The Cabin

by Winter_Solstice

Drawing Closer

It had been ten years ago. I remember being jolted out of bed by a scream, as I sat up and looked around. I was alone in the bedroom, and the realization made me go cold with fear. That was Chloe’s scream…

I quickly got up and began yelling for her. I ran downstairs, through the living room and into the kitchen. The back door stood wide open, and I ran out into the yard, calling her name. There, illuminated only by the moon, lay my wife. I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at her. She wasn’t moving. I slowly came forward as I felt myself go numb from my head to my chest. She can’t be dead…we were just sleeping…we’ve got so much more we need to do…she can’t be dead. I fell to my knees and placed a hand on her back.

"Honey?"

Nothing. I slowly turned her over and gasped when I saw the blood. I then fell backward and landed on my rump, staring at her.

The police told me later that’s how they found me. They picked me up and handcuffed me, then had to carry me to their car. I didn’t remember any of it, I had to be told hours later. I’m also told I was in a near-catatonic state of shock and was unable to answer any questions. I only came around when my children showed up. They’d both grown up and had moved out the year before, so it must have been hours for them to have traveled all that way. I still remember the looks on both their faces as they were shown into the interrogation room.

“Dad? What…what happened?” This question was from my son.

I told them both all I remembered, which wasn’t very much.

My daughter stared at me, then said, “Why didn’t you hear her get up? What were you doing?”

When I heard the undisguised accusation in her voice, I went cold again.

“Baby, I —”

“Don’t call me that! What were you doing?! Were you drunk?!”

“No! I haven’t had a drink in years, I was just asleep!”

“Liar! You should have protected her!” With that, she turned and fled the room.

I watched her go, then looked at my son. His eyes strayed down to the blood that was still on my shirt, and then back to my face. Finally, he took a deep breath, and then said, “Did you kill her?” His eyes never left my face.

“No.”

He was silent for a few moments, then said “Alright. But I can’t believe you couldn’t have done something to prevent this.”

I felt something twist inside me as I stared back at him. “I just lost my wife. She was your mother, but she was my wife.” My expression hardened. “If all you and your sister can do is blame me, then I don’t need either of you here. Just…go.” I then dropped my eyes and stared at my handcuffed hands. I could see they were still stained.

I didn’t look up as I heard him leave. It was years before we all ever spoke again.

The trial took months. The prosecutor did everything in his power to convict me, but in the end, I was found not guilty. In the eyes of the law. In the court of public opinion, I was then and remain guilty. So I packed up everything I had, changed my name, and moved away. But the police have never solved the murder. For a few years, I kept calling them, and getting the same answer: “we’re working on it.” But after awhile, I think they were more tired of hearing from me than I was from them, so I quit calling, but not before I pestered them into giving me everything they had on file.

I’ve memorized every detail of that file. I keep thinking there’s something I’ll find if I just stare at it long enough, but it’s been a few years since I took it down.

Even though my kids called me eventually and apologized, I can tell there’s still a part of them that blames me. Which is no surprise, as I blame myself as well. So we don’t talk that often. And that’s the hardest part: whoever that was didn’t just take my wife…I lost my entire family.

___________________________________________________

Blue was crying by the time I’d finished. Her English is still shaky, but she apparently understood enough to affect her emotions. I just let her cry while I stared at my wedding picture. After a few moments, she got up and went into the bathroom. I heard her grab some tissues and blow her nose, then she came back out and resumed her place. I looked up at her and sighed.

“I’m sorry I told you, Blue. I haven’t spoken about those times in years. You are the first I’ve told.” She nodded, but then her next question surprised me.

“So…‘Matthew’ not name?”

I sighed and looked at the picture again. “Yes, that’s my real name. But everyone else here knows me as Jonathon. Jonathon Edwards.”

She looked thoughtful, then said, “Why tell me real name?”

I stared at her, trying to arrange my thoughts and feelings. Finally, I said, “I’m not sure. I don’t know if it’s because I’m tired of hiding, or if I just somehow trusted you. I…I didn’t want to lie to you like I have to do every time I leave my home and talk to others. I’ve been doing this for years. I guess it was nice to finally talk to someone as the real me. Even if you are an alien.” At this last, I was able to smile, and I was relieved when she smiled back. She then got to her feet.

“Dinner ready soon,” she said as she walked back into the kitchen. I stayed where I was, but then I heard her stop.

“Matthew?”

I turned and looked at her.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For…truth.” She then went into the kitchen, and I heard her resume cooking.

