The People in the Lake

by E Randall Floyd

  The more she thought about him, the more concerned she became about the burly man in the woods. Fear crept over her as she continued to ponder the many possibilities, not all of them good. Maybe he was one of the homeowners up for the weekend. Maybe he was a hunter, after all, and had the gun tucked under his coat to keep it out of the sleet and rain.

  She decided to solve the mystery once and for all. She got up, went back to the kitchen window and peered out.

  The brooding stranger was still there, only he appeared to be a few yards closer to the house.

  This time she noticed that an axe was slung across his broad shoulder.

  Laura dropped her tea cup. The sound of the ceramic glass clattering to the floor caused her to let out a little shriek. Gasping in horror, she backed away from the window and against the counter.

  The man had an axe—a long, curving axe—just like the one Bit said she had seen carried by the big man in the forest.

  For the longest time, Laura stood motionless, unable to move a muscle. She quickly realized, however, that, whoever the stranger was in the woods, she was not going to let him frighten her—or Bit—anymore.

  She marched over to the little table by the door and yanked it open. Inside lay the black case with the pistol inside. Satisfied, and strangely comforted by the sight of the gun, Laura shut the drawer again and went upstairs to check on Bit. Before going, she dropped another log on the fire, then went back to the kitchen and peered out.

  The strange, bearded man with the axe was gone.

  Upstairs, Laura went straight to Bit’s bedroom and pushed open the door. It was time to wake her up, check the bandages and get some food in them both.

  Laura saw the empty bed and almost lost it.

  Then Bit limped out of the bathroom holding a towel against her knee.

  A tidal wave of relief swept over Laura. “There you are, sweetheart. Are you okay?”

  "I just had to go to the bathroom, Mom,” Bit said. “Besides, I sweated so much my pajamas are soaked.”

  Laura went to her and felt her forehead. “It’s the fever, sweetheart. You’re sweating out the infection. How do you feel this morning?”

  “Better. Those pills Dr. Anderson gave me must have really worked. I slept all night.”

  “That’s wonderful, just what you needed. No more dreams? No more visitors down on the beach?”

  Bit shook her head. “I don't think I'll see them anymore."

  Laura looked at her. 'Oh? What makes you say that?"

  "The last time I saw Mason, he told me he didn’t think he’d be back.”

  Laura fell silent. “What about the others?”

  “You promised me we’d help them, remember? If we do that, they won't bother us anymore."

  Chapter Forty-Five

  USING HER FLASHLIGHT, LAURA scrounged around the pantry until she found a loaf of sliced bread. She checked the date: only two months old. That would have to do, she convinced herself.

  Not surprisingly, the pantry was full of other goodies--batteries, packages of pasta, bottled water and every kind of canned fruit and vegetable imaginable. Good old Danny, she reflected, grabbing a jar of strawberry jam along with a package of elbow pasta and a large can of fruit cocktail. As she started out, she picked up a box of “D” batteries for the big MagLite.

  There was no way she and Bit would go hungry in this house. They might freeze to death, but they certainly wouldn't starve. And, if by some miracle they ran out of food in the house, all they had to do was go out to the storage shed.

  Before pulling the door shut behind her, Laura glimpsed a familiar box in a small tray attached to the back of the pantry door. Smiling, she reached down and pulled out a full canister of Earl Gray tea.

  She was in heaven!

  “Hey, look what I found,” she said to Bit, holding up the can of tea. She had brought up a tray of sandwiches, along with a pot of fresh Earl Gray tea. “We have enough tea here to throw a party for the Queen and her entire royal court!”

  “That’s nice, Mom, but I’m freezing,” Bit complained. “It’s so cold in the house. How much longer do you think we’ll be without electricity?”

  It occurred to Laura that they might be warmer down in the living room. The fireplace was much bigger, and they could set up both kerosene heaters down there. She helped Bit slip into a warm robe and slippers, then helped her downstairs to the sofa.

  “Are you all right?” she asked, after retrieving their breakfast and the other heater from upstairs.

