Goldilocks

by Patria L. Dunn

  “Honey, I’m so sorry,” Paul apologized the second he spotted his daughter at the stove, pulling out a tray of toasted sliced bread.

  “What do you think?!” Hannah beamed, ignoring his apology as she gestured around the living space, her green eyes sparkling with pride.

  “Wow!” Paul breathed as he took in the shiny wood floors, the scuffs and dirt now gone, revealing a beautiful grain of oak under his feet. “I know I said we’d clean, but I didn’t think all this was possible…and the flowers…where did you…?”

  “The edge of the woods,” Hannah pointed towards the window looking out over the trail. “After my run I checked out the garden, and saw the flowers and they…I don’t know,” she shrugged with a smile. “Inspired me, I guess. I mean, it’s not our apartment back home, but I think it’s kind of cozy.”

  “It is!” Paul agreed enthusiastically, wandering over to the pot to sniff its contents. “And something smells amazing!” he praised, picking up the ladle she’d left sitting in a dish on the stove.

  “Hey!” Hannah smacked his hand, pushing him towards one of the two chairs she’d found in the storage shed out back. “I cooked you dinner, no dipping from the pot!” she teased, grabbing the two bowls she’d set out. “No meat, I’m afraid, but…”

  “I’ll go grocery shopping tomorrow,” Paul promised with a wink. “Not that I expect you to cook it, but after the day I had, I completely forgot about it. I’m sorry,” he apologized again, his brow knitting as Hannah rolled her eyes in his direction.

  “You never had to worry about that stuff back home. Don’t be sorry,” she waved his apology away, setting an almost full bowl in front of him. “Thank God Aunt Maggie taught me how to cook, because I can do a lot with all those vegetables out there. Someone took a lot of time to nurture that garden; I’ve never seen anything like it!”

  “That’s because you live in the city, and have never had a garden of your own. See! One of the things that makes living out in the country better,” Paul joked with her, already grabbing for a piece of toast from the plate she set in the middle of the table.

  “So…” Hannah drawled, finally looking her father over as she sat down opposite him with her own bowl. “Did the mine eat your clothes, or did something happen today?”

  The question was innocent enough, but with her bangs pushed back out of her face he saw the worry creasing her forehead, her green eyes apprehensive despite her light tone.

  “Oh this,” Paul shook his head, poking a finger through one of the jagged rips along the arm of his shirt. “Just got attacked by a bird that’s all,” he smiled as her brows lifted, her eyes rolling once again.

  “Yeah and I tamed that lion we talked about earlier!” Hannah laughed, dipping her spoon into the steaming bowl of soup.

  It was easier for Paul to let his daughter believe that he was joking, but after his visit up to Eagle’s Point he was more than wary about the rumors he’d heard today. It wasn’t just the mine that was causing the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, but also Rone’s words about losing the whole town. Whatever he discovered, he didn’t want Hannah hurt in the long run, but he didn’t want to scare her.

  “So your run…?” Paul broached the subject cautiously, his spoon now stirring idly in his own bowl of soup. “You didn’t see anything strange up on that trail, did you? No animals or anything that…?”

  “No, of course not dad!” Hannah interrupted him, swallowing before she continued. “You know I would have told you if I had. Nothing but me and the trees, and oh I saw a creek, and some beavers, but that’s about it.”

  “Good,” Paul took another bite of this toast, talking around it as it chewed. “I was just thinking that it might be better for you to run on the road when I’m not here. There’s no cell service and I just wouldn’t want anything to happen to you out there.”

  “Come on Dad,” Hannah shook her head at his suggestion. “School starts in two weeks, and the road is full of rocks and not to mention cars.”

  “But it’s not paved so…”

  “Yeah, but the trail is perfect for cross country. If I can get my time up running through the woods, then imagine how good that will make me look when school starts in two weeks! I’m nowhere near my time from last year, and I can’t be taking it easy.”

  “I wasn’t saying take it easy, I was just saying…”

  “What exactly?” Hannah challenged, her eyes narrowing as their gazes met. “Are you not telling me something?” she accused, watching her father as he immediately shook his head and smiled.

  “No, just trying to protect my little girl,” he replied, giving her hand a squeeze across the table.

  He would let the matter drop for now. She was too much like her mother for him to put up an argument without her seeing straight through to the truth. For now the rumors were just rumors. He’d find time to walk the trail himself, and make sure it was safe. It would put him at ease, and allow her the freedom to train like she wanted.

  “So, tell me about work,” Hannah smiled with a wriggle of her eyebrows, chomping away on what was left of her toast.

  There wasn’t much he wanted to say about work, but Paul launched into a recant of his day, leaving out the parts that would just make her worry. He promised to take her down into the mine once it cleared all the safety inspections, and that launched a whole other conversation -on finding gold- taking them through the rest of dinner.

  It was only day two, and just seeing her smile again made it a success. He couldn’t have asked for more.

