details.  She is into some serious stuff.”  So she asked, “Were you compromised?”  We came from the coffee shop.”  She looked at me for a moment and then said, “You haven’t introduced your friend yet.”   I gestured and said, “Anne this is Kyra, I didn’t get your last name.”  Kyra looked a little irritated and asked, “How are you planning on helping me?” 

Anna leaned back in her chair and sipped her tea as though she was studying the young girl.  Then she said, “That all depends on you.  You will have to trust us completely and we will have to trust you in the same manner.  You will have to be willing to do what we tell you without question.  When you leave here you will have to forget that you ever knew us. You never saw this house or our faces.  Kyra looked her in the eyes and said, “I can do that.”  Anna said, “Then we can help you.”

While we were visiting the doorbell rang, or rather, the gate bell rang.  Anna pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped on the screen. She looked up from her phone and with a desperate tone said, “You know where to go!” 

Sometimes life has a way of changing directions, like the wind.  You can be happy living your life in one direction when suddenly the winds of life changes.  You find yourself far off course and there is no of coming back. 

            I lead the young lady toward the back of the house to the staircase.  The stars lifted like a car hood, to revile a small room with a trap door.  Once inside I lowered the staircase over us and back into its place.  We let ourselves down through the trap door into the room below.  We waited there for what seemed to be hours, but it probably wasn’t that long.

Finally, the door swung and Anna was standing in the doorway.  She said, “Young lady they are looking for you!  They say you are a wanted fugitive.  Then she looked at me and said, “They saw you two together.”  She looked at me for a moment, “They want to talk to you.”  I asked, “Someone saw us talking, and turned us both in?”  “They saw you on camera, which is probably worst,” Anne said. 

Just then her husband walked up behind her.  He said, “Young lady, we need to get you ready to travel.  Someone must have followed you because the police came straight here.”  Then he looked at me and said, “I said that you wanted me to help some wretched homeless girl.  We told them that when you showed up here, I sent you and her away.” 

Anna’s husband said to the girl, “Follow me, I’ll get you set up with what you need.  He asked, “Do you have a phone or other electronics?”  She shook her head no.     

 The room had shelves along every wall.  Each of the shelves was filled with rucksacks.  Ann’s husband asked Kyra, “What size clothing do you wear?”  When she answered with her size he searched the tags on the rucksacks until he found the one he was looking for. He said, “Small short should fit you.  Why don’t you try on a pair of pants and a shirt and make sure they fit.”  He handed Kyra the bag.  Then he looked at me.  “You better grab your bag.”

            He turned back to the young lady, and after he was satisfied that she was equipped well enough for travel he had her look through each pouch and pocket on our rucksacks.  In one pocket was a first aid kit.  Another pocket held basic items including a compass, a pocket knife, matches as well as a handful of other things that would be helpful.  The other outer pockets held snacks like granola bars and jerky. Inside the rucksack was a waterproof jacket that was rolled tight in the upper compartment, along with a pair of thermal underclothes.  The compartment below that held clothing and underclothes.  As well as a hydration system, a sleeping bag was strapped to the top and a separate pack was strapped to the bottom.

Just then Ann returned and handed Kyra an envelope and said, “This holds all of the instructions you will need to follow the trail.”  Then Anne said, “Follow me.”  They led us to the back of the basement to a door. I was surprised to find a long hallway beyond the door.  It was narrow but long, very long.  It was poorly lit and the air felt stale.  When we reached the far end of the hallway we came to a ladder that led up to a trap-door.  We climbed up and squeezed ourselves through. 

We were in the house that sat across the street from Anne’s house.  Ann’s husband shook our hands and then wished us good luck He dropped back down to the tunnel.   Ann asked me to stay with Kyra until things calmed down.  She said she would let me know if it was safe for me to stay.  Anna dropped back down into the long hallway and I closed the trap door. 

Kyra lifted her rucksack off of her shoulders and dropped it on the floor.  Then opened the envelope and pulled a paper out and started reading.  She looked up from the paper and asked, “Do you want to do this?  If you get caught helping me they will kill you.”  I smiled and said, “I have helped at least a dozen people like you escape.  So far I haven’t had any trouble.  I don’t think it would be any different this time.” She looked at me for a few seconds then she said, “They followed us here, they’ll be waiting for you at your home.”

I thought about it for a moment.  The authorities had never caught me as I helped someone along the trail before.  I wasn’t worried though.  And besides, these people were all desperate with no place to turn, no one to look to for help.  If I didn’t help them who would?

I looked out the front window of the house.  I could see the large gate that led to Ann’s house.  The police car was still there.  Suddenly I heard a voice.  I looked around to see where it was coming from.  I heard the voice again, coming from an intercom on the front door.