  “It is a lot warmer down here,” Bit replied.

  The girl sat on the sofa closest to the fireplace—warmer, but still cold—her leg propped up on a cushion. Laura had changed the bandage earlier, then helped her out of her sweaty pajamas and into a fresh flannel gown that draped down to the floor. Teddy and Anastasia perched on her lap.

  “The power shouldn’t be out much longer,” Laura said encouragingly. The truth was, she didn't have a clue when utility workers would make it this far down Yonah Trail. She carried a blanket over and wrapped it around her daughter’s shoulders. “Just be glad we’ve got the fireplace and the heaters.”

  "I'm still hungry," Bit said.

  "Well…how about some fruit cocktail, fresh from the can?"

  "Can we have French Toast instead?"

  Laura reminded herself that the stove wasn't working. Whatever they wanted to heat, they'd have to cook it in a cast-iron skillet and hang it on the S-shaped hook inside the fireplace. "I can try making some toast over the fire, but I can't promise how it will turn out," she said.

  "Sounds good to me," Bit replied.

  Laura found some butter in the fridge, still hard enough to use in the skillet. After smearing the bottom of the pan, she hung it over the fireplace to heat up. When she heard the butter sizzling, she dropped in several slices of the bread she'd found in the pantry. This should be interesting, she told herself. She waited until the slices of bread were golden brown, then scooped them up with a spatula and served them on plates for each of them.

  "Breakfast is served," she said to Bit, slathering the toast with strawberry jam.

  Bit stared at the toast with apprehension. “You first,” she said to her mom.

  Laura took a bite and said, "Yummy. Not bad." She waited for Bit to dig in and asked: "Well, what's the verdict?"

  A week ago Laura never dreamed she’d be cooking breakfast over an open fireplace. What was next—skinning a rabbit for dinner?

  The thought of rabbits reminded Laura of the man outside the window—the hunter with the black beard and axe. She walked back over to the window and looked out.

  He was gone, thank God.

  She scanned the whole patch of woods, just to make sure. Either the hunter had gone back where he came from or the ground had opened up and swallowed him whole.

  When the doorbell rang, she almost dropped the bowl of batter. She leaned against the countertop, unable to move

  “Mom, someone’s at the door,” Bit shouted from the sofa.

  Unwilling to guess who it might be, Laura motioned for Bit to be quiet.

  Bit saw the look on her mother’s face. She sensed something might be wrong and pulled the blanket over her head.

  Laura stared at the door, fearful of who might be standing on the other side. She moved quietly into the kitchen, grabbed one of the knives off the counter and started slowly for the door.

  Bit peeked out from under the blanket. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the knife. "Mom," she whispered. "What are you doing with the knife?"

  Laura didn’t bother answering. Instead, she crept closer to the door, knife clutched tightly at her side.

  “Hello in there?” a familiar voice called out “Anybody home?”

  “Mom, it’s Paul!” Bit said.

  Laura could finally breathe again. She sprinted for the door, unlocked the bolt and swung it open wide.

  Paul stood in the doorway, more handsome and fresh than ever. He wore jeans and a navy peacoat with a s
carf wrapped around his neck. A pleasant, musky odor washed over Laura. “Hi, am I interrupting anything?” he asked shyly.

  “Oh, Paul!” Laura exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. She held on for dear life, not wanting to let go. Finally, pulling away, she gushed: “We…we thought you were in Denver!”

  “I got back around midnight last night. Drove up from Atlanta this morning.”

  “In this weather?”

  “It was rough. But the Jeep did just fine.”

  “You’ve got a Jeep too?”

  “Not as new or as fancy as yours. It’s an older Sport model. But it gets me up and down these mountains just fine.”

  He stopped. “Hey, almost forgot. Here, these are for you and Bit.” He handed her a couple of small, gift-wrapped packages.

  Laura took the packages and said: “Oh, you shouldn’t have, Paul.”

  “Just a couple of souvenirs from the Rocky Mountains.”

  Laura stepped back from the door. “Thank you, Paul. Please, come on in. We were just having home-made toast and strawberry jam.”