___________________________________________________

Before I knew it, a week had gone by and in that week, I’d learned much about my strange guest. On her world, if I understood her correctly, equines are the dominant species. The following all sounded like a fairy tale to me, but she insisted it’s all true. They are ruled by two beings that have lived for over one thousand years, who have both pegasus and unicorn attributes. Blue is what’s known as an “Earth” pony, so she lacked both wings and a horn. I thought that term was strange, seeing's how that's the name of this planet, but over the course of the week, I learned our two worlds shared more than a few similarities. Even so, there were too many things that just seemed like fantasy, like pegasi and unicorns. What’s next, fairies and elves? But as much as I wanted to be skeptical, the evidence was sitting in my living room, eating my food, and sleeping in one of my bedrooms. And talking.

So finally I asked her how she got here, but she didn’t understand it herself. All she knew was she had been sleeping in her own bed one night when she’d been awakened by a storm. I should probably add at this point she says the weather is controlled by the pegasi, but this storm had been unusually strong.

She’d been in the process of making sure all her shutters were locked tight when she’d noticed the lighting had a purple tinge to it. She assured me that even as strange as her world appeared to me, this was something out of the ordinary, as the lighting was never purple! Then she’d heard someone crying in the distance and she had gone to her door to peer out into the storm.

She’d no idea who would be out in a storm like this, but they sounded like they needed help. She then rushed out of her home, and at this point I couldn’t help but comment about her bravery, and I asked if this was a common trait among her kind. When she pieced together my question, she turned bright red and shuffled her hooves, not saying a word. I then realized I’d made her uncomfortable, so I asked her to continue her tale.

She’d followed the sound out into a forest when she’d seen what appeared to be another pony engulfed in light. Even though she’s been scared, she’d called out to the pony. When that pony had turned to her, there had been a brilliant flash, and the next thing Blue knew she was in a field that was covered with snow. She’d wandered calling out for help until she’d seen a barn, and made her way into it. The rest I knew.

When she finished I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding and sat back. That was quite a story! But something was bothering me, so I asked her if she’d seen my house when she was wandering? She’d said she had, but it had been much larger than any house she’d ever seen, and the smells were all wrong. She’d found some of those same smells in the barn, and had been frightened by my truck, but she’d quickly realized it was inanimate, and therefore not a threat. The barn seemed safer than the house, so that’s why she’d sought refuge in it. That’s when I’d found her.

__________________________________________________

My strange guest had shaken my belief system to its core. Not only was she a living, breathing alien, she came from a world that sounded like pure fantasy. My safe, little world had just gotten much, much larger, as I considered the possibilities. Now I had to reconsider every fairy tale or mythical creature I had ever heard of, and I felt my composure slipping. I stared down at my two hands, then brought them together. They're real, they're solid. Then I looked at Blue. As much as it disturbed me to admit, she is the same. She quietly returned my gaze and she seemed to be completely at ease in contrast to my trepidation. I had to find out why.

"Blue, you don't seem to be scared of me anymore. Aren't you frightened by this world, or at least concerned that we're all aliens to you?"

She paused before answering. Finally, she took a deep breath, and said, "I was much scare when I first came. Now, I meet you, not scare anymore. You...nice."

My heart skipped a beat and I was at a loss for words. The knowledge another being felt safe with me...that's something I hadn't experienced for a very long time. My heart felt strange as if it was waking up after a decade's slumber. I then said the first words that came to mind.

"Thank you, Blue. I'll keep you safe, I promise."

That conversation had been two days ago, and I brought myself back to the present.

_______________________________________________________

Now it was time to deal with a somewhat urgent matter at hand. I was almost completely out of food, and I gazed forlornly at my kitchen. As I stared at my empty cupboards I realized it was time to go shopping. But, what to do with Blue? I certainly couldn’t take her with me, but would she be safe here all alone? Then I remembered how intelligent she is; perhaps she’d have a better idea.

I walked back out to the living room, where she was seated in her favorite spot, watching some awful talk show. I couldn’t stand them, but they seemed to fill her with endless fascination. Also, I suspected they were helping her with her English, as her vocabulary grew daily.

“Blue?”

She turned and looked at me. “Yes?”

I gestured back to the kitchen. “We need groceries, but I’m afraid to leave you here alone.”

“Why?”

I tried to weigh what I hoped was common sense against what the doctors had told me was paranoia. After a moment, I said, “ I…just don’t feel safe leaving you here.”

She hopped to her feet. “Then I come with you!”

I placed one hand behind my head as I looked at her. “That…might not work, either. Blue fur isn’t a common color for ponies on this planet. You’d attract all kinds of attention.”

Blue looked thoughtful. Then, she walked over to the comforter and threw it around herself. “I stay under blanket. No-one see!”

I thought about it. If we went late at night, just before closing, there’d be fewer people out shopping, thus less chance of anyone seeing her. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. Besides, it would give her a chance to see more of the town, as I figured she had to be getting somewhat tired of seeing these four walls for the past week. I nodded my approval.

“Alright. We’ll go after sunset.”

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[Dog424]

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