Outside That Door

by Jennifer Robins

  Dark and damp, the interior of the cave enveloped them as they entered—a cold deep hole in the side of a hill—nature’s shelter. How far back it went, they didn’t know for sure. It was too dark to see even with the flashlight. Beth shivered as she walked around inside, looking at the dark grey walls.

  She only circled the area close to the entrance, afraid to go deeper into what appeared to be more of the same, only with a lower ceiling. She stepped outside for a moment to gain courage. It was one of those cold fall nights when you could taste the scent of the withering leaves and smell the hint of winter. She took a deep breath then went back inside.

  “Are you sure there are no creepy crawly things in here?” she asked as her eyes scanned the floor. “No slithering nasty varmints of any kind?”

  “I didn’t see anything, but as soon as I can, I’ll get a fire going. That’ll keep any—what did you call them?—away. I have to get some branches, wood, so sit here.” He pointed to the place where there had been fire some time before. “I’ll be right back.” He waved a hand in a motion for her to sit and then hurried out of the cave.

  She could see the light of the flashlight outside as it disappeared in the growing darkness. Her arms wrapped around her shoulders to hug herself as she once again checked the inside of the cave. It was quiet—the kind of quiet that went deep, scary—making her wonder if she could stay in this awful place all night.

  Her mind searched for something to think of other than her surroundings, but the only thing that took its place was the cottage and Tabitha. What happened to the cottage? What about Tabitha? Is she all right? Where is the park, the other people who came this weekend?

  A sudden noise outside caught her attention. She stood up with her back close to the wall behind her. A beam of light focused on the entrance. It must be Carl, she thought as she took a deep breath and held it. Out of habit she crossed her fingers in the hope it was him.

  He came with an armload of branches. He dropped them down in front of her. “I think this will hold us for the night. I’ll get a fire started right away.”

  It didn’t take much to get the fire started, only one match. Beth held both hands high above it to warm them as Carl took one of the bottles of water out of the pack. He turned the flashlight off to save the batteries but set it close at his side while the two of them huddled by the fire.

  “I don’t understand why we can’t find our cottage—or any of them, for that matter—and what about our car? A whole good-sized framed structure doesn’t just disappear in thin air.” He took another swallow of water and set the bottle down. “Hand me one of those Snickers bars.”

  He took the candy from her and ripped the paper off angrily, bit off a large hunk and stuffed it in his mouth. He set back on his elbows while he chewed and then took another bite and another until the bar was gone. As he crumbled the wrapper in his fist, he sat forward to throw it into the fire.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he turned to her.

  “Not really. I’m cold, hungry, and scared half out of my wits. What are we going to do?”

  “We are going to rest here until daylight, and then we’ll move on. I want to check for the cottage again.” He reached in the backpack for a granola bar. “Here, eat this, and drink water.”

  “Huh! You think it will just show up out of nowhere?” She moved closer to the fire as she hugged her arms up around her shoulders. “Abracadabra, here I am.”

  “No, I just want to make sure we didn’t miss it; that’s all. Now stop being a smart aleck and lie down. We need to get some sleep. I’ll keep an eye out for awhile so you can sleep without worry—so take it easy…relax.”

  “It’s hardly time for bed. We never go to sleep any earlier than eleven. Here we are in a cold, dark cave early in the evening on a cold fall night, and you want me to go to sleep.” She held up her hands. “Oh yes, I forgot—in the middle of some forsaken wilderness forest.” Her last remark was nearly loud enough to call it shouting. Tears spilled from her eyes as she stared into the fire.

  He moved closer to her so he could gently put his arm around her. “Calm down; we will be all right. I’ll make sure of it. This is some kind of time warp, some kind of time lapse, or maybe a kind of fluke to another dimension. We have both heard about—read about—these things. Maybe they really do happen.” His voice was soft, calming. He pulled her up tight to him to kiss her on the cheek. She settled against him and tried to stop shaking.

  The silence of the night, only broken by the distant hooting of an owl, presented an eerie feeling that made both of them shudder. Beth laid her head on his lap and closed her eyes as she tried to shut it all out. The fire crackled and sparked as Carl put another few branches on to keep it going. Just as he put his head back on the stone wall behind him the sound of drums off in a distance penetrated the night as it joined in with the owl and the sounds outside the cave.

  She looked up at him—his face looked drawn with worry. “Indians?”

  “I think so,” he said in an almost whisper. “Or someone is auditioning for a western play or round-up show.”

  The sound of the drums echoed through the cave, making it almost impossible to ignore. Beth sat back and stretched her arms out to the fire. “If there are really Indians, I think we may be in deep trouble if they’re not friendly.” She shook all over holding her arms once again around her. “We have to find our cottage and get inside where it’s safe.”

  “Not until morning, my love. Right now, I’m going to take a look outside—stay here.” He stood up then reluctantly walked to the opening, leaving her with her legs folded sitting by the fire.

