The Cabin In The Woods - The Story

Josh Brantley becomes bored with his life and decides to go on a walk in the forest. Down a dark path, he has a fall and loses consciousness. When he awakens he is unable to tell fantasy from reality.

The Cabin In The Woods

 

by

R.H. Proenza

 

SMASHWORDS EDITION

 

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PUBLISHED BY:

R.H. Proenza on Smashwords

- A Fantasy Romance -

 

Revision 07/28/2018

 

Copyright © 2015 by R.H. Proenza

 

ISBN: 9781311235275

 

*****

 

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental.  The characters are productions of the author's imagination and used fictitiously.

 

Your support and respect for the property of this author are appreciated.

 

Many thanks to who encouraged me to write and to publish.  I hope you enjoy the story and perhaps become one of its characters, if for only a short while.

 

 

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Chapter 1

 

The attractive brass sign on my door reads Josh Brantley, and nothing more. Nothing follows my name. Nobody knows who I am or what I have accomplished, but that's okay. I’m fine with that. I’m a writer, but so what. Some would even say a well-known author.  So what. I don’t take myself too seriously or like blow my own horn.  I have only a few friends, but I know that's my own doing because I don't like fakes, and there are so many of them around.  Fake people prance about full of their self-importance, each wearing their phony mask.

Here I am, at twenty-five, not married, and I don't even have a girl!  I've been hit on by several girls in the past because they tell me I'm good looking, or so they say.  Most of them always seemed phony, bored, or harsh, like self-centered prima donnas!  I have more adjectives I could use!  The true essence of the FEMALE--whatever happened to that beautiful creation, that unique, unspoiled sweetness?  Maybe I'll never find her. Perhaps she doesn't even exist!

I stare out the window of my claustrophobic thirty-second-floor office at the horizon.   The interesting cloud formations that cluster there entertain me.  I am restless today.  Further away, I can see trees, lots of trees.  I love nature and hate to be hiding out in this little cracker box, but I have to write.  That's all I know, and I have to make a living.  If I could, I would be a Jeremiah Johnson.  I would live in the wilderness, hunt, and fish for food; sleep between the trees and under the stars.

I need to get away and take a trip to a place where I could breathe and be close to nature.  Take a sabbatical of sorts.  Just disappear for a year and let my modest book sales income accumulate in the bank until I decided to come back. I know there is beautiful countryside over to where I am looking.  I could drive and drive and go from here and into the next state, or the next, or… beyond.

The more I think about it, the more the trip idea grows in my head. I don't have any projects pending anyway. Yes, I believe I will take a long extended vacation and start making serious plans right now. Tomorrow I will go to the bank and set up automatic payments for all my bills. Then go to my attorney and tell him what I was about to do so he would cover anything else I had forgotten. And make sure I have all the supplies I need. Tomorrow is the day! Tomorrow will not come soon enough

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Fate gave me beautiful weather to start on my impulsive journey, or was this a quest?  A quest for what?  What was I looking for in life?  Whatever it was, I was prepared for the trip and was already driving, acting on my impulse.  I smiled as I began seeing fewer and fewer buildings and population in my rear-view mirror.  I was leaving civilization behind, and it was somehow exhilarating.

My destination was still ambiguous. I was leaning toward going to a beautiful national forest I knew just about one day's drive away.  The long trip could give me a chance to think. I want to rehash my life; to see what I have done with it to this point, what my purpose has been, and where I was going in life.

 

I drove for hours in deep thought, and now it seemed like I would never get to my destination.  There had been miles and miles of trees and forests.  They were beautiful, yes, but they never ended.  My brain was now on automatic pilot and wondered if I had been driving in circles?  Did I make a wrong turn somewhere?  I confess I am what is known as "directionally challenged."  Sometimes I think I can get lost in a closet looking for my coat.  So getting lost was not unreasonable!

I know what I needed…I needed to stretch my legs. Yes, a brief walk would do me just right, to break the monotony of the drive.  The trees here grow thick and close together, so I will look for a place to pull over.

