The Cabin

Chapter 11

Melanie slowly ascended the staircase, letting her hand gently slide up the handrail. Her entire body felt weird. It was moving the way she wanted it to, but she felt like she didn't really have full control. She was unusually aware of every muscle as they contracted and extended. She looked down and watched as her knee was brought upward and her foot lifted away from the step, then set on the one above. The muscles in her quad tightened and her other knee pulled her opposite foot up.

She squeezed her eyes closed and tried to force the foggy feeling from her mind. When she opened her eyes again, she had reached the top of the staircase where it connected with another set of four steps to her right. She watched as her hand let go of the handrail and her head seemed to turn abnormally slow as she turned to look up into the sitting room. She turned her body and slowly ascended the last four steps and stopped moving. The only thing she could hear was the sound of her own breathing. It seemed to echo through her mind, becoming deafeningly loud.

She felt as though she should be panicking, but she was strangely calm and disinterested. Her stomach growled, and she slid her hand over her belly, feeling the weight of her arm and the small vibrations of her stomach through her palm.

She looked over at the kitchen door, willing herself to walk into the room. Her body moved accordingly at a slow pace, and she listened as her feet sank into the carpet with each step. As she neared the kitchen door, she raised her hand and gently touched the frame, feeling the sensation of each groove in the molding. She stopped and looked at it, her vision suddenly becoming extremely acute as she observed every flaw and fibre in the wood. She listened to the sound of her fingers running along the texture of the material and she cocked her head to the side curiously.

Suddenly the sound of the refrigerator grabbed her attention and she turned to look at it, her body following her gaze and moving toward it. The hum of the motor soon grew to a volume that canceled out any other sound and she pressed her palm against the cold steel of the door, tracing her finger along the frame of the ice dispenser.

She pulled the doors open and was almost blinded by the light inside. She squinted, but continued to look inside, hearing the change in the sound of the motor as it echoed through the space inside.

A loud whistling soon became the only thing she could hear and she turned to look at the kettle. A cloud of steam was bursting from the mouth of the kettle, twisting in intricate patterns as it mingled with the cooler air.

"Morning!" said Geri cheerfully as she walked quickly into the room and lifted the kettle off its base to get it to stop squealing. Melanie abruptly felt reality rush back through her mind and her body instantly felt normal once again.

She frowned and looked around, suddenly aware of all of the sounds within the cabin. She could hear people walking around upstairs, water running in the loo down the hall, Emma and Mel singing along with an Alanis Morissette song, and the front door opening and closing.

She silently cursed under her breath, confused by what she had just experienced.

"Melanie?" Geri asked, pulling Melanie's attention away from her thoughts.

"Huh?" Melanie gasped.

"I asked if you want some tea," Geri giggled. "You all right? You seem a bit out of it."

"Um, yes to tea," Melanie replied, grabbing an egg out of the fridge and shutting the door. "And, I'm fine." She forced a smile and retrieved a frying pan from the cupboard.

Geri poured the hot water into two cups and dropped individual tea bags into each, setting Melanie's cup on the cupboard next to her and leaving the room to hang out with Mel and Emma upstairs.