  The open area over the entrance of the cave let him peer up at a star-filled sky with a half-moon shining silvery bright in the east. The pounding of the drums stopped suddenly while the night sounds continued to surround him.

  Soft wind blowing through the trees made a rushing sound as it moved the almost bare branches to one side. It seemed peaceful but, at the same time, frightening. He stepped over to the side of the entrance with a need to relieve himself. Many thoughts scrambled through his mind of what to do…what to expect…how to get back. What about Beth—would she hold up? There could be miles of forest to cover before they found help. And then there were those drums. “Indians,” he whispered as he came back into the cave. “I don’t know how far back in time we are, but those drums could very well be Indians out there.”

  “What will we do if it is?” she questioned.

  “I don’t know.”

  After he put the last of the branches on the fire, he sat next to Beth with his arm around her. They soon became very tired, laid back and fell asleep. The fire burned brightly, throwing off the heat they needed to combat the cool fall air.

  Something outside, a noise, gave rise to their sudden awakening with the dawn. The fire had gone out, leaving only a few glowing embers on the ground in front of them. A stream of smoke circled above the heap of burnt wood and ashes. Slowly Carl got to his feet and motioned for her to stay down as he started forward. Taking his time, he came to the opening to listen.

  He stepped on a dry twig. It cracked and frightened the deer just to the right of the cave which took off running, white tail high in the air. Carl took a deep breath and let it out. His heart still pounding fast against his chest when he returned to let Beth know what it was that awakened them with a scare. “It’s okay, just a deer. Come on, get up.” He held out his hand to help her. “I have a feeling we will be doing a lot of traveling today. At least it’s not raining.”

  Beth had no choice but to go along with what he suggested. They first needed to double check once again for the cottage. Not finding it meant they would be on a hunt for help. Or better yet, a way out of this place, dimension, or whatever, and back to where they belonged: home. Beth longed for her warm condo in the city, her comfy bed, a nice hot shower, and a large cup of freshly-brewed coffee. Her shattered nerves dug deep into the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach.


  The last spark of red glow drew her to warm her hands, but the warmth from the dying fire was gone…only a small smoldering piece of wood left.

  He took his gloves from his jacket pocket and handed them to her. “Here, these are much warmer than yours; put them on.” He handed her his gloves, and she took them willingly.

  “Before we go back out there, I want to know, just what you think—what will you do now?” she asked him as she put the gloves on.

  “I told you. We are going back to where the cottage was. I wanna check further around the area just in case we missed the spot.” He opened the backpack and took out two granola bars. “If it’s not there, we will go on from there to find someone—something…” He handed her a bar. “Here, we need to eat this for the energy. I don’t know how long this is going to take.”

  “You seem awfully sure we will find someone. I hope you’re right.”

  The sound of the birds outside beckoned, but so did the vast wild forest of nothing but trouble and fear waiting to grab them up and swallow them. Was it possible to find someone out there who would help them? Neither one of them could be sure. They had their doubts.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The sun peeked out over the eastern horizon, sending streams of light to welcome a new day. Nothing had changed, and they still faced a forest filled with growth of all kinds, from spruce trees, oaks, and dogwood down to tall grass that waved in the breeze. They took the same path that they had come from, making their way back to where they thought the cottage should be. Carl led the way, with Beth close behind.

  Beth’s eyes glanced down at the ground more often than not to avoid another encounter with a slithering something or other or a fall from some waiting vine ready to grab and pull her down to its pleasure. The ground was soft, a little muddy at times, so their boots sunk in almost an inch as they made their way closer and closer to an area thought to be the right place.

  The smell of the refreshing cool morning air surrounded them, but had a little sting. Overhead the sky grew lighter, clear with few clouds. The time had to be somewhere around eight or nine in the morning. Another hawk soared overhead while it searched for its morning feast.

  Familiar tall trees and tracks in the path brought them to the clearing where the cottage should be. As expected, it was not there.

  “Now what?” Beth insisted as she stood with her hands on her hips.

  “Don’t look so surprised, we both had an idea it wouldn’t be here. After all, we searched this place yesterday completely, but I just thought by chance…maybe…”

  “Well, it’s not here, so what next?” She took a straight-up stance and looked him right in the eyes with a mocking grin, hands still placed on her hips as though it was all his fault.

  The absence of the cottage presented the problem of where to go, what to do, and Carl didn’t have the answers. He shrugged his shoulders and put his head down.

  “I think we would do best to go the other way, instead of back there.” He pointed away from the direction they came from. “That direction is where the office for the park would be. Maybe something is there, or someone. We don’t have any choice, so let’s get going.”

  The path to what he thought would be the right direction to the office took on a greater challenge than he thought. He found nothing in the way to guide him but trees, more trees, bushes, fallen trees, and high grass with more of the same, with what seemed like no end. Beth stayed close behind most of the time but came up to his side whenever there was an opening to allow it.