At once, I felt a strange, almost overwhelming desire to get off the road at a small clearing I came upon at the edge of the way.  The sky was a remarkable blue with not a cloud to interrupt the panorama. The air was fresh and crisp; a perfect day for a walk.

Once out of the car, the fragrances hit me all at once; the scents of evergreens and pine needles blended with that of the scattered colorful wildflowers. Behind that was the earthy smell of fallen leaves in their slow process of going back into nature.  From the clearing where I stopped, I walked into where the trees seem to part and open a path, perhaps where deer traveled.  As I walked, I made sure to look behind me so that I would remember the track on the way back.

The forest was fascinating with its luscious underbrush, and verdant wild plants. The quietness that only a forest can produce was mesmerizing. I couldn't help but go deeper in while I followed a squirrel that was scavenging for something edible.  A beautiful young doe crossed the path up ahead.  The deer looked at me for several minutes, studying the intrusion of a human and perhaps never having seen one before.

As I stood frozen, we stared at each other before she disappeared into the underbrush.  As I looked upward, a large woodpecker approached and landed on a nearby limb and took my attention away from the fallen branch across the path.  It had broken apart into small logs.  My foot stepped on one and rolled with my weight.  All at once, I was falling backward. I saw bits of sky through the trees on my way down ... feeling like I was in slow motion.  I landed on my back as my head hit something hard -- what felt like a large rock on the ground.

 

 

Chapter 2

 

I'm not sure how long I lay there…everything was spinning and I felt something wet at the back of my head. Putting my hand there, I brought back a moist red fingertip. I sensed that some time had passed because the sunlight filtering through the trees seemed changed.  Had I lost consciousness?  A strange buzzing roused me from my thoughts.  It was like the sound of a big bumblebee.  I raised my head and saw that a beautiful hummingbird had approached me as I lay there, no doubt assessing me.  Then a second and a third came to join it.  The tiny birds were iridescent green with deep reddish heads -- some of the most stunning I had ever seen.

These tiny birds didn't seem bothered by me as they hovered in perfect formation.  I was fascinated and took my time getting up so as not to frighten them.  The trio stayed in front of me, moved away down the path, and then returned to hover in front of me again.  I was thinking of how odd that behavior was.  When they again ventured away and stopped to look back, it compelled me to follow.  It was… It was as though they were coaxing me to follow.  But that was impossible -- these were wild birds!

I half stumbled toward them, the headache reminding me of my fall.  The impossible question occurred in my mind as they stayed in front of me instead of flying away. Were these tiny birds deliberately leading me down this path?  How could this be?  And yet I had to keep walking out of curiosity.  Am I dreaming?  No, I felt lucid despite the ache at the back of the head.

The path was clear enough for me to walk on it, although the forest appeared thicker than when I started.  These little buzzing guides continued leading in front much to my amazement.  The path narrowed, somewhat darkening around me and began to concern me.  I would never find my way out if it weren't for this route the only way in.

Now I could see more light between the trees.  I thought I saw a brief flash of light around the next bend. No doubt, it was a beam of sunlight coming through a break in the tight canopy of tree limbs.  As the path came out to a grassy clearing, I saw it.

 A cabin!  There is a cabin here in the woods … In the middle of nowhere!  Could there be another person out here?  The humble dwelling was made of flat stones, mortar, and wood.  As the three little birds proceeded to move toward it, I followed, now even more intrigued.  There was a quaint little water well in front and to the side of the cabin,  made of the same flat stones.  Thick ancient-looking trees and wild underbrush surrounded the undisturbed area.  The path seemed to lead right up to the front door. The trio of birds hovered right up to the door then suddenly flew off. Was this the shack of some old animal trapper?  As I approached, unsure of whether I should knock, the door swung open.  I jumped backward, startled at what my eyes beheld.

