The Woods

He hadn’t wanted to rent a cabin for the summer. That was their parents’ idea. He would’ve been just fine staying in the city, with the reek of garbage and the heat.

His friends were there. They had laughed at him when he told them. But Mom wanted fresh air and grass. She said that they’d been trapped in the city for too long. And Emily had never even been to a real forest. Dad just wanted someplace quiet to finish writing his next novel. He had a deadline coming up and a week away from sirens and blaring televisions would be wonderful, he had said.

Derek felt differently. They hadn’t told him that there wouldn’t be a TV in the cabin until they’d gotten into the car that day. He didn’t know what he was going to do for a week without TV.

“Spend time with your little sister,” Mom told him. “She misses you, you know.”

He’d sniffed and looked out the window. She was asleep on the seat next to him and for now he was just grateful he didn’t have to listen to her childish babble. She had just turned nine and was under the impression that everyone was dying to hear what she had to say.

She was kind of cute when she was asleep, though, he thought, glancing over at her. Her blond hair was messy from tossing and turning, and she snored lightly with her head tilted against the window. He turned away from her and watched the boring green fields roll by.

Finally, after three hours worth of driving, they pulled onto a dirt road, which led to the Wallace’s cabin.

“You can take that look off your face right now,” Mom called, without turning around. “We’re lucky your father’s friend was willing to lend us his cabin for the week. We should be grateful to Mr. Wallace.”

He didn’t say anything. Yeah, he was really grateful. Grateful to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with his boring family. And no TV.

He sighed and pulled himself out of the car, taking in their surroundings. There was a small vegetable garden behind the cabin. The road they had taken cut through an open field and eventually led back to the highway. Everything else was forest, slightly gloomy and dark, despite the bright midday sunshine.

“It’s too quiet here,” he complained.

“I think it’s awesome!”

Emily ran in circles around him, energized from her nap in the car. She lifted her arms as she ran, pretending to be an airplane and buzzing loudly.

“BZZZZZZZZ!!!!!” she yelled. “Is that better Derek?”

He sighed again. It was going to be a long week.

To be continued...