his car to retrieve his belongings and the fishing gear.
As he approached the screen door, through the windows, he saw what looked like a dark shadow moving left to right of the cabin out of the corner of his eye. He stopped in his tracks. Puzzled as to what it could be, Paul looked carefully through the window. Not seeing any more strange moving shadows, he took a deep breath and shook his head. He wanted to get a closer look from the inside. Maybe it was an animal or something. He continued walking toward the door, opened the screen door, and stepped back inside.
He turned around to shut the front door, which muffled the sound of the continuing storm outside the cabin. Pausing just inside of the doorway, he looked toward the spot he had seen the shadow. Again, nothing like it was visible. He continued standing in the same spot for a while longer to listen. Besides the loud low rumble of the rain on the roof, he could not hear any other strange sounds. Though still slightly uneasy, he decided to get his belongings and fishing equipment out of his car. He then began walking though the cabin toward the back door.
After unloading his car and making his bed on the top bunk, he decided to go to bed in order get up early to begin fishing. He then changed into a pair of pajamas. Before getting into bed, he walked to his duffle bag, reached in and removed a flashlight. He then walked to the lantern and turned it off. The light coming from the mantle dimmed to a low orange glow and slowly went out. With the flashlight on, Paul then walked back to the bunk bed and set the flashlight on the bed. He then climbed up to the top bunk. The sheet and blanket back were turned back then he slid under, and covered himself. He then switched the flashlight off. Since he was very tired he managed to quickly drift off to sleep.
A single thumping noise from above caused him to awaken from of his sleep. His eyes only partially opened in response to the sound. It sounded about the same as the thump he heard before he unlocked the door. Too tired to investigate any further, Paul reasoned that it could just be a branch landing on the roof from the rain and wind outside. He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.
Paul was stirred awake again by a loud voice saying "get out!" He sat up in bed and quickly fumbled for the flashlight he had put next to him in the bed. After finding the flashlight, he turned it on and began shining it around the room. His heart was racing as he tried to adjust his eyes to see where the source of the voice. He looked toward the area where he thought the voice originated, which was near the picnic table. After squinting to get a clearer view of the area, he was puzzled since nothing seemed out of place and no one was in the light cast by the flashlight.
Paul asked aloud "Is anyone in here?"
He gradually shifted the flashlight to the right to examine other areas of the room while he continued to listen. Other than the rain, which was continuing to make a loud low sound as it hit the roof above him, he could not hear any response. "Hello," Paul said aloud trying again to see if anyone was there in the room as he panned the flashlight further to the right. There was only the rain for sound. After completing a full circle around the room with the flashlight, he held it and thought about where the voice could have come from. Maybe it was in his mind and no one was really in the room with him. He remained sitting up in the bed for about three more minutes and continued to move the flashlight around more. He was calming down from the initial shock from the voice. Hearing and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he decided to try to get back to sleep again. The flashlight was turned off and he lay his head back down onto the pillow. After a few more minutes he was able to fall asleep.
A loud thumping sound could be heard above Paul again, causing him to open his eyes. This time the thumping sound did not stop. The thumps were about one second apart. He slowly sat up in bed as he listened intently to the continuing thumping sounds that appeared to be coming from the attic above him. The thumping stopped. "Get out!" a voice emanating from the attic said. His breathing stopped for a moment and his heart began throbbing. This time he was alert. He felt around for the flashlight, and after he found it, he turned it on again. He pointed it upwards toward the ceiling. He focused on the small square door panel to the attic. As he stared at the door, something did not feel right around him. Shifting the flashlight to point down a bit toward the picnic table he was shocked to see water filling up the room, and it was up to a level just below the top of the mattress.
Oh crap!" he said aloud.
The water began to run over the top of the mattress. The cold water began to soak through his pajamas. Trying to think quickly, Paul moved his body to be under the attic door. He pushed up on the square panel and was able to push it off to the side. He thought it may be better to try to get out of one of the doors, but the flashlight would not last in the water. He stood up into the hole to the attic with the flashlight, and placed the still illuminated light next to the opening between some of the ceiling joists. He lowered his body back down through the hole and prepared to try to make it to the back door.
The water was up to his knees as he squatted on the bed. After taking a deep breath, he plunged into the water. Once under the water he tried opening his eyes, but could only see darkness. Using a slow breast stroke, he carefully maneuvered toward where he thought he would find the door. As he swam, he used his hands to feel around. For several strokes with his arms, he sensed nothing in front of him. He then felt the back wall, but realized it was not the door. While wanting to continue looking, he was beginning to feel the need for more air. He ran his hands along the wall to his right. He sensed a frame of something, but after moving his hand downward, he realized it was one of the back windows and not the door. Not having anything in his hand to break the window, he decided to continue to search for the door. With his body in great need of air, he thrust his arms downward to rise to the surface.
He gasped for air as he broke the surface. The cold water was causing him to shiver as he treaded water in the cabin. The dim light from the flashlight coming through the opening to the attic was the only visible light around. The water level was now within about eight inches of the roof panels above him. He figured he may have one more shot at finding the door before he had to go back to the attic.
He took a deep breath once again and plunged his head back underwater. Again using the breast stroke, he swam at a downward angle and was able to find the back wall again by feeling for it with his hand. He quickly realized that he was at the window again. He pushed his arms to shift his body to the left in the water, and occasionally touched the wall as he moved. Finally, his hands found the frame of the back door. Using both hands, he frantically felt around the door searching for the knob. With his breath running out again, he finally located it with his left hand. He grasped the knob with his hand, twisted and pulled on it. Floating in the water, he was unable to get enough leverage to pull it open. Just about to run out of air, he lowered his feet closer to the door frame and the floor. With his feet on the floor he tried once again, but since he was still floating somewhat, the sticking door would not budge. In great need of air he thrust his arms downward to get to the surface again.
As he broke through the surface of the water and gasped for air, he realized that only about two inches of air space was above him. He had to tilt his head back in order to continue to find air. Treading water, he used his arms to swim toward the attic opening, and the faint light coming through it. His feet touched the top of the bunk bed as he neared the opening. Able to stand on the bed at that point, Paul moved his body headfirst into the attic opening.
With the water now reaching the roof panel level, he grabbed hold of the attic joists and pulled himself into the attic space. He balanced his knees on the joists, while holding onto them with his hands. He reached over and retrieved the flashlight. He panned it toward his right first. With the rain pounding hard onto the roof above, he saw the joists and rafters continue toward the triangular shaped end wall. The attic was empty. No one had used it for storage.
He shivered from the cold water. There was no window in the end wal
l, only a small rectangular vent. He then panned the flashlight to his left, past the chimney. His flashlight beam shined on something dull grey in color resting on the joists. He was puzzled at first. Paul moved toward it balancing himself on the joists along the way. When he was about six feet away, it dawned on him that it was a human skeleton with a few tattered remains of clothing and mummified skin still attached.
The water level began to flow over the skeleton while he stared at it, still shocked at the sight. What had happened to this person, and how did this person die up here without anyone knowing for all these years, he wondered. When the water level engulfed the skeleton, Paul remembered he needed to continue to search for a way out. He raised the flashlight to make sure it stayed out of the water, which was now about a foot above the joists. Crawling along the tops of the joists as quickly as he could while holding the flashlight, he continued past the spot were the skeleton lay, and headed toward the triangular end wall. As he got closer to the wall he saw that the end did not have the rectangular vent like the other end. There were only the
The Ghost of Birch River Cabin Page 2