I hurried over and answered, “Yes, we're here.  Kyra is still in the shower.”  Anna answered, “You two better lay low there for a while.  The kitchen is fully stocked so you have plenty of food.”  Kyra walked up beside me, her hair was wrapped in a towel, and she answered, “How can I ever repay you?  All of this has to have cost a lot of money.”  While they were talking I was watching out the window as the police climbed into their car and drove away.

We waited like we were told as the day came to an end.  I fell asleep on the couch watching the television.  I awoke the next morning to the sound of a coffee maker sputtering.  I walked into the kitchen and sat at the table with a hot cup of coffee.  So I spent another day waiting for a message from Anna. 

That evening I heard the intercom so when I answered I asked, “Is everything ok, has things calmed down out there?”  Anna answered, “They saw you helping her.  They are searching for both of you.” So I asked, “Do you think that I need to leave town?  Is that serious?”  Anne answered, “Yes, they saw you on camera helping Kyra.  They want her.  They have her listed as one of Homeland Security’s most wanted.”  She paused and then said, “I had to tell them something, so I told them that you two were here asking for help, but I sent you away.”  So I asked again. “Do you think I could speak to them? Would it be safe for me to stay here then?”  After a long pause, she said, “No.  They want you. They tore apart your house.  They are looking for you.”  I panicked for just a second, but then I knew I didn’t keep anything at home that could compromise any of my friends.

Ann asked, “Did you hear me?  They trashed your house.”  I answered, “They won’t find anything.”  She asked, “Are you sure?”  I answered, “Yes.”  She said, “This is serious; it could be the end of all of us.”  I said, “Look,   there is nothing at my house that will give any of this away. 

“We need to get you equipped to travel right away.  Meet me in the room.”  I answered I grabbed my bugout bag.”  “Meet with me anyway.”  I walked away from the intercom with no hope of resuming my life.  I looked at the young lady who had brought my life crashing down and marveled at her resilience. 

She was sitting on the couch looking through her newly acquired backpack.  She had taken all of the items out and inspected them one by one.  Now she was packing them neatly back in her pack.  I walked toward the trap door while I reflect on all that had happened.   

As I walked past her she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “I didn’t mean to bring you any trouble.  I was afraid.  I just needed help.  I am so sorry.  If I would have known that I was being followed I would have kept going.”  I looked at her and smiled.  I didn’t know what to say.  I could see the hurt in her eyes and felt that I should say something.  Finally, I said, “It's ok.”

I dropped through the hatch into the underground hallway.  I hurried to the supply room.  Anna was already there waiting for me.  She took my bug-out bag from me as she told me that she and her husband had already added a few things earlier, but she wanted me to have a few more things that I might need for my travels.     

I handed her my tablet.  I said. “The password is the same one I have always used, ‘password.’ Real original I know.”  There is a document on the tablet with my bank account numbers, passwords, and PINs are on there as well as the answers to the security questions.  You will find the document in the folder named music.  Empty my accounts before they freeze them.”  She hugged me, then handed me an envelope, then said, “Just be safe.”

            Kyra and I waited in the safe house for nearly a week.  Because we didn’t have anything else to do, we read the books that were on the bookshelf.  When we got bored of reading we cleaned the entire house.  We told ourselves that it was because we didn’t want to be a burden to Anna, but it was out of boredom.  Anna asked that we keep a list of everything we use so that she could replace it, so Kyra kept a shopping list that she added to each day.

Finally, Anne called over the intercom and said, “It's time. A van will be in the back alley in twenty minutes.  It will only stop long enough for you to jump in.  This is important; be ready.”  We hurried and packed our things and then we went to the alley.   We waited, concealed in the bushes in the back yard.  Before long cargo van came driving slowly down the alley.  The side door was open.  As the van slowed when it came near u, Kyra and I dove in.  The driver said, “Shut the door and get comfortable.”

He drove us through the back roads out of town.  Before long we were on the freeway heading west, skirting the lake so our trek took us west along the shore, and then finally northwest.  Kyra pulled a map out of her pack so she could figure out where we were.  Finally, after three hours the driver stopped.  He said, “I see you got your map.  This is where you start on the trail.  Good luck and stay safe.”

As soon as we jumped out, the van sped off leaving us along the side of the highway.  We were alone on the edge of the National Forest.  Kyra said, “hurry let’s get off the road.  I followed her into the forest and then she took out the map again. After studying it for a moment, we walk west.  “There is supposed to be a safe house this way.” She said.  On her map, Anne had put tiny dots that indicated places that we would need to stop so that we could get provisions.  As we walked west through the forest we only deviated from our course to go around obstacles.  The fall weather made our traveling easy.  The day was cool and the soft breeze made for a nice day. We hiked for the rest of the day and into the evening.