  Paul followed her inside. When he saw Bit, he smiled and said, “Hi-ya, Bitster.”

  “Paul!” Bit yelled, grinning ear to ear.

  Brad walked over to the sofa and gave Bit a playful jab. “What’s this?” he asked, staring at her bandaged knee.

  “I fell on the rocks,” she explained.

  Paul winced. “That must have hurt.”

  Bit nodded. “A little. But Doctor Anderson came over and fixed it up."

  Paul glanced back at Laura. “Doctor Anderson?”

  Laura dropped the packages down on the coffee table in front of Bit. “Doctor Whit Anderson. He lives somewhere on the other side of the lake.”

  Paul’s brow furrowed. “Whit Anderson. Don’t think I've ever heard of him. You said he's a doctor?”

  “From Miami,” Laura explained. “I think he lives up here part-time.”

  “Don't we all,” Paul snickered. “I just find it odd that there's a doctor living up at the lake and I've never met him.”

  Laura didn't think any more about it. She motioned for him to sit down. “It's so good to see you, Paul! We’ve really missed you!”

  “Yeah, it seems like ages,” Bit added.

  Laura settled back on the sofa. “What brings you over this way?”

  “No special reason," Paul replied. His eyes were so bright and twinkly Laura thought she was staring into the beams of a high-powered sports car. "Just thought I’d come over and check on my favorite neighbors, see if everything was okay.” He looked around, noticed the kerosene heater. “I see you’re without power too.”

  “It’s been out since yesterday,” Laura explained.

  "We're freezing," Bit complained.

  Paul looked at the stack of firewood by the fireplace. “Do you have enough firewood? I’ve got a chainsaw over at my place that needs a good workout.”

  “No, no, we’re fine for the time being,” Laura answered. “How long do you think it will be before they can get the power restored?”

  “Hard to say. Sometimes these outages can last for days.”

  Laura groaned. "That's what Whitt Anderson said. “Well, how about some hot toast?”

  Paul’s eyes lit up. “My mouth's already watering.”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  THEY SAT AROUND the fireplace, the three of them, blankets draped around their shoulders, sipping tea and crunching oven-roasted toast.

  “Delicious,” Paul said, pushing back his empty plate. “I’m impressed with your primitive cooking skills,” he added, motioning toward the skillet hanging from the hook inside the fireplace.

  “We do what we have to do,” Laura laughed. She remembered the presents. "Sweetheart, look what Paul brought us back from Denver," she said, handing Bit one of the gifts with her name on it.

  Bit gasped in amazement after she ripped into the box and pulled out what looked like a small colorful net with two feathers and ornaments attached.

  "It's called a dreamcatcher," Paul explained. "The Pueblo Indians believe that if you hang it over your bed at night it will capture good dreams and ward off bad ones."

  "Cool," Bit said. She showed it to her mom. "Can I put it over my bed, Mom?"

  "Don't see why not," Laura replied, opening her own box and pulling out what looked like a blackened clay pot with a pair of handles on each side. "Very interesting," she commented, "but what is it?"

  "It's a sacred ceremonial urn, made by the Ute Indians of southwestern Colorado," Paul explained. "Once upon a time they were used to keep the ashes of important ancestors."

  "Just what I needed," Laura joked. She looked across at Paul. "Don't tell me I'm supposed to hang it over my bed too."

  Paul laughed. "No, but it might come in handy if you need a doorstop or paperweight."

  ⸙

  WHILE LAURA REFILLED his cup with tea, Paul said, “I guess you’re wishing right about now you'd gone to the beach instead of the mountains for Christmas vacation.”

  Laura heard herself laughing. It was the first time she had laughed in days. “It’s been quite an adventure, I must confess.”

  “We’ll be going home soon,” Bit interjected.

  “Oh?”

  “Brad’s on his way to get us,” Laura said.

  A forlorn look passed across Paul’s ruggedly handsome face. “Guess that means you'll be going back to Atlanta." He finished his tea. "Well, from my point of view, it was fun while it lasted.”