  Suddenly, a clearing appeared just ahead of them. They could see it through the brush. They both pushed away at the growth holding them back from getting there quickly. With no sound coming from the area, they wondered if anyone would be there. Caution was needed as they came closer. He pulled at her arm to get her to squat down with him so they could look the place over while still hidden behind the bushes.

  Evidence of a cleared-out area around a small log cabin made them think someone had been there. It couldn’t have been more than one room inside from the looks of it. No windows, just a few small square openings, one in front and the others at the side, with a place cut out for a doorway but no door. Carl slowly walked out from the bush as he motioned for her to stay behind. He stepped out into the open, looked around and then walked a few feet further toward the center of the clearing. He motioned for her to come out. She hurried to him and stood at his side. Both had eyes darting back and forth in search only to find nothing there. How eerie this abundant place was, but they crept closer with caution.

  “I’d say this might be an old cabin travelers still use as a stop off to rest. It sure doesn’t look like something anyone would want to live in,” Carl noted.

  Beth held tight to his arm as they came up to the open doorway. A hitching rail stood firm in front of the narrow porch, some of it broken, hanging hopelessly across the front. Dust rose from under his foot as he placed it firmly on the first step up to the failing structure. The boards beneath him creaked from the strain of his weight and the sound echoed out into the forest. The scrimmage of several small chipmunks making a mad dash to the outside brushed the intruders back a foot—a reaction to the initial surprise of their appearance. Beth had her heart up in her throat while Carl just laughed once he saw what the sudden disruption was.

  “I don’t think it’s so funny,” she told him as she slapped his arm.

  It only produced a silly grin on his face. “Okay, those terrible creatures were some kind of monsters, all right.” He shook his head. “Let’s take a look inside of this priceless piece of real estate.”

  “Aren’t you the funny one?” She wavered as she followed him up the three stairs of the rickety old porch, keeping close behind him.

  Inside, completely deserted, was an open room with a large fireplace seemingly used for not only heat but for cooking as well. An old black pot hung by its handle attached to a long rod that went across the top of the opening, supported by huge nails imbedded into the stone wall of the fireplace. Thick dust had settled and flew up from the floor as they walked across it. A stream of light coming from a cut-out window crossed the room like a hazy intruder.

  A bed against the wall, covered with old weathered blankets and a dirty pillow, sat low to the floor with only a few inches beneath it. Four tall posts stood at the head and foot of this beat-up piece of furniture. No tables, chairs, or shelves, only that old sunk-in bunk. What made it interesting was the coat hanging on one of the posts. It looked like it had been there for a long time.

  With some caution, Carl gently took it down. “Look at this thing. It looks like something out of the Revolutionary War.” Ground-in dirt with mud spots patterned the old brown wool jacket all the way down to its long tails and—what might have been white at one time—a three-inch trim with brass buttons down the front of the coat. “This is something they wore back in the seventeen hundreds. I can’t believe this was here all this time and no one found it. What kind of a place is this?”

  His eyes drifted from one end of the room to the other as he set the jacket back on the bunk. A musty smell filled the small room, with a smothering feel to it.

  “Revolutionary War! You’re kidding.” Beth shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t think I can go for that one. You know how many years ago that would be? It must have been a place where some group interested in the war had re-enactment of it. You know, like they do down South for the Civil War.” She turned the coat over to look at the back of it. “This is real wool.”

  “Yeah, it must be…a re-enactment.” He scratched his head. “But what’s with the forest, the woods?” he looked around. “Someone has been here, but how long ago?”

  “It doesn’t look like they were here real recently—maybe a few weeks, a month.” Beth walked to the fireplace to look at the pot inside. “I bet they moved all the furniture out of here when they were through with their deal. Look at the marks on the floor. There was something placed right there in the middle of the room. You can
see it had to be a table and chairs.”

  “From the way the bunk is, I can understand why they didn’t take the crappy thing with them. Can’t see how anyone could sleep on it,” he said with a chuckle. “Probably full of fleas too.”

  Carl opened the backpack to search for something to drink or eat. Only one more candy bar and a bottle of water left. He took them out and handed them to Beth. “Here, open these up. We’ll share them before we go on. I’m thirsty and hungry, but this is all we have, so eat up.”

  “You can have the whole candy bar. I’m not hungry, but I do want a drink,” she told him as she handed him back the wrapped treat. She took the cap off the bottle of water and took a quick swallow before she passed it to him.

  Up high in the eastern sky, the sun brought a ray of warmth so very much needed. The cool fall air had caused them to wonder how they would stay warm while searching for help in this never-ending wild forest.

  Looking for more evidence of earlier occupants, they walked around the one room cabin searching every corner and every inch. In one of the darkened corners they found a small, empty leather bag with a long handle. Torn on one side, it had been discarded. The leather, still soft, told them it couldn’t have been there very long.

  After a thorough investigation of the lonely cabin, they went to the door and started out once again into the wilderness to find help. Carl looked back at the cabin in deep thought. “I need to remember where this place is, in case we have to come back here for shelter.”