 

 

 

Chapter 3

 

It wasn’t a white-bearded, smelly, old codger after all. There in the doorway stood the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.  Long locks of hair the color of morning sunshine, cascaded over bare shoulders and down her back.  Hazel eyes, like deep crystal clear pools, peered at me from her flawless face. The faint fragrance of jasmine drifted past me.  I guessed she looked to be between eighteen and twenty-four.  I was stunned speechless.  For the longest moments, she stared at me wide-eyed, almost through me.  Her facial expression went from a startled surprise to a warm smile. She lowered the small basket she was carrying.

"Oh, hello," came the mellifluous voice from her perfect lips. "I see you've already met Oscar, Benny, and Tom.  They told me you were coming.  They are excellent judges of character, so you must be a good man. ARE you a good man?" She smiled.

"Osc…? Ben…?" My voice choked as I looked, pushing logic aside, from the beautiful face to the little trio that had returned and was beside the door. The three seemed to be right in with the conversation. My attention came back to her.  "Who…who…" Now I sounded like a forest owl. "Who… are you?  What are you doing out … here?" I could barely catch my breath.

"Oh, I'm just Lilly, the Caretaker.  And who are you?"

"I'm, uh…" forgetting my name. "I'm Josh.  Sorry that I ... seem not quite myself. I'm still a little stunned. I guess from my fall and …uh, from all this…" I waved my hand at the charming little cabin, and the little birds, and a girl in the forest!

"Your fall?  That explains why the three brought you here.  I haven't seen anybody come by in over fif… well,  in many years.  Here, turn around and let me look."  I turned my back to her at her request, not sure what to make of what she had just said.

"Oh, dear.  Yes, you have a nasty bump there. Come inside, and I will take care of it for you." I entered the cabin and looked around. I had thoughts of Seven Dwarfs about to come into the room from somewhere in the back.  I must have hit my head harder than I thought.

Lilly moved around in the cabin, opening up a little door to a cabinet which had some impressively ornate carvings on its front.  She took out several small bottles of different shapes along with a small wooden bowl.  The girl put some white powder into the bowl from one of the vials. She meticulously added several drops of liquid from each of two other bottles.  After a bit of slow stirring, it formed a paste that smelled like…cinnamon?

"Now, let me see the back of your head."  I turned, wondering if she knew what she was doing. The girl stood behind me, and I felt a strange sensation---like static electricity, as she got closer. Using a small flat wooden spatula, I felt her cover the wound with a little of the paste.  It felt cool on my scalp like a peppermint candy feels in your mouth.  She got close to my head and gently blew her breath over the wound.  I immediately felt a warm sensation, followed by some tingling. "There.  In a short while, you will be all better again.  These uh, forest herbs are just wonderful at healing."

"That does feel better. And my headache…it's gone!  Are you a nurse?"

"No, silly. I'm just a Caretaker, but I can do lots of things."  Her demeanor was soft and innocent, almost childlike, and soothing, somehow.  "If you thirst, I can give you some water.  Please help yourself to the fruits and nuts on the table.  They will make you feel better, too."

"Thank you.  I am thirsty."  I tried the fruits and drank cool crystalline water from a wooden cup.  "These are tasty, especially this red oval nut. I've never seen or tasted anything as incredible as these before."

"Yes, those are my favorite, too," she said brightly and walked off to put away what she had taken out earlier.

"I guess I was hungry, after all."  She dazzled me with another of her smiles.  Her beauty kept taking my breath away, leaving me stunned becoming like a deer in headlights.  "I'm sorry to be staring at you like this.  It's just that you're so…beautiful."  She giggled and blushed.

"Well, I think you are beautiful also."

He chuckled.  "I've never been called that before."

"Oh, but you are!" she smiled at me again and then blushed.  I couldn't help but pick up her hand to squeeze it in gratitude.  I felt that same tingle I had when she blew across the wound. This time, it was much more intense, almost electrical. There was a weird flash behind my eyes, which disappeared as fast as it came.  She gasped, her eyes going wide at the same time.

