CHAPTER 3 #2
At the end of the tunnel of trees, I spotted the warm glow of an oil-lit lantern, golden and beckoning. A welcome sight as I experienced a bright wash of relief.
“You’re being stupid,” I whispered, shaking off whatever that strange feeling had been. The forest was a magical place, as my grandmother always used to tell me. Maybe there was still wild magic here. Maybe that was all I’d felt. Harmless, wild magic.
Breaking through the trees, I saw that the dirt road suddenly forked. At the crossroads was the single hanging lantern I’d spied, illuminating a larger sign. It looked newer than the one by the road, hanging off two metals hooks attached to an intricately carved wooden post.
Juniper Hollow B he’s always workin’ on somethin’. I’m in charge of reception. I cook all the meals too, so don’t be shy callin’ down if ya need anythin’, all right?”
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, smiling. There were trees all around us as we walked down the path, the steady tapping of her cane playing out a rhythmic beat. Trees so tall that I marveled at their height.
Maybe it’s good I’m here, I thought, my shoulders lowering a bit. Maybe this is what I need. The lake came into view, and I saw the dark shapes of cabins lining around it. I counted nine, possibly ten, but I couldn’t be sure.
“Are any other guests staying here?” I wondered, seeing the windows were dark. It wasn’t so late that everyone was asleep already, surely.
“We get booked on weekends mostly,” she told me. “It’s offseason right now, though a nice family left just this mornin’.”
Offseason?
It was the middle of summer.
My expression was perplexed, I was certain, but then she guided me up the pathway, leading to a quaint little cottage painted blue near the shore of the lake.
The indigo shutters had crescent moons carved into them, and green shrubs decorated the exterior below the paned windows.
Everything looked new—fresh paint, fresh landscaping.
Maybe that was why this place was empty, I reasoned.
Maybe they’d just opened up to guests. Then again, the sign off the main road had looked faded.
The older woman tapped her cane against a little signpost poking out of the ground with the number two, below which read Moon Gate Cottage.