The Cabin

It had been twenty- four years since she'd last seen it, but the place looked the same. The large wooden cabin on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia was Rachel’s home away from home. She had spent most of her childhood there, growing up alongside her twin sister Aubrey; they were thick as thieves. Rachel hadn't been back to visit the family cabin in years, not since losing Aubrey to cancer when they were both eighteen years old. That had been a hard summer. Rachel saw the strenuous heartache that cancer put both of her parents through, and she wanted to help lighten the load. Now, twenty- four years later, Rachel has decided to come back to Smith Mountain Lake with her family in tow.  

“Kara, you have to help! Stop being lazy! Mom! Make her help carry the bags up the stairs.” Rachel took a deep breath and stared into the rearview mirror; the annoying sounds of her daughters, Kara and Maddie, buzzed around her head like a fly, relentless and attention-seeking. Rachel turned her attention to her husband, Doug. He pretended not to listen to the two teenagers arguing in the backseat, which only made Rachel more irritable. A few days before Aubrey passed away, Rachel had promised her that they would celebrate their fortieth birthday on the lake with wine and pizza, even though they both knew Aubrey wouldn’t be making it past eighteen. Twenty- Four years later, she came back to celebrate turning forty, without her sister.

Tears pricked Rachel’s eyes as she took in the well-kept cabin. The enormous structure was hand-built by Rachel’s grandpa back in the late 1960s. Over the years, her father made repairs, updated both inside and outside facilities for a more modern feel, but the last remodel was made back in 1995. Now that her parents were 63 and 65, respectfully, neither one of them felt as if they could continue to take care of the cabin. So they hired someone to keep up outside maintenance year-round. Rachel felt as if she just came home, and a twinge of love and pain squeezed her heart, which caused more tears. The front was all glass, covered by long privacy blinds that hung a little above the floor. The wrap around porch was beautiful, all handcrafted. Durable wooden poles served as a steady structure for the wooden balcony on the second floor, where a hot tub and four large lounge chairs sat. Three triangles shaped windows decorated the west-facing house; emerald green shutters sat on either side of the casement. More polished glass sat above the three small windows, all shaped into one large triangle.

“Why does dad have a map? You know there are such things as a GPS, right?” Maddie asked from the backseat; her face pressed to her phone screen as her fingers flew across the keyboard. The ambient sounds of the calm waves on the lake behind them didn’t seem to do much for relaxation as the two twin girls fought with no reprieve while staring at their phones. Rachel shook her head as she attempted to drown out the drama, opening the door and standing position to stretch her legs. The five-hour drive from Philadelphia to Virginia was trying, and she needed to get some air. Rachel left the twins and her husband, who had proven to be of no assistance in the Jeep, as she took it upon herself to take in the glassy blue top of the lake, now that the waves had stilled.  

Goosebumps pebbled her olive skin as memories of Aubrey’s laugh rang through the air. Rachel still remembered the good times that they shared and mourned them often. She couldn’t understand how Maddie and Kara were so opposite from one another and never seemed to get along. Sixteen years ago, when Rachel and Doug learned they had twin girls, she was delighted and hoped they would be just as close as she and Aubrey were growing up. However, that wasn’t the case, and both girls were always at each other's throats. On cue, the back door to the Jeep popped open, and Kara was barking orders at Maddie about ‘doing her share’ since most of the bags were hers in the first place. Rachel closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air, and wrapped her arms around herself for comfort. 

Aubrey, if you can hear me, I need you, sissy. Doug and I are in a bad way right now. He just got laid off from his job, and he’s depressed. He’s not helping me take care of girls anymore, and all they seem to be doing is fighting, not that they get along all the time anyway. I mean, you and I didn’t see eye to eye all of the time, but you were my best friend. I miss you so much, Aubs. Rachel took a deep breath and wiped her blue eyes with the heel of her palm, and hoped that this week at the family cabin would be something to remember. The long wooden staircase leading up to the house was covered in beach sand, the color of graham crackers. Long blades of green beach grass peeked out from underneath the old steps as she slowly made her way up. Rachel wanted to take in the air, the sound of the seagulls flying overhead, and the nostalgia of yesteryear. 