In a tiny whisper as if to herself, I heard her say, "You touched me….oh, dear me."

"Oh, I didn't mean to startle you.  I'm just so grateful to you and..."

Her demeanor seemed to change and started looking worried.  "It's getting late, and you really must leave..."

"What?  Oh, well, I guess I've overstayed my welcome to your hospitality. "

"No, it's not that.  I've so enjoyed having you here… More than... more than I can say, Josh."  Lilly knitted her eyebrows as she looked into my eyes.

"Did I do something wrong, Lilly?"

"Oh, my, no.  I have loved your visit.  I wish you could stay here… forever. Forever…"  She repeated the last word in a whisper.   "But you need to leave now.  It will be dark before long."

"Yes, I could get lost with less light outside."

"You won't get lost.  Oscar, Benny, and Tom will guide you back down the path."

"No, wait…"  I stopped and rubbed the back of my neck in frustration.  "Lilly, I…I'm so taken by you.  You've pulled the rug out from under me.  This… This feeling I have… It has never happened to me before.   I have to … I mean, I would love to see you again, even if I have to come all this way into the woods."

Her eyes dilated, and in a barely audible whisper, she said, "Yes, oh yes.  I as well would love to see you again, especially with how strangely I'm feeling about you right now!  I don't understand..." she said, looking down towards the floor.

She became crestfallen, sadness becoming obvious.  "No, I can't.  I need you to… to go now.  I cannot see you again.  You are not the chosen one."  She hesitated.  "May it be well with you, Josh."  She paused. "I like your name, Josh," she said with a pained expression on her beautiful face, her eyes moistening.

"Not what? Chosen one?  Who…?"  I was confused and frustrated.  Here was the girl I had thought no longer existed. The grace and innocence and femininity were all there.  I could so fall in love with Lilly.  No, I WAS falling in love with her with every passing moment, if that were possible in such a short time. The sweetness that emanated from her was overwhelming. Yet, she had asked me to leave… To simply walk out on her… Just like that!

She opened the door, and the three hummingbirds appeared out of nowhere.

"Lilly, I…I feel so compelled to stay here, with you. May I stay and talk with you a while longer?”

“I… No, you must leave,” she said with a pained expression on her face.

“This is the hardest thing I've ever been asked to do!”

I rubbed my hand across my forehead in frustration and stood speechless for extended minutes.  “Lilly.  I... I will NEVER forget you."

"Yes…yes you WILL forget me, Josh," she said with a tear running down her cheek.

"But how can I ever forget YOU!  You have affected me wonderfully… incredibly. I can't even understand how, but you have! And now you're asking me to leave..." a knot choking his throat.

"Goodbye and farewell, Josh."  With a sad face and another tear running down, she closed the door on me.  As if on cue, the trio of birds buzzed my ears and moved toward the path, once again motioning to follow them.  The wind had been knocked out of my sails as I walked ahead.  How could this be? How could I simply walk away from this incredible girl -- this sweet goddess?  The birds became more insistent as I slowed my pace.

 

 

Chapter 4

 

I walked quite a distance, thinking that I was getting closer to the edge of the forest. Around the next turn, I saw the fallen branch where I had tripped and fallen.  I felt exhausted, physically as much as emotionally.  An intense sense of loss surrounded me.   I sat down on a soft pile of leaves and leaned back against a tree still shaking my head at what I had just left behind.  My eyelids were strangely heavy, and I must have nodded off until the loud chirp of a bird aroused me.

I looked around and wondered why in the world, I would have taken a nap here on a trail in the woods?  It felt like just a few minutes before I had left my car by the side of the road for a short walk.  I must have been tired.  But now I felt refreshed and energetic.  That nap must have helped me!  I needed to get on my way, though.  I had more miles to go.

Behind me, I heard a strange buzzing sound, like that of a big bumblebee.  When I turned, there was nothing there.  The forest always had interesting things to see and hear.  I'll have to go exploring more often.  Walking out of the woods, I had a feeling like I'd forgotten something.  I looked back at the path making sure I had not left anything behind on the ground.

