The Feeling of Home

It was the muffled rumbles and scattered bumps from the gravel beneath the car’s tires that pulled Darcy from her slumber. Peering through heavy eyelids, she looked out her passenger side window only to be greeted by the familiar blur of Oak and Maple trees that lined the road. Despite the outside world being cloaked in darkness, Darcy immediately recognized where they were - after all, they had driven this route countless times ever since they were old enough to hold a map. It was practically embedded in her memory by now.

In 900 feet, turn right. Your destination is on the left. 8863 Glander Drive. The GPS confirmed Darcy’s thought - their cottage is only a couple minutes away.

“Look who’s finally up,” Ashley called from the driver’s seat, shifting Darcy’s focus away from the forest, “you missed all the boring parts, too.” The drive is over four hours long to get to their small cottage in Northern Michigan - far too long for Darcy’s attention span. Not to mention how anxious she gets when driving ever since she and her father were in the car accident that ultimately took his life. That was last Spring though; it’s been over a year since the incident, yet this is the first time going Up North without him. Nothing has felt the same since then though; there was a hole in their hearts and in their family, and their home has turned into an empty shell of a house.

“Do me a favor and wake up Jerry, please? We’re basically there, so he’s gotta help unpack.” Ashley chimed up once again in a hushed voice. 

Darcy glanced back at their younger brother laying down in the backseat before reaching her arm back and gently tugging on his sleeve. “Jerry. Jerry, you have to wake up.” She was met with incoherent mumbles as Jerry buried his face deeper into his balled up hoodie as a make-shift pillow. “Jerry, get up,” Darcy continued to pull on his sleeve to no avail, resulting in her shining her phone flashlight in his face.

Groggily, Jerry sat up and groaned as he stretched as much as he could in the cramped backseat of the pick-up truck. “P-put that thing away, I’m up. Are we there?” He managed to get out in between yawns.

Right on cue, the small, worn-down wooden sign that stood at the front of their cabin was illuminated by the truck’s headlights as they pulled into the driveway. Rough, jagged letters were etched deep into the wood spelling two simple, yet important, words: The Keller’s. The sign was as old as the cottage was, dating back to when their great grandfather built the place. This wasn’t just any cabin, it was their family cabin, and the three siblings planned to keep it that way, even if their father was no longer with them. 

There was the soft burble of the waves against the lake shore and the shine of stars painted across the black canvas sky that welcomed the trio to their cottage. These surroundings, usually, comforted Darcy - when she was here, there was no pain, no worries, no stress, just her, the people she loved, and nature. Now, it could have just been a chill summer night breeze, but as Darcy got out of the truck, a shiver shot down her spine and she was struck with a sense of unease. She found herself staring into the mass of trees beyond the cabin, and for a single moment, she felt as if something was staring back. 

“C’mon, just bring your bags inside, we can unpack everything in the morning,” Ashley’s sudden voice brought Darcy back into reality as the three of them emptied the truck and entered the rustic little cottage to settle in for the night. 

Morning came, and to Darcy’s disappointment, along with it came the eerie feeling from the night before. In the daylight, everything appeared as it should be - the sunshine glistened off the lake, the tree branches danced as their vibrant leaves rustled in the soft winds, and the whole forest appeared to be serene. Nonetheless, Darcy could not shake the idea that something just felt off. Something wasn’t right. Still, she pushed aside the feeling and started her day.

Jerry and Ashley were still in a deep sleep by the time Darcy had already gotten up and gotten ready for the day. With a freshly brewed black coffee in hand, Darcy sat out on the porch and watched as the sun climbed over the distant hills and kissed the sky. As it began to rise higher and higher, so did Darcy’s spirit. Soon she found herself lost in her own thoughts... everywhere she looked reminded her of her dad. 

The small fishing boat that the kids and their dad painted together bobbed on the water in rhythm with the waves...

The saplings they had planted all those years ago had grown into the towering trees that provided much needed shade on the long, blistering summer days...

The old porch swing he had hand-built still swayed steadily in the wind…

The lawn that held the dozens of family corn-hole games, many of which their dad purposely let one of them win...

Suddenly, something grasped her shoulder and interrupted her train of thought “Hey!” Darcy whipped around at the sudden pull. It was Jerry, standing in the doorway just behind her.

“Woah, it’s just me, no need to shout. Are you deaf? I called your name, like, seven times.” he let out a light chuckle and sat down next to her. 

“Sorry,” Darcy flashed him a small smile and exhaled a sigh of relief, “to be fair, you nearly gave me a heart attack.” She missed this. Jerry was always full of light, and always had a joke up his sleeve. That light had dimmed after their father’s passing, but little by little, it had started to break the surface again. 

“C’mon, Ash is making blueberry pancakes. I know they’re your favorite - just like dad made them.” He gave her one last reassuring smile before walking back in. Darcy took a deep breath, and glanced over her shoulder looking into the kitchen window. There were Ashley and Jerry, sitting at the table, passing plates and sharing laughter. Smiling, and stuffing their faces with a delicious home cooked meal.

Taking another look across the lake, and deep into the woods, a wave of calm washed over her. Darcy realized that there actually was not something staring back at her, but rather someone watching over her. She was home.