  “Yes it was," Laura said softly.

  They both let it drop.

  "Hey, look on the bright side," Paul said. "Soon you'll be back in Atlanta with hot and cold running water and central heating."

  "I don't know. It's been kind of fun sitting around in the dark freezing.”

  “Could be worse,” Paul persisted. “At least we aren’t snowed in. Two years ago, I was socked in for over a week. Snow up over the windows. No power. Water pipes frozen solid.”

  “A whole week? That must have been a blast.”

  “Actually, it was kind of nice.” Paul got up, walked over to the hearth and poked at the fire. “No noisy neighbors. No cell phones. No internet. Just me and the snow and my box of paints. The only problem was, it was so cold I had a hard time keeping the paint and the bristles on my brushes from freezing.”

  Laura found herself laughing again. “Funny, that's exactly what Phyllis said. Did she get through it okay?”

  "Dr. Coleman?" Paul shook his head slowly. “Never saw her the whole time. I hiked over to her chalet a couple of times to check on her, but she never came to the door. I knew she had to be alright, because there was smoke coming from her chimney and I could hear her moving around inside.”

  “I find it strange that she wouldn't come to the door.”

  “Well, in case you haven’t notice, she’s a strange woman.”

  Paul stood up, put on his coat and started buttoning it. “Well, guess I should be moseying along,” He helped Laura to her feet. “Say, I’ve got a generator back at my place. Runs on gas, and I've got plenty of it. You two are welcome to come over and stay with me—that is, if Brad doesn’t show up anytime soon.”

  “Thank you,” Laura replied. “We’ll keep that in mind, won’t we Bit?”

  “We sure will.”

  Paul headed for the door. “Seriously, if you change your minds, come on over. It's a straight shot down the second path through the woods, just on the far side of the cove. I’d say call—but, as you no doubt already know, the phones are all down. I haven't had a signal on my cell since before I left for Denver.”

  “We’ll be fine until Brad gets here. But thanks for the invitation—and hey, thanks for the gifts. They’re very thoughtful.”

  As soon as Paul was gone, Bit looked at her mother and said, “Mom, Paul is a nice man, isn’t he?”

  “Yes he is, sweetheart.”

  “Well, why don’t you like him more?”

  Bit's innocent remark rais
ed more questions for Laura than they answered.

  ⸙

  LAURA ALMOST JUMPED out of her skin when she heard the jangle of her cell phone. It had to be Brad, she thought, racing for her bag. Digging deep, she finally found the phone and clicked the answer button. “Brad?” she shouted.

  There was a crackling noise on the line.

  “It’s me,” she finally heard Brad say. His voice was scratchy, faraway.

  "Brad...I can hardly hear you," Laura shouted into the phone. "Where are you, sweetheart? Are you on your way up to the mountains?”

  “…can’t make it…”

  More static.

  “Brad? Brad? You’re breaking up.”

  “…stuck in Atlanta…won’t be able to get up there until tomorrow morning...”

  “Tomorrow morning? Oh, no…” Laura almost collapsed just thinking about having to spend another night at the lake without him. She scurried around the room, trying to improve the signal. "But…I thought you were coming up tonight."

  “Something..." Brad's voice was a garbled mess.

  Laura flung open the door, stumbled out onto the deck and held the phone up. "Brad, I can't hear you. What did you say?"

  "Something has come up," she heard Brad repeat. Then: "…sorry…”

  “Listen to me, Brad. We can’t wait any longer. We don’t have power. It’s freezing up here. And...and I can't get the car to start. We need you! We need you tonight!”

  “Impossible…not today,” came Brad's garbled reply.

  “You don’t understand…”

  “Got to go now…”

  Click.

  The phone went dead.

  When Laura walked back inside, Bit looked at her and said, “He’s not coming, is he?”

  Laura shook her head slowly. Still baffled, she said tried to perk up for Bit’s sake. “No, not tonight, sweetie. Something's come up. He’s driving up first thing in the morning.”

  “But you said we could go home tonight.”

  “I know, I know…”