Solitude

After going through a lengthy, painful divorce, Sam had decided he needed a break. A break that would allow him to be away from anyone. He had taken a sabbatical from work, packed his case with a few clothes and essentials and drove to this remote cabin. Far away from society and from the problems of the real world. He had even left his mobile and his laptop. He wanted nothing from the outside. No news, no messages, no phone calls. He didn’t want to be tempted to scroll through social media and see how happy his friends still were, in spite of his own misery.

He had found the cabin in an advertisement online. Apparently, the owner did not use it at all over the winter period and it was going for an exceptionally low price as he was keen to start renting it out before the spring. It was perfect for Sam. Sam was a reserved character who had not the chance in the past few years to enjoy the solitude that he really wanted out of life. His career, while successful in financial terms, made him miserable in every other regards. He had two children who were in their late teens now. He loved them, as a father does love his children, but he struggled to like them. They were nothing like him at all and, sometimes, he found them a pain to talk to. Not that they wanted to talk to him anyway unless they wanted money. His relationship with his wife had been deteriorating for years too. The divorce had been on the cards for quite a while but, they had both decided to wait until the children were older. His wife had become increasingly bitter and aggressive over the past six months. Making what was already an uncomfortable environment for Sam even worse. So, here he was. In the middle of nowhere. In a remote, comfortable, quiet cabin. Not a person in sight. Just trees, grass blanketed in fresh snow, and the chill winter breeze. It was pure bliss.

Sam had unpacked his belongings, made himself some hot coffee and rested by the fireplace and immersed himself in a book. There was only a small amount of lighting in the cabin, but it was just bright enough to read the words on the pages. The fire had warmed the small cabin quickly. The wind had started to howl outside. Beating against the windowpanes and reverberating around the wooden cabin. The previously gentle snowfall had become more violent and chaotic. This did not phase Sam that much though as indoors, the cabin still felt safe and warm.

As it got later into the evening. Sam had poured himself a glass of wine and was relaxing into his chair. His eyes began to close, and he was nearing a peaceful sleep until a distant noise dragged him from his potential slumber. It was not clear what the noise was, but it sounded like a woman shouting something from a far away distance. He stood up and tried to listen carefully. Surely, they couldn’t be anyone outside in this? He waited and heard nothing. He almost gave up until it sounded again. Louder and more coherent this time.

“Help!” Someone was outside and they were in trouble. He ran to the door, throwing it open. His skin was assaulted by the freezing cold weather. The snow bit rapidly into his skin, like cold bullets, pelleting every inch of his body and obscuring his vision. The wind was deafening. Was this what he was mistaking for the cry of help? But he heard it again. The lady shouting. He tried to look into the distance. It was near impossible to see clearly. The nearby trees were almost fully concealed by the blizzard. He tried desperately to follow the sound of the voice. He walked out as quickly as he could, but this proved to be a laborious task. As he started venturing further out, nature seemed to work harder against him, like it wanted him to go back. The snow bit harder into his flesh. The wind roared louder, almost stopping him in his tracks. Faintly, in the distance, he could see a shadow resembling a person. It was moving, swaying in the wind. It kept calling out. It sounded less hysterical than before.  He tried to push on towards the person until a heavy gust of wind collided into him, taking him unawares and knocking him of his feet. He hit his head on something solid and passed out.

He was unconscious only for a few minutes but when he woke his body was in agonising pain from the cold and from the throbbing on his head. He looked around for the woman. He could no longer see anyone in the distance. The voice had disappeared too. They must have gone. He stayed around for a short while longer, to ensure she was not still nearby. He would not dare go any further out, so he headed back to the safety of the cabin.

The next morning was calm. The air was crisp, transcendent. It was cold but the sun was out in full form. Engulfing the cabin in natural light. Sam decided to walk around the area, to make sure the woman was not in the area still and in trouble. He walked for a long time. Worried in case he should find her. If anything had happened, he would feel an enormous amount of guilt if anything had happened to her after he had failed to reach her the previous night. He didn’t find anything though. The forest was as deserted as it was the previous day. Hopefully, she got away or found someone else. He spent the rest of the day fishing in a nearby lake and taking in the scenery of the forest. Pushing the thought of the strange woman out of his mind.

Sam spent the next evening in the same way as the first. Reading a book by fire with a glass of dark, velvety wine. He read and drank until he began to feel drowsy again. Then, the voice sounded again. This time, it made him feel a deep sense of unease. When he first heard the voice, he felt concern and slight surprise. But this time it made the hairs on his arm stand on end. His heart started beat faster and he began to perspire. He could have sworn he heard his name this time. Not possible. No one knew he was here. Was he really imagining all of this? He decided to ignore the voice. But it got louder and more persistent. She sounded in pain, desperate. He ran out of his cabin again and was face with the same horrendous storm as yesterday evening. He decided to shout into the wind. “Where are you?” His voice came out in a feeble whimper, completely taken away by the wind. He could not imagine how much strain the woman must be in to get her shouts all the way to his cabin. He didn’t venture as far out this time. He could not see her like he saw her yesterday. The voice did not stop all evening. He regretted not bringing his phone. He stayed outside all evening and the voice kept on until the sun began to rise. Then it was gone.

Sam fell asleep in the early morning and woke up late afternoon. It was already starting to get dark. He prayed he wouldn’t hear the woman tonight, but, almost as soon as it had got completely dark, there it was. He dug into his suitcase and opened a bottle of whiskey he had brought to sip on some quiet evenings during his vacation. He took large swigs and felt the hot liquid course through his body. He sat for as long he could, drinking whiskey and trying to block out the screams. Even more violent and desperate than the previous evenings. Eventually, he cracked and ran out into the wind.

This was the most ferocious the storm had been. A sign for him to go back indoors. But he persisted. He would find this voice. He had a fierce determination now, backed up by whiskey and lack of sleep. He pushed on. The wind got harder, pleading with him to stop. But he wouldn’t. He ploughed on and on through the snow. He could see the shape of the woman this time. She was getting closer. He could almost make out some of her features. She was moving. Swaying in the wind. She had pale skin. She was wearing a sleeveless dress and seemed to be barefoot.

“Sam, Sam, Sam”. She did not sound scared now. She carried on swaying. Spinning round and round. The snow seemed to fall softly around her. Despite it falling heavily everywhere else. Sam carried on walking towards her. She did not look his way. Had she noticed him yet? He tried to call out, but his throat had blocked up. No noise would come out. Eventually, she turned her face towards him, and gazed directly into his eyes.

It was spring. The owner of the cabin had returned and had found Sam’s possessions and his car still there. But no sign of Sam. The area had been searched extensively but there was no sign of him anywhere. His wife had collected his belongings and pleaded with anyone who might know where he was.

The owner of the cabin had brought some his stuff into he cabin after Sam’s possessions had been removed. Deciding to spend a few weeks here to relax. He spent the first day walking around the area and by nightfall, sat by the fire with a beer. When he began to get tired, he was going to get ready for bed. And then, in the distance, he thought he heard a voice. A male voice. Or was it the wind?