Once she got to the top of the stairs and the cabin came into better view, close up, Rachel’s heart began to beat with excited energy, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her full lips. The picturesque green landscape was kept well during the spring and summer months, and the massive oak tree in the front yard had managed to survive the cold Virginia winters for the past 24 years. Rachel’s childhood home was only fifteen minutes away from the Cabin. There were many Christmas vacations spent here making snow angels in the yard, and arguments ensued between the twins as small children over who had built the better snowman. Sadly, Rachel smiled as she sat on the old tire swing that hung from the thick tree branch that extended far out into the air above her, almost kissing the sky. 

The sounds of the lake water lapped at the shore intermingled with the musical laughter of a young Rachel and Aubrey as memories raced through her mind. Rachel squeezed the course rope swing tighter between her fingers as she tried to forget the images of the one spot in the yard that she knew would bring her to tears; that would get Rachel back to the dark place she never wanted to be again. The two girls sat in the sunshine, a brown wicker picnic basket full of goodies nestled between them but hadn’t been touched, including a small birthday cake with one pink candle in the middle. “We’re 18 today, Aubs. Can you believe it?” Rachel asked as she shields her eyes from the sun by cupping her fingers around her forehead and smiled sadly. Aubrey sighed and titled her face up towards the sky. The dark rims around Aubrey’s eyes were apparent, and her once vibrant blue eyes were now dull and a little lackluster, but she still did her best to keep up. Aubrey’s slight frame looked tiny underneath the pink sundress Aubrey wore, exposing her boney shoulders and pale skin. Rachel tried not to look at her sister’s head because a piece of her heart went missing every time she did. Aubrey ran a hand over her balding head, as only a few traces of hair remained. “I want you to shave the rest for me, Rae. The chemo took most of it, but it won’t get the last few strands. Not on my watch.” She chuckled and reached into the basket to grab an eclectic razor and handed it to Rachel. “Not today, okay. I can’t do this.” “Do it for me, Rae. Please? It’s just hair.” 

“Rachel,” came a voice from behind, which took Rachel out of her hurt filled memory. She jolted slightly and jerked her head to the right to see Doug’s tall, heavy frame from her peripheral vision. Tears had already begun to spring from her eyes, though Rachel tried her best to hide them. Her husband’s hazel eyes narrowed in concern as he stood over his wife’s small stature and took her into his arms. Rachel let her head fall against Doug’s hard chest and sniffled. He wrapped her up in a tight hug, which was something she missed dearly. Their relationship hadn't been the best those past few months since being laid from his factory job of over fifteen years. Doug was always Rachel’s rock and vice versa, and those tough few months truly tested their eighteen-year marriage. 

“I know you miss her, Rae,” Doug whispered into her ear as he rubbed his large hand on her lower back in small semi-circles. Rachel choked back a sob; the unexpected hug, Doug’s display of emotion, and his sweet, calming words were almost enough to push Rachel over the emotional edge. The breeze picked up and blew through the leaves above, gently shaking the branches. Doug was Rachel’s safe place that she missed; she grieved in silence of not having a husband there to help love her through the rough times after losing his job and shouldered the responsibilities of raising a pair of sixteen-year-old twins on her own. However, from the way Doug had held her and rubbed his coarse facial hair against Rachel’s smooth cheek, she knew he was finally coming around. 

They walked hand in hand back up to the large porch and walked inside to see the bags were unpacked and put away. Rachel’s eyes widened in both shock and awe. She was impressed that Maddie and Kara could stop fighting for two seconds and put their things away, including their parent’s bags as well. A handwritten letter from Maddie was left taped to the screen door, which caught Rachel’s attention. Dear parental unit. We went down to the lake for the rest of the day. Bags are unpacked, including yours, and yes, we’ve already put on sunscreen, so you don’t have to worry, mom. Back later. Love, M, and K.  Rachel looked over her tan shoulder and smiled lovingly in the direction of her handsome husband as she took the letter from the door and began to fold it. She smiled to herself as she felt Doug’s strong arms wrap around her waist from behind and his lips graze her cheek. 

"Did you grab the cake? I'll have to call the pizza place soon, and don't let the twins talk you into giving them wine." Rachel said, and leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Yes, I put it in the fridge already. The pizza place will be called and they can have sparkling, I bought some up. Remember getting caught making out in your room by your mom?” Doug asked and nodded his head to the second floor. Rachel let out a loud laugh that rang throughout the entire house. Rachel and Doug were high school sweethearts and had been together since they were sixteen years. He has been with her through thick and thin and had adored Aubrey. He remembered her before cancer when he had first met Rachel at the skating rink in town. 

“Remember when we first met? And you thought I was Aubrey for the longest time. You kept mixing us up.” 

