Hot Spring

Part 2

"So you're sure Mike is not going there this summer? Oh, I see. Sorry to hear that. Yes, I asked Sue, and she's really excited about it. Yes, I know where the lifejackets are if we take out the canoe. Coyotes? Okay, we'll be safe, I promise. Yes, no fires in the woods. Thanks again, Aunt Marley." She ended the call, looking around her room with satisfaction. All the boxes had been sorted through, a lot of stuff thrown out, and the rest of it packed away in only 2 bins, now stowed in the back of her closet. A bag of Josh's things sat on the balcony outside. He hadn't dared ask her for the things he'd left behind, since taking off abruptly one night, leaving her in the lurch to pay the rent and utilities herself. She would probably drop his stuff off at the Salvation Army. Or in the dumpster out back.

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They pulled down the gravel road that led to the cabin, the road narrow and dark, dense bushes flanking them on either side. Jessica gazed out the car window, where she spotted three deer running in a panic through the woods, startled by the noise of the car. Jake's ears pricked up and he stared out the window at the deer.

A twig got trapped in Jessica's window and scratched her face. She slapped away the twig, or tried to, and it broke off. "Ow!" she rubbed her face, looking in amazement at the smear of blood on her finger. "What kind of bushes are these, anyway?" She looked at the piece that had broken off in the car, and rubbed the tip of her finger over a thorn that protruded from its side. "Damn. Look at this, Sue."

"Huh?" Sue was busy singing along to Lana del Rey. Singing too loud and driving too fast.

Jessica turned the music off. "Sue, you're driving too fast. We're on a gravel road, the animals aren't used to being disturbed like this, and plus there's thorns getting into the car."

"Thorns? What are you talking about, Jess?" Sue giggled, turning the music back on. Jessica shut it off.

"Look at my face." She turned her head and Sue grimaced. "Ouch, dude. That's nasty."

"Yeah, let's go slower, please. Hitting a deer and getting stuck here, dying in the middle of nowhere, does not appeal to me."

"Fine." Sue slowed down. "But you need to chill out. We're on vacation! Remember?" She hit play and Lana del Rey started singing again, at a lower volume this time.

Jessica closed her eyes and nodded, lulled by the dreamy music.

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They pulled up to the cabin, which lay half-hidden behind overgrown bushes that looked like they hadn't been tended to in a long time.

"That's odd," Jessica said, stepping out onto the gravel driveway.

"Hmm?" Sue got out and looked at the cabin, slightly disappointed at the rundown look of the place.

"Aunt Marley said her friend Mike was into landscaping. Doesn't look like he's done much around here. He comes out here for weeks at a time, I've heard."

"Maybe it looks better inside," Sue said, popping the trunk to get their suitcases.

Jake led the way, running excitedly up the stairs to the front door. Inside the cabin was a little better than the outside. It still looked rundown, but at least the place was neat and tidy. Until they reached the kitchen.

"Ew, that's so disgusting," Sue said. They stood in the doorway to the kitchen, eyeing the overflowing garbage can and filthy stove. Even the walls around the stove were spattered with what looked like months, or a year's worth of sauces that had splashed out of pots and stayed there.

"Great, we have to take out mouldy garbage. Fun." They looked around until they found some garbage bags, and brought the trash out to the back to store in a large bin, Jake following. Even the dog seemed repulsed when he got a whiff of what was in the garbage bags.