Outside That Door

by Jennifer Robins

  “It seems strange out here by ourselves, doesn’t it?” she commented.

  “I guess, but it’s kind of nice. Last time we were here, there was so much noise we had to shut the place up and turn on the air so we could hear the television.”

  “That group from New Jersey partied until three in the morning.” She took another drink of wine and stared into the flames leaping up and down in a rhythmic beat.

  Suddenly the lights went out, leaving only the glow from the fire. Carl stood up. “Great, I hope this isn’t one of those long blackouts. I’ll go get the candles from the kitchen. Stay here and don’t move. I don’t want to run into you when I come back.”

  “There’s a candle right on the mantel. Light that one to take with you.”

  “I thought it was one of your fragrant candles you saved for the holidays.”

  “Just use it; I can get another one.”

  He made his way to the kitchen, holding the lit candle. As he passed by the window over the sink, he tried to peer outside, but the darkened night made it impossible to see anything. This part of the park had no outside lighting yet, so unless there was a bright moon and no clouds, it became very dark.

  Curled up on the end of the sofa, Beth gazed into the fire, waiting for his return. As he came into the room, he handed her several long candles and candle holders along with a book of matches.

  “Take some of these and light them in here.” He gave her two candles. “I already lit one in the kitchen. I’m going to put one in the bathroom, maybe one in the bedroom.” Carl left the room.

  She set both candles on the table by the window at the side wall of the room. After lighting both of them, she returned to the sofa and brought one of her legs up underneath her as she settled down to get comfortable. The warmth from the fire felt good as she sat back, cuddled up to a sofa pillow. It would have been nice to watch her nightly show on TV, but that was now out of the question. She didn’t even have enough light to enjoy the novel she’d brought with her. Maybe we should have stayed home at the apartment, ordered in a pepperoni pizza, watched a little TV, she thought. Oh, well, we’re here now.

  Carl came back and went right to the fireplace to put another log in. “I hope this won’t last too long and they get the power back on. I wonder what happened. There’s no storm. Everything seems okay. There shouldn’t be a power failure.” He set the log in the fireplace then stepped back. “Could be just this section of the park, but I couldn’t see anything from the kitchen window. The furnace won’t come on without the thermostat working, but we have the fireplace.”

  “Come sit with me; it’s kind of romantic this way.” She motioned with her hand for him to join her. “Have more wine. Get cozy here by the fire. It feels good.”

  “If the power stays off for a time, I wonder if the heat from the fire will warm the bedroom?”

  “The bedroom’s just a few feet away from here. With the door open and the blankets we brought, it’ll be okay.” She placed her leg up over his lap and giggled. “You like to go camping, so here we are—only in a cottage instead of a tent. I wouldn’t even be here if it was a tent.”

  Carl wrapped his hand around her ankle and let his fingers slide up toward her thigh. Not only had the fire in the fireplace had a spark to it. His passion had ignited the minute she put her leg on his lap. The bear rug in front of the hearth looked inviting. He put his arms around her while he nibbled at her neck, letting his mouth make its way up to her lips.

  Draining the last drop of wine from her glass, she set it on the table beside the sofa. He still held her as they slid down to the soft round rug on the floor. He watched the fire dance in her hazel eyes and light up the highlights of her hair. Her heartbeat hastened as the romance of the evening grabbed her. She felt the warmth of the fire, the soft touch of her husband’s hands, and she was ready.

  He pulled her sweater up over her head. They both struggled to remove their clothes while he continued to kiss her passionately. After four years of marriage, the romance was still exciting, passionate. The ripples of his muscular chest, his strong arms, sent tingles exploding through her like the Fourth of July.

  For one brief moment, she held her fingers to his lips and looked away from him with a strange look on her face. “It sounds like drums. Can you hear that?”

  “It’s my heart you hear.” His mouth came down on hers. He smothered her with kisses, wrapped his arms around her. The flickering light of the fire danced over them and circled the room.

