The Old Homestead

“You know … we could so easily just turn left at these lights and head home, right?”

   She said these words laced with the slightest edge of humor. Olivia stared down at her freshly acquired Starbucks coffee that was gently squeezed between her legs. “I mean we could be home in just over an hour and still have time for you to watch your game…”

  Her husband furrowed his brows as he gripped the steering wheel a little tighter.

   “Honey!” Nate said in that tone that drove Olivia nuts. “This will be fun, I promise!”

  He gave her a reassuring smile.

  “I know,” she replied. “It’s just so damn cold and once it gets dark it’s only going to get colder.”

  She snuck a hopeful glance at Nate.

  “Well, if it’s cold, then I’ll keep you warm” Nate said, a smirk appearing on his lips. “It will be a night you’ll never forget!"      

   Olivia shuddered. She had never been fond of camping, especially tent camping. Sleeping in a structure that was made of flimsy nylon and gave virtually no protection from anything lurking outside its thin walls... well that was not her idea of fun.

  She glanced over at her husband, telling herself to lighten up. It had been a long time since Nate had seen his cousin Tommy, and she had never met him. A weekend camping together with him was something Nate had always wanted to do.

   Nate was singing along to the radio, a big smile on his face. The smile that had always melted her heart since the day they met. She felt herself relax ever so slightly.

   “This here is God’s country. You won’t find nicer scenery anywhere”, Nate said. He smiled at Olivia as he reached over and gave her leg a gentle squeeze.

   Olivia returned his smile, then settled back in her seat and turned to look at the passing scenery. Nate was right – it was a beautiful area. She looked onto a valley that was cloaked in mist, a towering hill rising behind it like a sentinel. A single maple trees stood tall in the middle of a field, its leaves already turned by the changing of the season, threatening to release themselves to the air.

"Didn't you say that you've had family in this valley since 1896?" she asked.

"That's right. They came from Yorkshire - I think that's in Northern England," he replied.

   Nate turned the car onto a quieter road, and after a few minutes they drove onto an old wooden bridge that crossed a meandering river, its water level low after a summer’s worth of heat.

  Two kids were fishing from the edge of the bridge, and as their car passed, they stopped what they were doing and watched them go by. Olivia found this a bit odd. Nate chuckled, altering his voice to a southern drawl.

  “Well, I guess them there kids don’t see too many city folk round these parts.” Olivia laughed despite herself.

  “Stop it!” she said. “They were just a couple of regular kids, not hillbillies!” She playfully gave Nate a smack on his arm.

  “They weren’t even wearing overalls” she said. “They’re wearing…” She paused as she turned her head to look back onto the bridge they were just exiting.

  “Well, that’s strange!’ she said.

   “What is?” asked Nate.

   “They’re gone!” she replied.

   “Seriously? How is that possible?”

  Despite herself, Olivia felt a tiny ripple of electricity crawl up the back of her neck,. She shivered.

  “Pull over Nate,” she said. “Let’s take a look.”

  “Take a look at what” Nate complained. “Look we’re already running late. We’re supposed to meet Tommy at 7, and it’s already past that.

  “Please? Just give me two minutes,” she said. Nate reluctantly pulled the car off to the side of the road. He noticed that the light was starting to fall, and the road ahead was already starting to darken, encroached by huge Douglas Fir trees, their arms draped with heavy moss.

  Olivia jumped out as soon as their Subaru jolted to a stop, and she ran back onto the antiquated bridge.

"Watch out for bears! Nate teased. Or Bigfoot!" She ignored him and walked towards the bridge deck.

The boys were nowhere to be seen.

She stopped at the exact spot that they had seen them, then rested her hands on the guardrail and peered over the edge to the moving water below.

  Nothing.

  She slowly looked around her, hoping to catch a glimpse of the boys as they ran off. But there was nothing to be seen. How on earth could they have run off so quickly? It just didn’t make sense. She looked down at the bridge deck, and between her feet she noticed a strange object, It looked like an antler or horn from some kind of animal. Makes sense, she thought, as they had passed a lot of farms on the way to this spot. She slowly bent down and reached out to pick it up. What the heck was this thing? Just as her hand was about to grasp it, a loud sound erupted.. She jumped and screamed in fright. Nate had honked the car’s horn.

  “Come on Liv! We’ve got to go! They’re gone – kids run fast. Let’s get going.”

  Angry with herself for being so jumpy, and angry at Nate for being so impatient, she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Impulsively, she reached down and grabbed the object at her feet, depositing it into her jacket’s pocket. She turned and headed back to the car.