As Kyra and I were hiking the Mountain trail I worried that we might be been lost. I had that feeling for the past few days.  We were deep in the pine forests high up on the side of a mountain.  We were far away from town or village when we came across this house.  It was made of stone that had been built to last more than one lifetime.  The walls were high and tapered in just a little as they extend high toward the roof.  The joints between the rocks were tight enough to keep the weather out.  The house was long, nearly too long for a single-family home.  It had one large door at the front.  The door was made of ruff cut pine that was held together with hammered iron straps.  Several small windows set high along each wall.  The windows were much too high to look peek in.  They must have been made only to let the sunlight in. They were built with a heavy metal frame that is hinged at the top so that when they would be able to swing up and out when opened.

            The roof was made of ruff-cut timber planks that were overlapping much like the hull of a ship. The eves of the house were stone that ended in a point to meet the heavy wooden timbers. The roof extends past the front door to form a porch with four huge log pillars for support. 

            The door frame was made of the same heavy timbers as the roof but it had been expertly carved with a vining relief.  When I opened the front door, it was heavy and didn’t give way easily.  It swings out when opened.  It fit right into a frame that was made to keep the cold winter wind out.  Once we entered the door we could see how massive this house was.  On the inside of the front door are heavy metal rings that are used to slide a bar through to lock the door tight. 

            We walked down the long wide hallway that ran the length of the house, toward the large fireplace sitting in the center of the house.  All along the walls on both sides of the hall are wooden doors, all closed.  The open-hearth fireplace is opened on all four sides, and it is used for cooking as well as heating the house.  All of the pots and pans, as well as the cooking utensils, are hung on iron hooks that protrude out of the stone hearth.  Beyond the fireplace sits a long table with heavy wood chairs neatly scooted in.  Beyond the long table, at the end of the hall are a set of double doors. I walked past the fireplace, passing by the long table up to the double doors.  I pulled one of the doors open and walked in to find the master bedroom.  The bedroom was large, very large for a bedroom.  The bed sat on the right side of the room and centered on the wall.  It had end tables on either side.  Large wooden dressers sit facing the bed along the walls to either side of it.   In the middle of the back wall sat a large wardrobe.  On the other end of the room sat a round table with four chares.  A dining sideboard sat along the wall to the left and a bookcase sits to the right. 

            I walked out of the bedroom into the hall and continued exploring the rooms.  Along each wall were bedrooms.  Each bedroom had a dresser and a wardrobe as well as a single bed.  They were all situated the same.  The beds were centered on the wall with the wardrobe to the right of the bed and the dresser to the left.

            The room closest to the fireplace on the east side of the house was used as a pantry.  It is the same size as the bedrooms.  The shelves along the back wall were filled with smoked cured meat.  The other shelves held sacks filled with grains and dried fruits and vegetables. One was filled with pine nuts, another filled with dried rosehips.  On the floor in the center of the room was a large round wooden door.  I lifted it and looked down into a deep well.  On the wall of the well was a metal peg with a wooden bucket that held a rope.  One end of the rope was tied to the peg, and the other end tied to the bucket handle.

            I closed the lid to the well and then walked out of the pantry and back into the hall.   I was surprised to find Kyra talking with a woman.  The woman was much taller than Kyra.  Her long white hair was long and straight, it nearly reached her waist. It was held out of her face with a scarf.  She was wearing a green long sleeve shirt and bib overalls.  She was slender but she looked strong.

            “Ah, there you are.” She said.  Were you exploring the place or rummaging through the food stores?  “This is quite the place.  How old is it?”  She smiled and said, “No one seems to know.  When we found it we worked for several years repairing it.  My family used it as a holiday retreat for years.  Some of the men used it as a hunting cabin once in a while.  Now it is mostly used as a safe house.  I escaped here myself.

            You are welcome to stay here as long as you want, but you will be expected to work.  This time of year we are still harvesting some fruits and a few vegetables.  Every morning and late afternoon we check the traps. 

            Kyra and the woman, Miriam continued to visit. She stopped long enough to tell me to find a room and make myself comfortable.  I found a room that seemed unoccupied and dropped mu rucksack on the bed.  I looked through the dresser to be sure it wasn’t someone’s room.  As I started to unpack Kyra came into the room.  “This place doesn’t seem real, does it?”  I had to admit it seemed a little mythical.  I’m waiting for the seven dwarves to show up.

            Kyra seemed more herself than she had been this entire journey.  It made me smile despite myself.  I asked her “What type of work did you do before you ended up on this expedition?”  She looked at me as though she was a little embarrassed and said, “Don’t laugh.” I promised not to laugh and she said, “I’m a brew master for a microbrewery.”

            “Didn’t you want to know what Miriam I and were talking about?”  I hadn’t thought about it so I answered, “Sure, what?”  Since it’s late in the year I have agreed to stay on until spring.  I told her that she would be happy to stay as well.  Aren’t you excited?”   I thought, ‘excited?  No, Upset worried angry maybe, but not excited.’  I answered, “Yes, excited.”

            With no place in particular to go, I didn’t have any reason to object to staying.