“Well, you two were identical,” Doug said as a matter of factly and gave her a playful squeeze around the middle. Rachel made a sound of acknowledgment in her throat and nodded. 

“You were a damn good sister to her, Rae. Aubrey was a lucky girl.” More tears threatened to prick her eyes as Doug’s words pierced her heart. He leaned in and kissed her cheek as Rachel turned around to wrap her arms around his neck. 

“I love you,” she whispered and placed a loving kiss on the tip of his nose. Suddenly, a scream pierced the calm silence around them, and Rachel jerked back to look out of the large bay window. Over fifty yards away, she saw Kara’s body laid out lifeless, sprawled out on the wooden dock that led out to the water. Rachel’s heart flew into her throat as she attempted to scream, but nothing came out. Panic gripped her like a vice as Doug tried to calm her before he quickly left to survey the scene. With instructions to call 911, Rachel flew into action. She dialed the EMS and stampeded past her husband and down to the lake. As Maddie came into view, she realized she was soaking wet as she leaned over her twin’s chest and administered CPR. 

“I tried to scream for help after I got her out,” Maddie sobbed as she pressed on her sister’s chest. Her fingers clasped together as she squeezed and pushed, performing several chest compressions in an attempt to get Kara’s body the life-saving oxygen it needed while the ambulance came. Rachel sobbed as she tried to talk to emergency services to alert them of their location. Doug came barreling up from behind and took the phone from Rachel and gently pushed his daughter out of the way so that he could take over. Finally, with one last compression, Kara’s eyes popped open, and water came spilling from her light blue lips. She choked as Doug rolled her to her side so she could expel the rest of the water. Maddie and Rachel hugged, both crying; relief ran through each of their bodies like a river. Later that night, after several hours in the ER, an exhausted Rachel and Doug were allowed to take their daughter home. The backseat was quiet as Rachel peeked over her shoulder to see the twins cuddled sweetly together, their eyes squeezed shut as they held each other in the quiet.

Once back to the cabin, Doug took Kara back up to her room for the night. She gave her mom a long hug and did the same to her sister before kissing her cheek. Rachel’s heart warmed at seeing such a display of sweet affection. She never knew the girls to be close, but they could stand to be around each other once in a while, but this was different. This time was about life or death, and Maddie sprung into action to save her sister’s life. After Doug brought Kara inside and shut the door, Rachel took Maddie and sat with her on the porch swing. Maddie leaned her head on her mom’s shoulder and sighed deeply. 

“Kara finally agreed to learn how to swim this year, and I would be the one to teach her, even though she didn’t trust me. However, I can’t blame her. I can be mean to her,” Maddie finally admitted, and she looked ashamed. Rachel gathered Maddie's thick dark hair into her hands and watched as the smooth strands fell through her fingers. 

“Kara told me she wanted to give it a try on her own, and if she needed help, she’d ask for it. She didn’t want me to help her, so I put my hands up and let her do what she wanted. I didn’t want to argue for once.” Maddie went quiet, and tears fell down her cheeks like rain. 

“I checked my phone when I heard a text message, and I turned my back for one second, and just like that, she was gone. I heard the splash but didn’t think she was going to jump. She sank like a stone, and I freaked out! I jumped in after Kara as quickly as I could and brought her back to shore.” Rachel held her daughter close to her side and kissed the crown of her head as Maddie sobbed softly into her chest. 

“You and Aunt Aubrey were close. How did you take losing her? Kara and I hate each other most of the time, but knowing I almost lost her, and it would have been my fault.”

“It wouldn’t have been your fault, Madalyn, don’t say that. Kara is fine. She’s home, and it's all thanks to you.” Rachel’s heart ached at her daughter’s words, and she wished she could take her pain away. Maddie’s sobs softened into slow breaths as she began to relax. 

“Then you have to stop blaming yourself too, mom. Aunt Aubrey’s death wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have controlled her illness. She was sick.” Rachel raised a brow and ran a hand over Maddie’s cheek. She was finally growing up, and it hurt Rachel to see that she wasn’t a little girl anymore, but she was happy to know she raised such a wonderful human being. 

"And I'm sorry that we didn't get to celebrate you and Aunt Aubrey's birthday."

"Don't worry about that, Maddie. I'm just so happy you two are okay," Rachel said as she pulled her into a tight hug. I know you were there today, Aubrey. Thank you for saving my girls. And that was all that mattered.