  “For Christ’s sake Nate! That was uncalled for!” she uttered, as she climbed back into their car.

  Nate was grinning. “Did I scare you? I did – didn’t I”, he said. 

  “No, you didn’t,” she replied. His schoolboy charm that he seemed to think was his superpower sometimes aggravated her. Like exactly like right now.

  “You don’t think it’s odd that they just…disappeared?”

  “Nope,” he answered, already pulling the car back onto the road. Olivia took a few deep breaths to try and slow her heart rate down. “Why did he have to do that?” she thought to herself.

  They carried on down the road the darkness of the approaching evening coming quicker than expected.

  “Wow it’s dark on this road!” Olivia exclaimed.

  “Well look at the size of these trees Liv! They’re so big they block out most of the natural light. You know these are all second growth trees, right? Bet they don’t mention those kinds of facts when you go to those protests do they?” he said.

  “Please don’t start Nate” she said, feeling her face flush a little with anger. Nate knew that she considered herself an environmental – she was quick to point out that fact on their very first date. He said he understood and accepted her views, but he made it clear that he came from a forestry family and logging and mill work had supported his family for generations.

  “Ok ok I’m sorry,” Nate said. “You know I agree with lots of what you say about this issue, but don’t forget Tommy is a redneck logger. His views aren’t quite as liberal as mine about stuff like this. That doesn’t mean he still isn’t a great guy. It’s just That he’s a little more black and white on the subject than I am.”

  Olivia bit her tongue. She was going to make a comment about banjos and porches but thought twice about it.

  “Maybe I should have brought a role of duct tape to cover my mouth,” she said.

  “Hell yes! That would have been a great idea!” Nate said.

  Olivia reached over and gave him a playful punch on the arm.

  “Shit!” Nate yelled out. He pulled to the side of the road. He covered his eyes with his hands.

  “Geez Nate I barely touched you!” Olivia uttered, confused by Nate's drastic actions.

  “No no it’s my eyes again,” he replied.

  “Nate you really should get that checked out. It’s not normal.”

“I know, I know,” he replied. “I just don’t get it. What is up with this stabbing pain? It’s so weird. Last time it happened I was at home in the bathroom, and after the pain started subsiding, I looked at myself in the mirror, and for a few seconds, I swear my eyes looked different.”

He stopped rubbing his eyes and shook his head. He turned his head and gave a wan smile to Olivia.

  “It’s stupid – never mind!”

  Olivia reached over and rubbed his back.

  “Just do me a favor and get your eyes checked, ok babe”? she said.

  “Yes dear” he said, rolling his eyes. “Now, let’s get there before everyone has gone to bed!”

  They continued on as night descended, the houses becoming fewer and farther between. They drove in silence, the darkness enveloping them like a cloak, leaving them alone with their own thoughts. Finally Olivia broke the silence.

  “You know I never asked you. Is it a campsite we’re going to? Or…?”

  “Actually no – it’s an old piece of property that our grandfather used to own. He was a cantankerous old bugger who everyone called Papa,” he replied.

  “Oh I see,” Olivia said. This fact didn’t help assure her. Here they were arriving in the darkness in the middle of nowhere, not to a nice bright campsite with a store fellow campers. Oh no – they were going to sleep in the middle of nowhere with a redneck cousin whom she had never met, on a piece of backwoods property that was passed down by a crazy grandfather.

  “Let me guess – the property looks out onto a swamp, right? she asked her husband. Expecting a quick response, she groaned when Nate just glanced over at her and gave her a dubious look.

  “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding!” she exclaimed!

Nate grinned.

  “Hope you packed your bug spray!” he said, chuckling to himself. Suddenly he sprang to attention, something ahead on the road catching his attention.

  “Hey, I think we’re here!” he called out. He slowed the car as they approached a sign that arched across a dirt road that veered off to the right. The sign said “The Old Homestead,” painted in a childlike scrawl. Above the sign was the largest set of antlers that Olivia had ever seen. She groaned inwardly and sank down deeper into her car seat.

    They drove for what seemed like an eternity to Olivia. Finally they spotted a light ahead, and they spotted an old Ford pickup truck parked in front of a raging bonfire. A man in a cowboy hat was tossing wooden pallets out of the back of the truck.

  “Tommy sure does like big fires!” Nate laughed. He bent over and gave Olivia a kiss on the cheek. “We’re going to have a great weekend, don’t worry!” he whispered. Olivia replied with a weak smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but Nate was already clambering out of the driver’s seat.

  “Well, if it isn’t my long-lost cousin, Tommy Tu-Tone!” Nate called out. The man in the hat jumped down and walked over to Nate.