Back in the car, I was feeling more rested than I had in a long time. I was about to start my journey again when I felt something in my pocket.  I withdrew two strange red oval nuts I had never seen before...  I gasped as I got suddenly jolted by a sharp sting in my hand and a vivid mental image:  A GIRL?  Yes, a girl! A Girl of breath-taking beauty… A PATH into the forest… A HIDDEN CABIN in the woods.

It was a compelling vision that flashed before my eyes, and then disappeared.  A haunting vision…Gone like a vapor, but even so, indelibly imprinted in my mind.  Had I been standing, I would have been blown over!

I sat there, catching my breath for several minutes.  Was I hallucinating?  NO!  The mental image I had just experienced was taking substance in my mind. Then my resolve took hold.

NO. I'M NOT LEAVING. I CAN’T.  I MUST GO BACK…I HAVE TO!

I ran back into the woods, desperate to find the same path. A memory, a vision, was falling into place with every step. There up ahead was the fallen branch and the familiar trail beyond.  I touched the back of my head looking for the wound of a remembered fall.  I was thinking how odd not finding it knowing full well there had been some blood at the back of my head.

Yes, it was coming back to me!  The girl, Lilly.  HER NAME WAS LILLY!  I remember she put some herbal stuff on it.   I raced onward more determined, going deeper in, noticing some familiarity as I went.  Then the clearing was ahead.  My heart pounded faster as I feared there would be no cabin and it had all been some weird hallucination from my fall.

THERE!  THERE IT IS… just like I remembered.  It DID happen after all.  I had not dreamed it!  I approached the door slowly, afraid it would somehow all dissolve away in a surreal encounter. And before knocking, I heard Lilly's sweet voice talking to someone.

"What?  Him?  He's the ONE?" There was a pause of silence. Who was she talking with?

"A gift…for me?"  Another pause… "You KNEW I fell in love with him?  Oh no, oh no, but now Josh is gone!  I have sent him away, forever.  And surely he's already forgotten… He's forgotten me, forgotten all of it!  Oh, nooo…" Her voice caught in a sob.  Her bitter weeping broke my heart. She stood there, not knowing or understanding what all had just happened. I dared to open the door without knocking.

She froze with a gasp as she wiped her eyes and looked at what was incomprehensible. She looked at me, not believing her eyes. "Josh? Josh?  How could this be?  You were supposed to have forgotten about me?"  She came to within inches of my face, hands trembling, stopping short of touching me.

"Lilly, I don't quite understand what has happened, but I do know this. somehow, I KNOW you.  I know all about you…do not ask me how.  I feel like I've known you for years. I feel that I ... I have been in love with you, madly in love with you, all that time, however insane this must sound!"

"Josh," she said breathlessly. "You remember! Then you ARE the one they told me about, the one I've been waiting for all my life.  And yes, I knew from the moment I saw you that I was going to fall in love with you, but it was going to be for naught.  And yet, HERE YOU ARE!" she squealed through her beautiful smile.

I finally dared to touch her and felt that electric tingle from before. Impulsively I kissed. Our lips met, first, ever so gently, then more fiercely in the sweetest kiss I had ever experienced. We came up for air as a hazy white sphere materialized next to us.  I jumped at being startled.

"It's alright, Josh. This is Ro-Har.  He is my mentor from another dimension.  Um, I'll explain it all later."  Then she fell silent and stared at the sphere. "Yes, of course, very much!" she said to it as if answering a silent question.

"What?  What's happening?" I said.  She looked deeply into my eyes, then gave her sweet giggle and held up a finger to cause me to pause.

"Yes, yes, yes, I do!" she told the sphere and breaking out into a beautiful smile again.

"What's happening?  Is... is that white ball talking to you?" I asked her.

"Yes, he is.”  After a short pause, “Josh, do you love me?”

