The InciDENT

Williams was not close to his grandparents. When they died, his father inherited the house and a piece of land in the middle of nowhere. They used to go there for picnics and to admire the sunsets. That is, of course, until his grandmother could not walk a lot anymore and his grandfather would carry her on his back. Williams was around 17 when this all was happening and he went along with them once or twice, but he was never interested in spending much time with his family. All he wanted to do was move to a big city, party all night and get lost on random streets where he would meet people and make a lot of friends.

           He did eventually move to a big city, but it took him a lot of time to find work and he only could land a dishwasher position at a Chinese restaurant. What was good about this place was that he could take home whatever there was left, as long as the other, more important workers, did not want the leftovers. Once in a while, he could even take some pecking duck and eat it at home, as no one really liked the thought of eating a bird that probably has flown around before becoming a fancy dish. He tried going to college at first, living on campus, but people did not really like him and his dreams came crashing down with every friendship proposal that was turned into ghosting. He got invited to a party once by a sweet little classmate of his. Little did he know the party was a Dungeons and Dragons mission and the players needed one more person to make it work. After so much disappointment, he decided to drop out and rent an apartment. That’s when he started depending on his parent’s money and very soon after they asked him to get a job.

            He lived in the city until his 30s, when his grandparents passed away just like in the movies. One day his grandmother went away, and a few days later his grandfather was no more. His parents decided to sell the old house and make an investment in their business. When the day of the will reading came, Williams was standing in the room, perfectly arranged, perfectly bored and with empty eyes. He just wanted to be done with this so he could go back home and stare at the ceiling. The lawyer came and read out loud what we already know, but he added something: a cabin in the woods that grandpa left for Williams. The will was saying that the cabin was grandpa’s life-long project and that he had been building this for the past 20 years. He wanted to go there with grandma when they would no longer be able to endure life in the city, but as grandma got ill, they had to stay close to the doctors. Williams was meant to go there and continue the legacy of being a nature man. He hated that. Even after more than a decade of living, no, surviving in the city, he still had some hope that he will get those friends and a circle of close people in his life he could share his most intimate thoughts with. He accepted the inheritance, not that he had a choice, and went home. That night he couldn’t sleep. He kept tossing and turning around, wishing he could just sell the property and maybe buy himself something small in the city. But he couldn’t do that, could he? It was his grandfather’s legacy after all. At around 3 in the morning, he decided to go for a walk. ‘Maybe fresh air will help,’ he told himself. He put his shoes on, got his coat and covered his head with a beanie, as the air was fresh, but it was cold outside. In that fateful night, the incident happened.

           A week later, Williams packed his belongings in three stuffed suitcases he had borrowed from his parents, bought himself a pair of trekking boots and took a ride towards the closest town to the property. He was not prepared for such a long ride and he arrived there hungry. Entering the first café he saw, with all the luggage dragged after him, the door slammed into the closest wall and the few people enjoying their evening saw this lofty and lean person, with a red and sweaty face stepping inside. He pushed the biggest bag next to the first table he saw and threw himself on the chair, leaving his belongings around the doorway. His head fell on his hands as he was gasping for air when a light hand touched his shoulder.

           “Excuse me, sir,” the voice said silvery. “Could you please move your bags closer to your table?”

           When Williams turned he saw a young woman, maybe not even in her 20s, looking at him with big eyes.

           “Yes! Sure! Sorry!” He mumbled still out of breath, while he reached out for the luggage and stuffed it next to his chair. “I’m so sorry, I’m tired and hungry.”

           “Would you like a sandwich?” the girl asked. “We also have some soup today on the menu. I could make you some hot tea while they cook.”

           “I would love two soups, a big cheese and ham sandwich and one cold lemonade, please,” Williams responded. His mind was racing around the fact that he will never be able to eat two soups, but his hunger ordered and now he cannot take it back. It would be too embarrassing!

           “How about I bring you the sandwich, the first soup and the lemonade for now?” the girl added smirking. “Our soups come in really big bowls, not like they make them in the big city.”

“Of course, you know best,” he said happily, as he did not want to eat two soups to begin with.

           The lunch went very smoothly, as he washed his hands and face while waiting for the food and also ordered a coffee that was surprisingly good. When he came back from the bathroom he noticed some people were staring at his face. He looked at his reflection in the café’s window that was half-covered by light pink curtains and understood why. He bowed his head, sat down at the table and stared at his hands that he squished together until the fingers were white. When the food finally came, he started enjoying the smell of the really big bowl of soup that was exactly as the waitress said it would be. He dipped his sandwich in the soup and bit that piece right off, the sensation warming up his body. He took a gulp of lemonade and the bitter taste washed the vegetables in between his teeth right out. After such a big meal, he sipped his coffee while looking out the window. This café was placed a block away from the bus station and he was staring out at the entrance of a building with a big brown door that had golden numbers on it, 17. Next to this door there sat a barbershop that seemed abandoned, even if at least two men had left it in the past hour or so. It was finally time to leave so Williams asked for the check. He tipped the young lady enough to make a nice surprise, but not to come off as creepy. He put his jacket back on, got his bags and left with a small bell clinking behind him.

           The journey to the cabin was difficult, as he couldn’t manage to find a cab and he had to drag the three large suitcases on a forest path filled with rocks and roots. He followed a map in the last 30 minutes of walking, as there was no signal in the area but, at last, he reached the front yard of the cabin. It was late autumn and the clock almost reached 7PM when he got there. In the semi-dark, the only thing he didn’t consider was not having electricity. The cabin was not small, like a hidden hut in the woods, it was more of a luxurious retreat he thought celebrities would spend their winter vacations at. The left side of the first and only floor had two large windows, and the right side only had one. This is the first aspect Williams noticed and hated about the place, but there was nowhere to go after the incident. No one would love him, not in this state and he couldn’t make friends looking like that. The way the people in the café looked at him proved this. The cabin was made of wood and placed in between some tall, large redwood trees. When he further approached the cabin, he stepped on the porch and put one of the suitcases down. He slowly took out his keys and placed them in the lock, as if he expected someone to already be there, waiting him.

           And they were.