Friend-lake Chronicles

Chapter 1 - In a little town called...

The dark canvas that loomed overhead, far above trees and the reach of human sight, was blotted with many white blobs that glistened infrequently. Surrounding the full moon that loomed over the vast thickets of trees that densely populated the rural countryside of Maine. Hugging the sides of a long, and winding road that stretched down deep into forest country.

Whose sole occupant at this time consisted of a blue hybrid made for four that was fairly compact, which darted down the desolate pavement. The driver, a 20-something brown skinned man in a hoodie, had been in a losing battle against sleep. Which had worn down his mind enough to narrowly strike a tree after driving off the curb.

'Ah sheezus!' the man thought, as he jerked back to life and gained control of his vehicle's reins. Before easing back to a safe normalcy, and deciding that it was probably time to get off the road and call it a night.

But after coming to a rolling stop beside a line of trees, and putting the car into park. The flicker of something bright in the distance pulled his eyes, with a finger hovering on the engine's start button.

Not that far ahead, and off to his right was the glow of a warm light that illuminated what vaguely looked like a building of sorts.

Curious, he pulled up his phone and looked for any buildings nearby, and much to his simultaneous surprise and expectation. There was nothing listed.

'That's strange...' the man thought, as he looked at the illuminated structure in the distance. The longer he kept looking the greater his curiosity grew. Beckoning him to get back onto the road, and investigate.

'This is definitely a bad idea...' the man thought, as he pulled back onto the road. Absolutely sure that he'd seen this exact premise playout in many horror movies, and yet he drove up to the building. Conscious of his actions, while repeatedly criticizing them.

Upon pulling up to the building in question, the blue car came to the mouth of a short dirt road that broke off and went into what looked like a small crude parking lot. At the road's mouth there appeared to have been a sign at one point, but had long since been ripped out of the ground, with the only thing remaining being two wooden poles abruptly jutting out.

'Yup, this isn't questionable at all...' the man thought, as he looked around and up in thought before letting out a sigh. Finding himself losing out to that burning curiosity that had been fostered all this time. Thus, he drove into the short road and found himself parked on a gravel lot facing a wooden building.

A small porch area that was under the shade of a wooden protrusion that branched off from the roof. The windows of which glowed with a warm light that was luminous but not blindingly bright. Quaintly diffusing through the glass, and disappearing into the night.

The sign up ahead read "51st Café".

'51st Café...wonder what happened to 1 through 50' the man thought, as he put his car into park and cut the engine. Getting out to see what the building had to offer in hopes of being able to nab a cup of tea before calling it a night.

After failing to make out the interior from the window, the man gave the door a try and found it to be unlocked. Stepping inside he walked through a small old hall that was adorned with various news clippings. Clippings that caught his eye, as they were all of various UFO sightings and abduction stories. The details of which not being paid any mind, as he was too tired to care and more curious as per to lay ahead.

Beyond the small hall was a larger space with about five or six tables, and a wooden counter on the far end. One that was manned by a single soul dressed in a black shirt and a dark brown apron that covered everything below the waist. She was immersed in a book, sitting on a chair and unaware of the man who had just come in.