GUEST POST from Don: GHOST CABIN (chapter 1)

GHOST CABIN  (A story of a GHOST and COUNSELING)

The best thing about renting a cabin instead of a B&B in the deep Fall is that nothing matches and nothing is new.  There is not a full set of silverware or plates … maybe 9 plates (3 of which came from a similar era, but don’t match).  Besides, don’t count on having a sharp knife that can slice a tomato.

The furniture, too, matches whatever could be found at an estate sale or two, which means the last person to own it died.

Lighting was dim, just bright enough to read a chapter or two from a crime novel.  The one I had picked for the trip was not particularly good.  I had previously discovered that this writer had a bent to not share crucial facts until AFTER the crime was solved.  This book was not avoiding that pattern.

The owners of this ancient cabin saved money on the renovations 40 years ago (which continues to pay dividends) by installing unpainted wood walls and pinewood floors.  There’s a faded picture on the wall that used to have a clock in the corner … perfect for this place.  In other words, they don’t have to paint the walls or install wall to wall carpeting to cover the stains.  There’s no way to tell time unless one looks outside at the almost bare trees or at the frost on the boulder across the dirt road.  The river behind the cabin just keeps flowing and never, or constantly, changes.

There’s an old heater on the wall with propane flames.  Maybe I’m not used to sitting in the half-dark of morning in a room with a picture of a wolf on the wall.  Last night I jokingly named him “Big Bad.”

We picked up our older daughter, Sedona* at the airport the day before, so she stayed the first night with us at the cabin.  The younger one, Charlotte* would be arriving today.

The bedrooms are upstairs, each room has a closet (with no door) and two dressers.  The mattress in our room was far softer and more lumpy than the one we have at home.  I prefer a hard mattress because it is firm to the very edge.  A queen size is fine when the entire surface is usable.  There is no risk of slipping off the sloping edge when there is no intent to do so.  I checked, there were no nail heads poking up through the floor next to the bed, but that brought little comfort.  As a child from a larger family I remember sharing a double bed with a blanket hog.  Thankfully my wife does not do that.

Oddly, our daughters’ room has a door to the non-attic … it is just an area between the upstairs A-frame siding and the interior walls.  I imagine it is merely an access point for wiring; a child could not stand up in the space.

So, Sedona reported there had been knocking and she couldn’t go to sleep.  What or who was knocking on the outside of a second story bedroom that late?  Woodpeckers stop at sundown.  Siding or movement of exterior surfaces usually stop not long after.  There were no branches which could have.  Yet when I arose at 2 am due to nature and my age, she was fully awake.  She fell asleep after that and awoke somewhat refreshed a while after I had toast, coffee, and a shower in the morning.

The living area downstairs was warming nicely by then…warm enough to encourage a well-fed cricket to scoot across the dining room floor.  Being next to the river, the sight of such an insect neither surprised nor worried me.  My daughter, however, was far from pleased.  She was a bit grouchy.

With full daylight everything seemed fine.  The sun shone.  The frost departed.  So I peeled and cored apples to make homemade applesauce, which our girls always call Dadpplesauce.

Our younger daughter, Charlotte joined us before lunch.  It had been a while since we were all together in one place.  One of the reasons for the weekend together, although far from most important, was that my wife and I had just drawn up a new estate plan.  There were things these girls would need to know.  Young folk need instruction on such things since old age and death are far from their thoughts.  They should know some basics.  For example, their mother and I would rather be “extra crispy” than rot slowly in boxes.  It will save them money, too.

I believe they both appreciated knowing the details shared, even though a few things could be labeled “morbid.”  I’ve been an estate trustee before, some problems can be avoided with foreknowledge and planning.

We enjoyed a tasty dinner including a whole chicken, mashed potatoes (lots of those), salad, stuffing, green beans and more.  There are times when you get to the place where you don’t want “more,” but we loved all of it.  I find that I appreciate a well-provisioned tummy.

As it grew dark again and the night air was becoming cold and crisp we told stories.  We could have watched TV, but there was much to talk about.  The older daughter was talking about the family with whom she lives.  Modern family dynamics are uncomfortable at times.  The younger daughter was talking about all the weddings she had attended this year.  I guess she is of that age where friends are continuously falling into relationships that result in marriage.  She had grown tired of all the weekends blown on other people’s happiness.

*(Names have been changed to protect the innocent.)

Watch for chapter 2, coming soon…

Copyright 2024 Donald Whelpley

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