  **********

  Jake Bear helped his mother set the table, watching her as she looked towards the door for what seemed like the hundredth time since night had fallen. The rabbits he’d caught and killed on his way home from his patrol were already cooking in a stew ready to be served the second his father walked in. He wanted to tell her not to worry, but he knew it would be pointless. She always worried when either of them were out in the woods, especially on days when his father forced a tunnel collapse. He was just about to offer to go out and look for him when the door swung inward, Rone’s giant form filling the frame from top to bottom.

  He shifted immediately from bear to human as he stepped across the threshold; grabbing the biggest robe they had hanging on the pegs by the door, wrapping it around his body tightly. Jake’s mother breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes widening at the glimpse she’d caught of the angry looking scratches across her husband’s forearms and neck. By morning they would be healed, but it didn’t mean that she wouldn’t fuss in the meantime.

  There were no formalities as they all slid into their places at the table in the middle of the den, Jake passing over a bowl of fresh baked biscuits the second his father sat down. Rone didn’t speak until his wife joined them, her large brown eyes wary of what he was about to say.

  “Caught two more wolves tonight,” he warned Jake, breaking his bread in two and dipping it into the hearty stew before continuing. “The deeper we go, the bigger they get. I told you earlier that the one you saw put up a hell of a fight. We’re getting closer and closer to the bottom. It won’t be long before…”

  “Which is why the council should be called,” Jake’s mother murmured softly, her eyes on her husbands as their gazes met across the table.

  “Not yet Marigold,” Rone’s warning rumbled deep in his chest, his head shaking at his wife when she turned her worried eyes to their son.

  He doesn’t need you scaring him…

  He’s my son too and…

  “I hate when you do that,” Jake spoke up, his mind shoving against the blocked thoughts his parents were exchanging. “I’m not a child, and I know about the new mine inspector…”

  “How could you, weren’t you on patrol all day?” Rone challenged, his massive hands curling into a fist.

  “I was, but I saw them at old man Jacobs’ cabin, and I assumed with all the rumors…”

  “Them?” Marigold’s eyes went from Jake to her husbands, her brows lifting in q
uestion.

  “He has a daughter. Hannah…” Jake breathed the girl’s name softly, his eyes lowering as his cheeks flooded with heat.

  The block he threw up around his memory of her wasn’t fast enough, his father was in, his nostrils flaring at Jake’s remembered scent of oranges and vanilla. Alarm dotted his mother’s already worried features as Jake’s memories of the girl were shared between the three of them, disapproval shattering the intimate pieces he’d tried to keep hidden.

  “Get out of my head!” Jake snapped, slamming his fist down on the thick pine table, his block stronger this time, forcing his parents away from his memories of Hannah and her father.

  “She’s human,” Rone stated the obvious, lifting his bowl to his lips for a long slow slurp.

  “I saw her, that’s all,” Jake shrugged, pretending indifference to the girl that had been in his thoughts for two days now.

  “You can’t get distracted on your patrol. I don’t know how many times I’ve told you to stay away from the pass.”

  “It was only that once, and I was tracking!” Jake snapped, his biscuit now crushed to crumbs between his fingers.

  It hadn’t been only that one time. Just today -from the base of the mountain- he’d spotted her running up the old mining trail that started at old man Jacobs’ cabin, her long legs carrying her with surprising agility through the twist and turns, over broken limbs and vines that had taken over what had once been a road long ago. He’d hidden in the trees, getting as close as he could when she stopped, bent over and panting from her run. Even from a distance of about fifty yards away he could hear her sharp intakes of breath, smell the mint that mixed in as she exhaled slowly.

  He’d been shocked to see her in his woods. The only humans he ever saw or expected to see -way out here- were his parents. If only she knew the danger she was putting herself in. He’d heard the lone howl a moment before he’d seen her tense, her long blonde ponytail swishing over her shoulder as she’d jumped up from the creek bank and headed back down the trail. He’d wanted to follow her and make sure that she made it back safely, but he knew the best thing he could do for her was head off the wolf he knew was coming.

  “You caught one today too,” Rone stated rather than asked, ignoring the frustrated breath his wife blew through pursed lips.

  “With the new inspector here, there’s no way the mine’s going to close,” Jake said what he knew they were all fearing, ignoring the low growl in his father’s chest. “It’s just the three of us, and you won’t let mom do patrol, so I was thinking that it would be better for me to continue during the day.”

  “You’re not missing school, if that’s what you’re hoping,” Rone stopped his son before he got any further.

  Human’s had long since developed knowledge that they were no longer aware of, cutting themselves out from their world entirely was unacceptable. Rone had learned their ways the hard way over the last century, and he didn’t want the same for his son. Being around them would help Jake better understand why Rone was so determined to have him attend school. Just like a normal kid would….

  “But I’m not normal kid; I’m not a kid at all,” Jake said in defense of his father’s last thought, shoving his half eaten bowl of stew away from him. “Who’s going to keep watch while you’re at the mine? You can’t catch them all by yourself. I’m sure the other miners are already starting to wonder where you disappear to after each collapse.”

  “It’s none of your concern!” Rone barely brought his roar in check, his eyes snapping to his wife’s when she grabbed their son’s hand to calm him.

