Journal From The Cozy Cold Cabin

Entry# 1

The cold-hearted wails of mother nature flew past outside my window and into the freezing night. I knew she cared none for the survival of one measly human, therefore I took in an odd sense of comfort from knowing these thin cabin walls were all that stopped her violent clashes; The best way to relax were situations like these where one little thing going wrong could mean life or death.

Regardless, here I am. I’m all alone in the middle of nowhere with winter right up to my neck and threatening to bash my door down. This little cabin had probably seen better days, but it’s still going strong. It would take many more storms before it finally gave up. I sat up from my chair and stretched my arms far above my head until I heard two loud pops. I might have wanted to be “relaxing” or be on vacation, but  no, I came here to work.

The oil lantern dangled from the ceiling and illuminated the small square table in front of me. On that table was a lonely journal hoping to become friends with some words. I gripped my pen while a bead of sweat accumulated on my forehead and slid down my brow. I tried my hardest but no words formed on the blank paper; my right hand remained rigid while my mind danced elsewhere. I shook my head like a wet dog and slapped my cheek. One more time! I said to myself.

I focused my breathing and listened to the howling wind. It almost sounded like someone was whispering in between the gusts. Anyone else would have been frightened to their core and maybe I was a bit too, but nothing could stop my passion for research! My pen touched the paper and finally stained that canvas with a permanent mark!

Entry# 2

A few hours had passed with the night not getting any brighter. In fact, my journey was getting darker...with pen ink. There was one main reason why I came here to begin with and that reason was bunnies! Or rather, the Snowshoe hare. They themselves might not seem too interesting when they only had two ears; A three-eared rabbit however, would send any researcher into a frenzy. My colleagues called me crazy, but I knew what I saw and I wasn’t willing to let it go undocumented!

This particular type of hare looked almost like any other of its kind; it had long back feet and short ears with black around the edges. The only thing that was different was an additional ear on the top of their heads. It wasn’t just one or two incidents either because every hare I saw in this area bore the same characteristics! I would have liked to write more about them, but my information was limited and a storm snarled and spat just outside my door.

Like it had been waiting for the perfect opportunity, my stomach growled just as ferociously. I welcomed the break and stretched as I sat up from that old rickety chair. I quickly turned around and walked a few steps towards the only thing keeping me alive… the wood stove! Thankfully, I had a decent amount of firewood stocked up so I was in safe hands; the wood slowly crackled under the flames and the heat hugged me like the warmest blanket. I cheerfully reached for my pot and placed it onto the square stove. I carefully poured in some water, dumped some soup packets in, and finally finished it off with sliced sausages. I stirred it all together and let it sit to cook.

I sat down on that single couch in front of the wood stove and let out the longest sigh. The dimly lit cabin gave off  the perfect cozy ambience and my eyes struggled to stay open; they slowly closed and brought suggestions of sleep along for a ride. Before they could fully take over me, I realized what was happening and shook myself wide awake! The interior of the cabin greeted me once again and I noticed the bubbling soup calling my name. I walked over, took the pot off the stove, and stared with anticipation.

It smelled alright, but what came next could make or break my night. Nevertheless, I got my spoon out and attacked the soup with my weapon; it returned to my mouth with a thick yellow liquid on board and a single sausage. I didn’t hesitate a second longer and took the bite. I couldn’t believe it! It was… very mediocre. “Meh” was one way to describe it. The soup had hardly any flavor and the sausage wasn’t anything special either.

However! Given the circumstances, it would have to do. I quickly demolished the disappointment and laid down on the couch. A warm belly and red fire were all I needed if I was being honest. This time, sleep had a whole army and ambushed me at every angle. I didn’t last very long, but I welcomed my fate with a stupid grin.

Entry # 3 

My sleep didn’t last long as I had been rudely awoken during the night from mother nature’s cold and clammy hands. At first, I was in the dark about my situation; my fire had gone out and I somehow left my lantern on. I wasn’t known for always being the brightest, but this was embarrassing. I quickly shot off the couch and stooped down in front of the extinguished fire. I fumbled in my pocket for my lighter for a little bit before bringing it out. I added more pieces of wood alongside a piece of paper and flicked the lighter to life. Its flame licked the paper as if it was testing the flavor. The next moment, the paper went up in flames and singed my hand. I quickly pulled it out and looked back at the wood stove. 

That cozy orange glow returned to fill the cabin with a wonderful ambience and I refilled my lantern just in case anything else happened. As I was walking back towards the couch, I noticed something; the wind had died down and a green light shined through the cabin windows with an emerald glow. I stopped everything I was doing and put on my puffy winter coat. I gripped the wooden door handle with a shaky hand… and turned it. 

Although the wind disappeared, mother nature’s fury remained ever present and she pinched my cheeks, turning them rosy red. The green light I had seen from inside the cabin danced in the skies right above my head. That light was known as the Aurora Borealis and remained one the most beautiful natural occurrences one could witness; this one in particular, turned night into day and illuminated this stretch of mountain with bright light. I looked around once more and saw the source of my research...the three-eared Snowshoe Hare!  Many of them surrounded me and stared deep into my soul with bright emerald eyes. I held my breath and waited for a few moments. Suddenly, a warm energy washed over every inch of my body and removed any fatigue. After this had happened, the Aurora vanished and so did the bunnies.

I started breathing again and a smile crept on my face as I headed back inside the cabin. Looks like there's so much I still don’t know, I thought.