My month of solitude to
write my novel at a cabin in the woods forced me to face many of my fears. Fear
of the dark, strange sounds and large scary animals that walk on two feet to
name a few. Unknown sounds bellowing in the darkness. I experienced a loss of
electricity with a thunderstorm during the evening hours. Several situations
led me down a path of trepidation. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine
developing a bizarre friendship with a being twice my size.
The cabin I rented, nestled in the hills
between Munising and Marquette, had state of the art appliances, three large
bedrooms and a wraparound deck. I often sat outside when weather permitted to
conduct my research and work on my book. Laptops travel anywhere especially on
a nice table facing a river. The inside walls consisted of large logs varnished
to a nice shine. The fire in the fireplace crackled with the burning of birch
logs.
I smile watching bits of birch bounce off
the fire. Sitting on a leather sofa, eating popcorn and shifting through my
notes. My feet toasty with bunny slippers and a plush robe covers me from my
neck to toe. This is the life. My heart quickens when I read over part of my
notes where a woman was mysteriously murdered. The crime solving duo of Macey
and her golden retriever, Lucy, are at it again. Lucy found a piece of the
woman’s clothing and the plan was for Lucy to lead the detectives and Macey to
the dead body. April, the missing woman, has been missing for three days. Her
friends have been searching high and low for her. Lots of twists and turns to
the plot, so my readers won’t know who killed her until almost the end of the
story. No one would expect her mailman who loved her from afar.
I am going to bed so I can get up early and
hike some of the trails around the cabin. I was told lumbering businesses
constructed many of the two track roads back in the day. Where I am staying the
forest is thick with pine, oak and maple trees. It did not look like lumber
jacks have been here for quite a long time. The weather is supposed to be dry
and sunny tomorrow. A fall day in September in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
(U.P.). I am glad I discovered this location. My busy life in Petoskey leaves
me little time to explore nature. My time at the cabin is my time to recuperate
and get in touch with the great outdoors. Hopefully, I see a few deer and
possibly some bunnies and I hope the bears stay away from me.
My sleep was unhindered. I slept like a
log. The smell of coffee brewing and biscuits cooking in the oven welcomed the
morning with a warm cozy feeling. I scrambled a couple of eggs to go with my
meal and cleaned some grapes. Every morning I journal and count my blessings.
I dressed warmly in a red flannel shirt and
jeans with hiking boots. I took a flashlight, a couple of bottles of water and
a sandwich for later. I did not know how long I would be in the woods. My
friends back home worry about my adventures and think I take too many risks. I
tell them I only hike in safe places. Never hiked here before. I hope I am
right and it is a safe place. Hiking happens to be one of my favorite things to
do. I love being outdoors.
Many different types of birds flew above
me. Happy to see an eagle. Lots of hawks of many sizes and colors. I saw two
sandhill cranes off in a meadow. Haven’t seen any deer yet.
Large rocks peppered the edge of the river.
I sat on one and looked out at the water. Slight ripples cascaded over the
water. A trout jumped out of the water. An eagle dove and caught the fish. I
was amazed at how fast that happened. The fish did not stand a chance.
My sandwich was delicious. I have always
loved a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The water quenched my thirst. My
watch indicated it was almost noon.
My walk onto another trail revealed a vast
amount of pine trees. I love the smell of those trees.
The woods were thick and when I rounded a
corner, I met the scariest animal I ever imagined seeing. It was a bigfoot. We
were both startled at the meeting. I backed up and so did the creature. I
stared at him, and he appeared to be crying. A bigfoot crying. He covered his
face with his hands and sat on the ground. I did not know what to make of the
scene. My fear slowly left me as I stared at him. I almost wanted to hug the
being. My mind started churning about the story I could conjure regarding this
situation. I am always thinking of a new story line for future books.
I did something I never thought I would end
up doing. I sat next to the creature and asked why he was crying. I had a soft
spot for anyone who was sad and now I discovered my empathy extended to animals
as well. He stopped crying and looked at me for a while and took a stick and
drew something in the dirt. It looked like he drew something that looked like
him.
“Did you lose someone?” I asked.
He stood up and I followed him. We stopped
on top of this really big hill. He pointed down and I could see something white
like him laying at the bottom. I could tell from my vantage point that the
being was not moving.