  “I am keeper of these woods too. There are three of us, not one.”

  “And you’re still my son above anything else,” Rone’s tone softened, but his words were firm. “I already worry enough, please don’t fight me on this.”

  “You said the wolves are getting bigger…stronger,” Jake pressed, his eyes pleading as they met his mother’s. “Let me help!”

  “NO!” Rone growled out, his fist slamming down onto the table with finality.

  Jake’s mouth snapped closed, his eyes lowering against the livid stare his father directed at him. He knew when to be silent, and now was one of those times. Even his mother knew not to speak, her head bowed as Rone exhaled on a heavy breath.

  “In just a few short months, when your grow cycle is complete, I’ll no longer have to worry about your mortality, but until then, once school starts, night watch only and it’ll be with me.”

  “And when it becomes too much for either of you?” Marigold’s words were soft, her eyes lifting to meet her husband’s, a blocked thought passing between the two of them.

  Jake bit his lower lip to keep from commenting, his anger barely contained at his father’s unwillingness to listen to him.

  “I’ll deal with it when the time comes,” Rone finally said, the subject closed for now.

  Jake snuck a look as his mother, heeding the warning in her amber colored eyes. His father had always been stubborn, but the closer Jake got to his eighteenth year, his stubbornness had turned to downright anger it seemed. Sooner or later, he’d have no choice but to treat his son like the man that he was already, Jake just hoped it was sooner rather than later.

  Chapter 7:

  Hannah accepted the kiss her father planted on her forehead with a smile. It had become a ritual in their morning goodbyes, and in two more days, she’d be leaving with him to start her senior year at Lake City High. The last two weeks in the cabin together had certainly brought them closer, and he was trying hard to make her happy. Last night he’d surprised her by bringing home a small generator and power strips for their appliances. Once he’d gotten it up and running, she’d immediately plugged in her Ipod and phone, but once they were charging she realized that she hadn’t missed the electronics as much as she thought she had.

  The tiny white Christmas lights, now strung around the ceiling of her bedroom is what had brought tears to her eyes. Shadowed by the rouge colored curtains that arrived on the moving truck almost a week late, her room now had a soft pink glow to it, reminding her of the room she’d had back home. Her queen sized bed had barely fit, taking up more than half the space, her clothes hanging on pegs her father had thoughtfully nailed into one wall, designating it ‘an open closet’. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked.

  Hannah selected a running outfit easily enough, waiting until she’d heard ‘Big Red’ pull off before she stuck her head out into the already warm summer air. It was barely after sunrise, but today was the day that she was going to try and run all the way to the base without stopping, and she wanted all the daylight that she could have. Two weeks of training every day and her body felt more alive than it ever had during cross country season. The old miner’s trail had proven to be more difficult than anything she’d ever run before, the higher elevation and steep climb strengthening her thigh and calf muscles to perfected tightness.

  She stretched, like she always did, jogging a slow lap all the way around the cabin before heading up into the woods, her pack hooked around her waist. Even breaths, she reminded herself even though it wasn’t necessary, the steady rhythm of her cross trainers muted against the still damp soil underfoot. The squirrels and birds living in these woods seem to expect her now, chattering overhead but remaining on their perches watching as she went. Her pedometer beeped at a mile and Hannah grinned wide as she glanced at the stopwatch on her wrist, noting that only four minutes had passed and she hadn’t even broken a sweat yet.

  Her legs were itching to stretch out into a full stride, but she only gave a little, relaxing her gate, and preparing for the climb that would take her up past the beaver’s dam she’d discovered the very first time she’d made the run. Unlike every other day, she wouldn’t stop at her usual spot for water and a quick laze at the creek’s edge. The map had indicated that the spring actually ran all the way up to the base and then around to the other side stretching for a few more miles before it met its source somewhere down in t
he valley. It would be pure torture for her throat to wait that long, but she’d hydrated plenty overnight and a little more this morning, ensuring that she wouldn’t lose everything in her sweat before she made it there.

  Hannah made it a point to run with the keychain sized bottle of mace in her closed fists now. She’d never had to use it over the last two weeks, but it gave her a sense of security when the occasional howl sounded through the woods. Her father still worried daily about her running the old miner’s trail, but she’d assured him that she’d never seen anything bigger than a raccoon, and that was only once. The poor critter had been so scared that it had stayed frozen even after she’d given it a wide berth, its eyes locked on her until she was far enough away for it to make an escape.

  Even the beavers paid her no mind now, their slick brown bodies barely visible to anyone who didn’t know exactly where the dam was located. She passed the spot with a teeth gritting “Yes!”, checking her pedometer for the third time, ecstatic that for the fourth time this week she’d reached her 5K goal in just under twelve minutes.

  It wasn’t quite time to give it all she had yet. With at least another ten miles to go, Hannah switched her jog to a slow and easy pace, turning her face up into the rays of sunlight that was just starting to pierce the thick blanket of the bright green leaves overhead. Two week ago, her sides would have pinched, her lungs on the verge of collapse from lack of air, but Hannah counted her breaths easily now, the miles ticking slowly by under her trained footsteps.