Flickering Out Part II

Flickering Out Part II

And now I’m with Jeff and his dice.

'It's said he won so much he must have been a cheat.' The pack on Jeff’s back moved from side to side a little as he hiked with Billie along the trail. ‘We’re about ten minutes from the last meadow. Once we cross through we should get there just about twilight.’

‘It is a beautiful hike, these huge trees, big sky, all of this solitude. I’d build a cabin here too,' Billie said.

‘It’s no cabin we're going to see. It’s more like small mansion. The old gambler had enough haggling, smuggling, running from the law. Stolen or not, he fixed himself up pretty good with his winnings, way out in the forest. A couple hundred years ago nobody lived anywhere near here. Back then, it was in every way a remote forest.’

Sunlight filtered in between trees as they hiked on. Birds chirped above them and little critters scurried about, rustling the low bushes, collecting twigs and nuts to take home.

Billie sensed an eerie awareness, though, in spots where several tree branches touched or bushes formed clumps. Neither was the river beside them anymore; the trail twisted sharply up and away from a steep, rocky outcrop with a tree at the center. She tried not to worry. Better to simply concentrate on the trail.

The path crested in a place where large boulders stood to either side of them. Aspen leaves fluttered about in the breeze. The dimming sunlight revealed dark green moss on the trees. The sound of the river filtered up as they began to descend and Billie noticed increasing humidity. A few rays of sunlight revealed a faint and very dark depression within which they noticed the pungent aroma of swamp water.

‘That's bold. Did you bathe today?’ Billie said, scrunching her nose until she was sure a that pleasing, triangular shape appeared on her forehead. She tucked a piece of her short blond hair behind an ear.'

‘That's you,’ Jeff said. ‘Whew! Do you always smell like this when you hike?’ Jeff was looking at her ans she was smiling, but he didn't know how sad she was. She glanced away.

The path wound abruptly left and descended toward a stale wetland. The odor was natural and distinct on the air. Looking at shadowed places and hearing odd forest sounds, it wasn’t long before Billie could feel that creepy sensation again. Wondering if they were being watched, she grabbed Jeff’s hand.

It was at that moment that a great rumbling of hoof steps collided with the dark thoughts in Classia’s head, startling her. Without delay a group of white tailed deer bounded out from within the treed area beside them.

Leaping over top the trail, the deer ran as one down into the depression below. Struggling in the swampy wetland for a moment, they jumped ahead again over rushes and tall grass, white ends dancing as they escaped into the forest beyond the far side of the hedge. Billie and Jeff were as stunned by the magnificence of these hoofed creatures as they were with their sudden appearance.

‘That was beautiful,’ Classia said. ‘This forest is so alive. I’ve never seen anything like it.' She was looking with awe into the depression and beyond toward the covering of trees the deer found.

ii

Jeff’s calm, rough countenance belied an odd feeling he had. Mixed with reverence and wonder was a recollection of what his father told him once. He said deer are instinctively sensitive to their vulnerable existence. They flutter away like birds at the first hint of danger.

‘That’s something you don’t see every day,’ Jeff said. Billie’s beautiful presence caused him to worry a little. I know this forest. We're not in danger here. He wiped some sweat away from his forehead and temple, wondering if this trip was one of his better ideas. He had noticed some odd shadows here and there.

The trail roughly followed the edge of the shallow wetland. It was obvious they would have to cross where Billie said she noticed the path disappeared into it. Now to the far side, water from the river sloughed off into the wetland here and there where there was no obvious outlet. He supposed this explained the swamp.

By now it was evident that the forest would be a pretty dark place soon. The western trees were shadowed, sunlight touching but the very tips. Billie wondered when they would get to the old mansion. They had planned on this, thinking that a dark night would cloak the old house in mystery, but the reality was something different. ‘Think we’ll make it before dark?’

‘It's going to be close,' Jeff said, 'but t's not far past this fermenting spa.’ He glanced over at Billie, rubbed his hands together in feign satisfied anticipation of the trip through the swamp. 'It won’t be that bad.’

iii

Woody plants extruded from the shallow water here and there. Billie noticed on muddy, elevated areas, hoof marks where the deer had crossed. ‘Do we walk on into those plants and muck then?’ She was at the edge of the depression, judging the depth of the water there. It was clear that they would be getting wet, at least some.

Jeff was just behind her looking across the swamp to see where the trail picked up. ‘Yeah, those plants won’t bother you much. It’s the mo-skeeters you need be careful of.’

‘ha ha ha. That better be a joke.'

Jeff offered a disgusted smile. 'No time like the present.' He squished ahead with a big step, feeling the slightly warm water and grains of muck soaking into his shoes, gathering between his toes. ‘Hmm. Not too bad.’ The look on his face didn't seem to match that statement.

Classia took a step. The plants were quite firm, but broke apart in a muddy swirl if she walked on them. They had to pick each step carefully, almost stumbling over the vegetation more than once. Billie lost her shoe once and had to pull it out of the mud and wash the grime away as best she could in order to put it back on. She recognized the distinct aroma of decay rising up from the mud and the idea of walking the swamp in her bare feet was not appealing.

Jeff trudged on, his trousers soaked at the ankle. Step by step, they made their way across the swamp. Before long they could hear the river again. ‘Almost to the other side.’ Jeff looked back at Billie to encourage her and tripped face first right into the swamp.

‘Jeffery!’ Billie jumped and bent down to help him. She lifted his head out of the water gently, holding him by the cheek. He coughed. She could see a bloody bump on his forehead. ‘Are you okay?’