I really did not know what to do but say I
was sorry.
He tilted his head back and made this loud
sound that made the hair on my body stand at attention. He made the sound
again. It sounded like a cross between a bear’s growl and the sound of a wolf
howling. Strange and eerie.
I remember when I met with some native women
in Canada. They told me when you hear a bigfoot howl, it is a good omen. I was
hoping they were right.
He stopped making the noise and tears were
streaming down his face again.
I read books about animals reacting to
painful situations like losses and they grieve like humans do. Am I witnessing it
first-hand?
Before I realized what was happening, my
arms encircled him for a reassuring hug. He hugged me back. He smelled musty
and of fresh dirt. My friends would never understand this transaction. Perhaps,
I will not tell them. It will be my secret.
He followed me to the river and we sat for
a while watching the water. Is this animal more human than I thought? He feels
the pain of loss. I do not fear him even though he is twice my size. I was
getting hungry. It’s been hours since I ate my sandwich. So, I made motions
like I was eating something and asked him if he was hungry. Am I going to take
a bigfoot back to my cabin and feed him? Will wonders never cease?
We started walking back to my cabin. It
took us almost an hour before we arrived. I motioned for him to sit on one of
the chairs on the deck. He sat down, looking as if he was at a child’s table.
I wonder what a bigfoot likes to eat. I
peered in my refrigerator and found some left-over hamburger patties I cooked
the other night and nuked one. An apple was cut up and I added some raw baby
carrots to the plate. The same plate of food was prepared for me to eat. I
decided not to add a bun to the meat.
Not sure if bigfoots eat bread. It almost looked like he smiled when he saw the
food. The food was eaten post haste, so I prepared more for him. Not sure how
much a bigfoot eats. He rubbed his belly.
We sat for a while. I thought perhaps he may
like to watch television. I motioned for him to come inside and he followed me.
I found a show about wild animals and decided it was a safe choice. He frowned
at the television and curled up on the sofa and fell fast asleep.
I had a conundrum on my hands. I did not
want to be attacked in my sleep by this stranger. Perhaps a locked door would
be my safe option. Retiring to bed with a furry interloper on my sofa was
perhaps the least of my worries. A storm was brewing. The windows rattled with
high winds. The lights flickered. I ended up climbing the stairs in the dark
and prepared for bed. I lit a candle on my nightstand. Thankful for the
flashlight I found on my dresser after the candle illuminated the room. Huddled
under my covers, sleep evaded me for quite a while. I could hear wolves howling
in the distance. At least I thought it was wolves. Perhaps coyotes or more
bigfoot creatures. Did I lock my front door? Can’t worry about that now.
When I woke the next morning, my light on
my nightstand was on. That meant the electricity was on again. No noises came
from the downstairs. I wonder if he is still sleeping. The clothes I wore the
day before were strewn on the floor. I donned those, brushed my teeth and
washed my face and decided to check on my enormous furry guest.
He was sitting on the sofa looking around.
Again, he looked like he smiled at me as I descended the stairs. I sat on the
easy chair and decided I needed to come up with a name for my furry interloper.
“Do you want a name?”
He frowned and stared back at me.
“How about Fred?”
“How about Sam?”
He appeared to smile at that name.
“Sam it is.”
“Sam would you like something to eat.” I
made the eating movements by moving my hand to my mouth and pretended to chew
something.
I prepared toast with peanut butter on it.
Not too many options until I visit the country store again. I served him a
glass of milk with his toast which he readily drank and held up his glass for
more.
The news station was on for a while. I
watched intently and then turned to the weather channel. Some of my normal rituals
I partake in each morning. It looked like it was going to be a nice day and no
storms in the near future.
Sam was led outside and I waved goodbye to
him. He didn’t know what I wanted. I walked towards a trail and walked for a
little while turned around and said goodbye to him and waved. He tried to mimic
my wave. I started walking back to my cabin. He looked confused. I kept walking
and did not turn around to look at him. I did not want to encourage him.
When I returned to my cabin, it appeared he
did not follow me.
I thought about my visit with my new furry
friend and thought he must be lonely since he lost his friend. Animals probably
get lonely and want companionship. Giving him food didn’t hurt. Thoughts of the
movie “The Ice Age” came to mind and all the animals that hung out together
like the Saber Tooth Tiger, Sloth and the Mastodon. They appeared to be very
unlikely companions.