"What?” I let out a breath. “Lilly, I don’t understand this, but… I now KNOW I love you more than life!"

"Would you be willing to spend your life with me as I would with you?"

 "What?” I repeated.  “When?  With you? Of cour …WHAT?"  He floundered, pausing, trying to take it all in.  "Lilly, it would be a dream-come-true.  Of course, I would love that!  Yes, more than anything else in the world -- yes, a thousand times yes!"

She grinned. "Very well.  Now, tell Ro-Har ‘You do.'"

"Do what?"  Again her giggle.

"Just say it," she whispered.  "You can trust me."

"Um…I DO," feeling foolish as I said it.

She turned to face the sphere, paused, and then she spoke again. "Thank you, sir."  A few minutes passed before she turned back to him.  "Josh, hold out both your hands, palms facing me."  He did, and she placed hers on top.   A sharp jolt ran through his body that made him jump as did she.

"WHA…?     

"Oooh, that was strong! Yes, this is right!"  She stopped and took a deep breath.

“What…was that?”

"Josh, Ro-Har, my mentor is like the captain of a ship, and well, we just got… married!"

A tear ran down one of my eyes.  "Oh no! You are sad at this?" Lilly exclaimed.  "But, I thought this would make you happy?"

"Sweet Lilly…”  Josh grabbed the sides of his head. “You HAVE made me happy. So happy; I can hardly contain it!"

I heard a voice in my head as if coming from underwater, “You may kiss your bride, Josh!”

“Wha…?  Who was that?”

 She reached for me and I for her in a tender embrace.  Then our lips melted together once again in a deep burning kiss like no other.

 

Outside, Oscar, Ben, and Tom were thumping against the window in celebration. They all knew that a magical bond had been created on that day in that Cabin in the Woods.  And it would undoubtedly last forever…

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

EPILOGUE

 

I put away my tools in the little shed and admired my modest vegetable garden.  Who would have ever thought that I, a writer, um, a former writer, would plant a garden?  Ha! Farmer Josh, I thought with a grin.

    "Hey, handsome.  I like your garden!" said Lilly's sweet voice inside my head.  I was almost getting used to the mental telepathy that I acquired during our wedding night.  Talk about seeing stars and fireworks, and maybe even lightning!  Wow!  And whoever heard of a "wedding night" lasting three days and nights!  But, well, THAT'S another story for another book...ahem...

 

Now we communicate with each other by thought without necessarily eavesdropping into each others' personal minds. We deliberately hold our minds open to each other.  And that's just what we agreed to do since there are no secrets between us -- how cool is that?  I’m still trying to sort through the issue of traveling from one dimension to another. I will have to talk with Ro-Har at length about the physics of that.

    "Hey, beautiful.  You know, this garden thing is so enjoyable.  There's something about working the ground and watching things grow from it.  Especially since everything grows so fast and vibrant around here!"  I paused. "By the way, have I told you lately how much in love I am with you?" I felt her unseen smile. She sent me a huge warm caress that made my heart miss a beat. That was another fringe benefit from this form of communication.  Wow.

"I'm glad you're enjoying your new hobby, darling."  She sighed wistfully in his mind.  "You know, I worried that you would get bored here in the forest. And bored with me."

"WHA-A-A-T?  BORED WITH YOU? NEVER. NEVER!  DON'T YOU KNOW THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO DO?  Can you imagine getting bored with the colors of a sunrise, or the beauty and softness of a rose, or the fragrance of a spring breeze?"

"Mmmmmmmmm…. you're so romantic, darling."  She paused.  "It makes me want to…"

"WHOA.... um, you KNOW I'm outside working, baby!"

"Hee hee hee…," she giggled mischievously.

"I'm going to have to get you back for that!"

"Is that a promise…?" she cooed.  Josh could feel her leave the conversation but not after a big grin.  He still couldn't fathom how she could send her dazzling smiles telepathically, and the other stuff, also!  Yes, and all those other… wonderful sensations, too!

 

 

 

The End