Forever Young

Chapter Twenty-seven. A Place to Stay.

Chapter Twenty-seven

A Place to Stay

The town, that had looked so picturesque from the escarpment, lay in ruins. The gleaming roofs covered empty shells. All wooden buildings had been turned to ash. Only stone had survived the attack. Almost every home contained skeletons, many still clutching arcane weapons. 

It was almost dark, and the thought of spending the night in such grim surroundings was not appealing, so Lars guided the jeep and trailer through the rubble to the other side of town. Beyond, back in rural surroundings, Lars spotted, through the pines, the peak of a wooden building that appeared to have survived the onslaught. 

"That looks like a possible place to camp. Let's go take a look." 

Without waiting for a response, Lars drove down a dirt road that ended at a rusted gate, precariously hanging from one hinge. The path inside, leading to a large house, was so densely overgrown they had to leave the jeep at the gate, and hack their way to the door. The work was hard, and their sweat attracted droves of biting insects from the surrounding bush. Several smaller wooden cabins, and a two-storied wooden structure, cleaved in two by a fallen birch, stood in the grounds surrounding the main building. 

A set of corroded chimes still tinkled in the breeze amongst a plethora of bird feeders on the veranda. The main entrance to the house led off the porch into a spacious living area. To the right, as you entered the room, was a sunken area that appeared to serve as a kitchen. A huge table, surrounded by handmade chairs, stood to the left of the entrance. Furniture designed for comfort was scattered all around the room. The rays of the setting sun beaming through huge windows overlooking the lake revealed the ravages of time and rodent infestation.  

Wooden stairs led to the upper floor and a corridor that opened up into three separate bedrooms. Spiders, weaving their magic over many years, had converted the once nicely decorated rooms into silken labyrinths. Gnawing creatures had enlarged a hole in the roof, enabling a battalion of bats to take up residence in the rafters. The arrival of the explorers coincided with their departure on the nocturnal hunt. The black cloud emanating from the roof was too much for Erika.  

"No way am I staying here," she said with a shudder. "I'll go and try one of the cabins." 

The cabin Erika chose lay toward the back of the site about a hundred paces from the lake edge, the rear anchored on a rock foundation in a hillside. Stout pine pillars supported the front. Erika entered via a set of rickety stairs that swayed a little as she clambered up to inspect the interior. It was a cosy cabin; two bedrooms, a small kitchen-come dining area, containing a pot bellied stove of great antiquity, and some rather sparse furnishings. It would suffice.

***** 

Whilst Erika busied herself making the cabin habitable, Lars and Janik set about preparing supper. Janik volunteered to explore the grounds, and soon uncovered a stack of chopped wood. The extremities of the pile were moss covered, but the logs in the interior were remarkable dry and made good fuel for the cooking fire, that he set up on the rocky beach. Water in the lake was clear. Thinking it potable, Janik filled a couple of dixies, set them to boil, and continued his search of the grounds. 

He fully expected to find the dilapidated outhouse, but the outdoor shower was a complete surprise. Despite years of corrosion, the makeshift contraption still worked in a fashion. The attached wrench enabled Janik to open a valve and after an initial delay, some metallic groaning, and liquid gurgling, a green slime streaked with rust poured from the showerhead. The effluent never really became clear but it certainly became hot before it reduced to a trickle. On closer examination, he found a black pipe, originating in the lake that passed through a long defunct mechanical device that he thought might be a pump, and on to the broken roof of the two-storeyed cottage. The pipe densely coiled across the roof led to a holding tank directly above the shower. Thank goodness Lars was in the party. He would soon have it in working order.