  The dark of the night closed in while black clouds above covered the stars like a large blanket. Echoing sounds from the night penetrated the walls. Crickets, locusts, and frogs in perfect harmony joined the concert of the cool evening.

  They rose, and Carl carried her to the bedroom, set her on the bed, then joined her for a night’s rest. Sleep came easily as the two tired campers lay comfortably in each other’s arms with the thick blankets over them and Tabitha at their feet.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Chirping birds outside the window woke Beth, who turned around to nudge her sleeping husband. “Good morning. It’s time to get up. I’m hungry.”

  He rolled over so he could look at her. “What time is it?”

  “Don’t know. The clock isn’t working. I guess the power’s still out.” She threw the blanket away from her legs and sat up. “It’s cold in here.”

  He stretched his arms up high, set his bare feet on the floor, then grabbed his robe at the foot of the bed as he ran his fingers through his hair to push it back away from his face. His long sideburns framed a square face, accented by the dark stubble of facial hair. “I’ll build another fire, but first I hope we can at least have some coffee, and I would like some hot water to shave.”

  “How do you plan on making coffee without electricity?”

  “That’s right. Do we have some kind of pan to heat water in the fireplace?”

  “All the pans we have out here are old anyway, so it won’t make any difference if you use one of them. Just don’t get burnt.” She put her robe on and started for the doorway but turned around before leaving. “I’ll get my cell phone to make some calls. You would think they would have whatever it is fixed by now.”

  Carl set the few pieces of kindling inside the fireplace, followed by two logs left on the hearth. The fire took off as soon as he touched the small twigs with a lighted match. “I’ll have to bring in more wood if it stays like this. I thought it would be warmer this morning. Maybe it’ll be better this afternoon.” He stood and stretched. “I wonder what time it is?”

  Through the window came the light of the day. “From the location of the sun, I’d say it’s at least ten or maybe eleven,” she told him as she gazed up at the sky through the kitchen window.

  Carl opened the refrigerator to get the milk. “There’s some fruit in here,” he said as he opened the bottom drawer. “Two apples and a grapefruit. This should take us past the next half hour. Try those phone calls.”

  She dialed and waited. “There’s no ringing…nothing. My cell is out too.” But she tried again with no results after shaking it to try to get it to work. “See, I told you: it’s not working.”

  “Okay, let me get a pot of water on the fire. I need my coffee.”

  The fire roared, with flames reaching high inside the stone opening. He took one of the pokers from the rack beside the hearth and placed the handle of the pan so he could set it on top of the burning logs.

  It didn’t take long before the water with the ground coffee boiled fast and hard, almost flowing up over the rim as it bubbled and exuded the sweet aroma of the coffee.

  He pulled the pan out and set it on the hearth.

  Letting the coffee grounds settle to the bottom of the pan had him impatiently waiting as Beth brought the cups to the living room and set them on the table next to the sofa. “This looks like mud or something worse. I hope it tastes decent,” he said as he held the pot over the cup. Carefully he poured the hot liquid and sniffed at it. “
Smells good.”

  “It’s still pretty cold in here, and the fire will soon burn down. You better get more wood from outside. I’ll unpack the suitcase. I wanna look for your watch. We at least might want to know the time, even though it doesn’t matter right now.”

  “All right, I’ll go in a minute.” He lifted his cup to his lips, drank, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Mmm, this is not too bad. Go ahead, have some. I’ll finish this before I go get the wood.”

  “See if there’s anyone around to ask about the power while you’re out there.” She poured herself a cup of the primitively brewed coffee, then strolled over to the sofa with it. All she could think of was how awful it would be to spend the whole weekend up there with no electricity. How would they ever get along with no TV, no radio, and what about refrigeration? All the comforts of modern-day living might be lost for days.

