Homecoming Shadows

Chapter Twenty One: Memories of a Forgotten Cabin

Ruby
now

When dusk settled and evening cloaked the town in its quietude, I girded myself for one of the most daunting tasks I'd ever undertaken. In my austere jeans and stark black coat, I attempted to examine the woman who stared back at me through the mirror. A strange sense of alien-ness gripped me. It was like looking at my own reflection, yet not recognising the woman reflected in it. This strange creature with short fringed hair, radiating an aura of steeled determination wasn't me - couldn't possibly be me! And yet, who could it be but me?

However, time was of the essence and there was no room for existential musing.

The menacing clouds weeping torrents had the last laugh, washing away all accessible routes to the cabin. Undeterred, I decided to brave the elements and the journey on foot.

I set out when afternoon darkness was just beginning to weave its grey tapestry across the gloomy sky. The narrow footpath leading to the cabin was slippery and treacherous. Each careful step I took resonated with the pounding in my heart, their rhythm in perfect sync - Thud. Thud.

A sense of dread hung in the air like the mist that snaked around my legs. Silhouettes of skeletal trees stood sentry, their gnarled limbs reaching out like spindly fingers, attempting to keep me back. But the letter that arrived with your name a few days ago drove me on.

Could it really be you, Miles?

We had shared unforgettable months of 2005 - May until October at this cabin. Its rustic charm our shield against the world - a world that didn't understand us. It was our blissful hideaway.

What had happened to us all, to our love for rebellion, was nothing short of inexplicable.

As I approached the hushed silence of the cabin set against the backdrop of the inky blackness, a knot of anxious anticipation clenched in my stomach. It was eerily tranquil, a stark contrast to the riot of thoughts churning inside me. The cabin that was once a beacon of joy now stood, ominous and foreboding. An odd sensation of melancholy wrapped me.

Hesitantly, I reached out towards the worn out timber door of the cabin. The deafening silence seemed to punctuate each echo my footfalls made. I took a deep breath, ready to confront whatever or whomever awaited me inside - I couldn't bear the suspense any longer.

The cold iron of the door handle made me wince as I gripped it, attempting in vain to shepherd my courage. I released the breath I didn't even know I'd been holding as I tried to turn it - locked. A bitter laugh escaped me; of course it was locked. Why wouldn't it be? All the answers may lay dormant behind this very door, but I couldn't claim them. Not yet.

I let my feet carry me aimlessly around the forsaken wooden sanctuary. Autumn leaves had stealthily crept into the enclosed space, an irony that stung as it was a jovial May outside.

May the 8th.

A sardonic smile edged at the corners of my lips. It was exactly thirteen years ago on the same date, under the forgiving cover of the night, when we first met at a laundromat. And perhaps... it was the key to all of this.

Suddenly, realization washed over me.

I almost stumbled over the porch as I dashed back to the door, my hand trembling as I reached for the necklace around my neck. For a decade, this magnet key had been my constant companion...could it possibly be a key to our old hideaway?

My hands quivered as I fumbled with the key, frustration making my attempts clumsy. And then, a creak echoed in the otherwise silent environment.