It’s been days since I last saw Sam. I was
content with the progress I made on my book. The plot thickened when Lucy led the
detectives and Macey to the dead body of the missing woman at an old abandoned
warehouse. Decay progressed quickly in the heat. The detectives and Macey had
to hold their noses to prevent from getting sick. The killer had her dressed in
winter attire: a winter coat, snow pants, winter hat and mittens. Odd for a
July day.
The dialogue flowed nicely between the characters.
Lucy sat watching them talk. Macey had more leads than the detectives and
started solving the case. She had a reputation for solving mysteries in the
little village of Mottsville in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The police
department appreciated her help.
I was getting tired, so I decided to turn
in. I made sure all the windows and doors were locked before heading up to bed.
The next morning Sam was at my front door
with a dead rabbit in his hand. Fortunately, I helped my father clean rabbits,
duck and deer. My father was an avid hunter and brought home a lot of wild game
for our family. He thought the meat was better than what you could buy in a
store.
Sam was glad to come into the cabin and I
graciously accepted the rabbit. He appeared surprised when I placed the rabbit
on a cutting board and started cutting the rabbit. Pulling off the fur until I
got down to the meat of the rabbit. I cut the meat into little pieces and
placed the pieces of meat in a large frying pan along with oil. The meat was
sizzling in the pan while I cut up carrots, celery and potatoes and added the
vegetables to the meat. Afraid to add onion in case they could make Sam sick
like onions can concerning dogs. My plan involved making a stir fry and add
rice. I eat a lot of stir fries, so I usually have plenty of fresh vegetables
on hand.
Sam looked so content to be sitting on the
sofa watching television while I cooked. What is he going to do when I return
home? Should I be a little concerned about my new friend?
We sat down at the dining room table to eat
our strange breakfast of stir fry served on a bed of rice. Sam stared at the
plate of food and the spoon and fork. I picked up my tablespoon and showed him
how to hold it. He followed suit clumsily grasping the spoon. I showed him how
to scoop up the food. He made several attempts until he finally got some food
on the spoon and shakily brought the spoon to his mouth. I smiled to offer
encouragement. It did not take long for him to grasp the concept of eating with
a spoon. When he finished with most of the food on his plate, he licked the
plate. I took that as a compliment that he really liked the food.
It looked like it was going to be a nice
day for a hike in the woods before settling down to writing. I dressed warmly
in a flannel shirt, hoody and jeans. A little envious of Sam because he did not
have to bother with clothing.
We headed together into the woods to check
out the trails and stopped by the river to watch the ducks and loons paddle
around the water. Beautiful scene. Sam headed to the water and appeared to be
washing himself and cupped his hands to drink the fresh cool water. He did
smell a little like wet dog when he got out of the water. I smiled at the
thought of him resembling a dog to a small degree. My busy schedule did not
permit me to have a pet. On occasion I would visit the local animal shelter to
pet cats and walk dogs to get my fix.
We continued on our hike and came to a
clearing. I noticed something large and white off in the distance. I pointed
the creature out to Sam. Found out I didn’t need to. He noticed right away. His
nostrils flared as he smelled the air.
“Go Sam. He could be a friend.” It did not
take much prompting, he headed towards what looked like another bigfoot. The
creature ran towards him. The bigfoot looked like the one we saw at the bottom
of the hill. I wonder if he or she recovered from the fall. They appeared to be
hugging like long lost friends. I was elated to see the meeting or reunion. Sam
looked at me and I waved him on. They both turned and headed in the opposite
direction.
I
headed to the embankment where I saw the fallen bigfoot. I looked down the
large hill and did not see any trace of the creature. This story does have a
happy ending. I believe they are reunited. Feeling bad that perhaps we, meaning
Sam and I, needed to find a way to get down to the bottom of the hill to check
on the bigfoot.
My last few days at the cabin went by very
quickly as I ended up putting the finishing touches on my book. It definitely
needs extensive editing since I finished some of it in such a hurry. I like the
ending and how Macey is falling for one of the detectives. I am glad the Macey
and Lucy series has taken off like a storm.
I regretfully packed up my belongings and
headed back to Petoskey. Hopefully, I can rent the same cabin next year and run
into Sam again and perhaps his mate or friend.