  “No one has called me that since 1983! But I’ll let you get away with it!” He flashed an easy smile.

  The two cousins shook hands and quickly apprised each other.

  “Boy you’ve put on a few pounds my boy” Tommy joked, poking him gently in the stomach.

  “Look who’s talking you old cowboy How about sharing your treasure with me?” Nate said.

  Tommy laughed, reaching down into his cooler to grab a beer.

"Want one?" he asked.

"Do bears shit in the woods?" Nate replied.

"Well they sure do around here!" Tommy said.

Olivia cautiously walked up next to Nate.

  “Oh hey. This is my wife Olivia. I don't think you guys have met before."

   “Please to meet you Olivia! I’ve heard lots about you. Did you bring your hand drum along – you know the one you use at your protests?” 

Nate and Olivia stood in shocked silence. After a few awkward seconds Tommy broke into laughter.

  “Just teasing you! Hell, you are welcome to your opinions, even if I don’t agree with them! Doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.” He smiled at her then took a swig of his beer. Nate laughed.

  “Oh hell – you’ve got to meet my old lady!” Tommy said. “Hey Denise – come on out and meet our guests!”

  After a moment they hears the sound of a zipper on a tent quickly opening. A face appeared, wearing a big smile and even bigger hair.

  “Well, how y’all doing?”  she said. She exited the tent and walked towards the trio.

  “My name is Denise – so nice to meet y’all!" she said. Somewhere in Olivia’s mind, she registered the fact that this lady just said “y’all” twice in a matter of minutes. She reminded herself to be nice.

   After introductions were complete, they sat down next to the fire, feasting on chili and wieners that Tommy had cooked up. After dinner Tommy offered to help Nate set up camp. Nate excused himself and went off to set up their tent, leaving Olivia by the fire to get acquainted with Denise. Their conversation flowed easily, and Olivia found herself starting to relax and enjoy herself. She realized that these people were actually pretty cool. She chastised herself for ever thinking any differently about them.

  When Tommy and Nate returned, the four of them sat around the fire sharing stories and telling jokes. Nate tried to tell a ghost story, but it didn’t come off as remotely scary. Olivia laughed, and then something was triggered in her brain. An old legend that she had heard about when she was a kid. A legend about something that happened in this area.

  “Hey – I just remembered something from way back. It must have been lodged deep in my memory banks, and being here tonight has brought it to the surface,” she said. She had their attention now, and they all looked at her eagerly.

  “It was about a goat or something, or a crazy man who thought he was a goat. I can’t remember the specifics. Apparently, he used to roam the woods in this valley, and all of the local dogs would start to howl. Parents would run outside and pull their kids inside when they heard that howling. Wow I can’t believe how these details are coming back to me now! I even heard that one night a kid went missing, and after a few days they found him dead in a swamp. Something had removed his innards. I remember how much that detail freaked me out when I was a kid.”

  Olivia stared into the glowing coals of the fire. The details of the story were still rushing back to her, and she couldn’t stop herself from telling the whole story.

  “One night they found the body of an old man in the woods, and he didn’t look quite right. They said he had hooves where hands should have been, and horns coming out of his head. And when the police were lifting his body onto a stretcher, they felt like they were being watched from the woods. One cop even said he saw little kids watching, and then they ran away!”

  Olivia laughed to herself, surprised by how carried away she had become with the story. The fire had burned down as she spoken, and the night wind blew across her shoulders, causing her to shiver.

  “Sorry guys for going on and on. You must think I’m pretty silly”, she said.  She shivered again and put her hands into her coat pocket. She felt something hard against her right hand, and she pulled it out and held it before the light of the dwindling fire. She realized with certainty that she was holding a goat’s horn.

  She heard a voice come from her left side. “Not silly at all!” , it said.

  The voice didn’t sound quite right – it was high pitched and had a strange quality to it. She turned to look at Tommy and Denise. A scream rose in her throat as she watched them awkwardly struggle to their hind legs. They were quite changed, with horns growing from their heads and fur now covering their faces. They moved towards her, scraping their cloven hooves along the ground.

“We liked your story a lot!” Tommy croaked. “Reminds me of the good old days when Papa was still with us.”

  Olivia screamed. “Nate! Oh god Nate - help me!”

  She turned to face Nate. A silent scream developed deep inside of her, preparing to erupt from her throat. Nate was standing in front of her, rubbing his hooves together in anticipation. In a strange moment of clarity, she could see how the pupils of his eyes had transformed onto horizontal slits.

  “I told you it would be a night you’ll never forget, my darling!” he bleated, just before he leapt upon her.