  When Carl opened the door to leave, it let in a sweeping breeze through the cottage, bringing with it the fresh air of season. Beth laid her head back on a pillow at the back of the sofa. She breathed in the pleasant smell of leaves and clean water from the nearby lake. For some reason it seemed more potent than usual, but very soothing to the senses. The very things she liked about the place at this time of year. The trees were all in fabulous color, the air brisk with the coolness, a time for the earth to take its seasonal rest until another year began. She waited for her husband’s return.

  The sudden sound of the door being flung open startled her. Carl rushed in with his face pale, eyes wide. He looked like someone who just saw a ghost. He slammed the door shut behind him and put his back against it. Beth hurried to him. “We can’t open this door,” he insisted.

  “Why, what’s the matter?” she shouted.

  “Just listen to me.” His breath came hard and heavy. “Don’t open it. I don’t know what’s going on around here, but everything out there has changed.” He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Our car is gone. There’s no gravel driveway, only trees all over the place, even where the road was.” He put both hands on her shoulders. “There’s nothing out there, not even the other cottages. The road is gone. There are no poles for power or phones. Just trees and bushes everywhere.”

  “Carl, how can that be? We are in the mountain park—the campgrounds. You’re teasing me to make light of what’s going on, but I’m not laughing. It’s not funny.”

  “This is for real, no joke. The mountains are there, but…” He shook his head hard as he pulled her away from the door. “Don’t go out there. Don’t go outside. There is something very strange going on here.” He held her at bay with no resistance. His expression, his actions, now had her scared out of her wits.

  “I’m going to look out the window,” Beth said, pulling away from him.

  “Be careful,” he warned.

  “Look, it’s all the same out there. Nothing has changed,” she told him.

  He hurried to the window. “What?” He looked out. “It does look the same, but…I saw…” His voice trailed off as he ran to the door and opened it. One look outside, and he pushed it closed again. “Oh, no, it has changed. We can’t see it from the window. This is crazy.” He grabbed Beth by the hand and pulled her to the living room. “Sit down.” He pushed her to the sofa. “Don’t move. I’m going to check the back door. Stay here.” With the stamina of a soldier, he hurried out of the room.

  “Wait, don’t leave me here alone. You have me terrified.” Beth hurried past the sofa, almost stumbling on her own feet in a rush to catch up with him. “Carl, please, wait for me.”

  He left her behind and proceeded to the back of the cottage. The door to the rear was locked, so he searched for the key. “Where is the key?” he yelled out frantically as he reached for the shelves on the wall, his hands fumbling around on the one next to the door.

  Beth came up behind him and reached up over the door to retrieve the key, which was up on the ledge of the door frame. “Here. Take it easy, will you? I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I’m going to find out. Go ahead. Open the door.” Her challenge was demanding.

  He took the key in his shaking hand and slowly put it in the lock. “Stand back. I don’t know what will jump out at us when I open this door.” With his other hand, he pushed her behind him. “Stay back.” His hand gripped the doorknob, turned it slowly. The smell of the earth drifted in as he opened the door just a crack. It was too much for him. He pushed it shut and moved back while shoving Beth further behind him. “I’m not sure we should open this door.”

  “What did you see?” she demanded.

  “Nothing, but it doesn’t feel right. I don’t think I want to go out there.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly.” Beth stepped away from him, grabbed the doorknob, and opened the door. A thick branch of a tree fell through the open door and hit her, knocking her down to the floor. “What on earth is this?” she yelled out. She struggled to push the branch away and tried to stand.

  “I told you,” he said as he helped her to her feet. “Now will you believe me? Look out there. It’s nothing but trees and wild growth all the way up to the cottage. You can hardly see the sky.”

  “How can this be? It had all been cleared out and a patio put in when they built this place. Where’s the patio?” She held her hand to her mouth as she glared down at the tree branch lying on the floor. “There must be some explanation. Our whole backyard didn’t just disappear.” Her hand shook as she spoke. She bit her bottom lip and began to cry. “I’m scared, Carl. What is going on?”

  “I don’t know what this is, but I’m going to find out.”

  He lifted the heavy branch and pushed it back away from the door. It sprang back out into the air. He then shut the door and locked it, fear written all over his face as he turned to her. “I want you to stay inside. I’m going out the front door to look around. Just wait inside, and don’t try to follow me, no matter what.” The expression on his face, wide-eyed and pale, had Beth shaking.

  “But, Carl, I can’t just stay here and wait.”

  “Please do what I ask, and don’t question it.”

  She sat on the sofa and cupped her hands over her face, held them there until the front door opened. She looked up at him as he was about to leave. “Be careful and come right back. Don’t go too far.”

  He moved slowly as he ventured away from the door. His eyes scanned the area all around him like a searching hawk. The thick brush and trees overwhelmed the surroundings, making it hard to walk. His heart beat so fast, he could hardly catch his breath. A few yards from the cottage, he came to a clearing. It looked as though something had bedded down on the high grass there, now all matted down.

  Rustling sounds of something in the brush in front of him caught his attention. He crouched down, held his breath, eyes focused on the direction from which the sound came. The bushes parted with branches spreading wide, and out walked a doe with her fawn, a beautiful deer, the likes of which he hadn’t seen in a long time. Her spotted fawn strolled out into the open, ears perked up to every sound.

  He had never seen deer up there before and thought they had been all driven off by the people who took over the land, but there she was with her young in all her glory. He stayed very still until they both wandered off into the forest beyond the area he stood in. What a sight, he thought as he stood, eyes scanning the area. The flattened grass must have been where the doe had bedded down with her young, he was sure of it. He examined the ground, then walked away.

  Nothing appeared to be the same—thick trees, far beyond where they had been before, bushes and high grass, but most of all the smell of burning wood drifting through the air.

  Carefully, he took steps toward the brush where the deer had gone. Another few feet, then he turned to look behind him, with a watchful eye for anything that might sneak up on him.

  Without warning, the screeching sound of a very large hawk flying overhead had him down on the ground. He buried his head in his arms, and squatted low until the n
oisy bird flew off. He’d had enough. He had to get back inside where it was safe before another creature came lurking. Taking great care not to make a lot of noise, he moved slowly, carefully, toward the cottage. His pant legs got hung up on a round bristly thing hanging down from some of the plants in his path. Even when he pulled away it hung on to him like glue. He could feel the pinch and sting from its thorns on his ankle and up his leg as he made his way to the door.

  He reached for the knob, then for the first time, he noticed blood on the back of his hand and realized he had cut himself on something. It stung but didn’t really hurt too bad, though he was alarmed at the presence of his bleeding injury.

  Once inside, he shut the door and locked it. Beth hurried to him as soon as she heard him come in. “What happened?”

  “We are in some kind of time warp—some kind of…I don’t know.”

  “Your hand…it’s bleeding. Let me get something for that. How did it happen?” He held his hand for her to inspect it. “Come on, let’s go into the bathroom. You’re a mess. What’s out there?” she brushed some of the leaves from his coat. “This is getting scary, Carl. I don’t want to stay here. I would rather get out of here as soon as possible.”

  “We don’t have any choice. We have to stay here… We have no car. I’m not sure there is any way out of here, even on foot.”

  “Impossible. You mean to tell me we are stuck here? I can’t believe there’s no way out.”

  “All you have to do is go out there,” he pointed to the door, “and see for yourself. It’s nothing but wilderness as far as you can see.”

  “What do you mean wilderness?”

  “Yeah, wilderness—deer, hawks, plenty of wild growth, and every kind of weed and tree you could think of. Look at my pants. Where did you think all this came from? We didn’t have anything like it out there before.” He hurried off to the bathroom.

  Beth had him sit on the toilet while she searched the medicine cabinet for something to clean his gapping cut. “We have alcohol and bandages, so I’ll be able to get your hand taken care of.” She soaked a tissue with the alcohol and cleaned his wound gently with care not to rub too hard.