As the fires raged around her, Cora struggled to see through the flames and smoke. The pine timbers crackled and split as the floor gave way under her. Tumbling into the darkness below, it suddenly struck her that she no longer felt the heat. “How curious...”, she mumbled. The heart-shaped ruby pendant reflected an eerie red glow on the sides of the cavern while the building above collapsed. As quickly as it had started, the inferno blinked out, leaving nothing but a circle of rich black soil in the middle of the thick forest.
~~~
“Yes, I know my family settled there 200 years ago. But have you ever been in a place so backwards that even the sun rises in the West?” Kiara started.
“Come on, it’s not that bad!!” responded Rachael.
“It’s called ‘Swamp Camp Road’. Really?? How can I be related to these people?”
Kiara and Rachael continued their argument as they drove to the airport. Rachael knew her friend was nervous and needed a distraction. Ever since the lawyer had called her last week, Kiara had been on edge. The thought of going back home just made her sick.
“Well, I think it’s cool. To have some mysterious lawyer call you up and tell you that you just inherited 650 acres of forest?? It sounds like an adventure. You know, I can still go with you if you want.”
Kiara smiled. Rachael was trying so hard to help her feel good about this trip.
“Thank you, my friend, but it’ll be ok. I’m just wound up. Besides, who else would I trust to watch the cats?”
“You sure you’ll be OK?” Rachael felt a little protective of Kiara, even though she had been on her own for years.
As they pulled into the airport, Kiara dug out her keys and put them in the consol. Rachael would stay at Kiara’s house to cat sit for the weekend. The lawyer had promised that he only needed her down in Texas Friday and Saturday. She would be back Sunday afternoon and logging back into work Monday morning.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. You know us Texas girls. We’re made of sturdy stuff!”
~~~
The Lakeview airport was a tarmac, a conveyor belt, and one vending machine that provided black coffee. Kiara had forgotten just how small this place was! She had changed planes in Dallas and flew into Lakeview at the recommendation of the lawyer. He had arranged a car, although Kiara had no idea how since Lakeview didn’t even have a U-Haul place, much less a car rental.
“Mrs. Spiegel?” An older gentleman, wearing an appropriately Texan cowboy hat with his grey suit, stepped up to her.
“It’s Miz...” Kiara’s brown eyes flashed a hard look, but just for a moment. She softened and held out her hand.
“I mean, it’s Kiara, please. Kiara Spiegel. You must be Mr. Turner.”
Taking her hand in an appropriately firm handshake, Mr. Turner smiled broadly.
“Please call me Fred. It’s mighty nice to meet you in person. Did ya have a good flight?”
“Yes, thanks. But I forgot how muggy it is here.” Kiara slid the backpack from her shoulders and took off the cozy hoodie that she had been wearing since 4 o’clock that morning. Her thick brown hair was a tangled mess of a bun. She pulled out the scrunchie that held the mass together and reworked her hair into a ponytail. “Better!”
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Appropriately, Mr. Turner picked up the backpack and motioned for her to walk towards the door. It seemed that everything about Fred Turner was appropriate. That worried Kiara for some reason.
“Right this way, Miss. The car is just outside. I left it running with the A/C on. I know, bad for the environment, but this is July, and we are in Texas.”
She was in Texas, again. How could she love a place so much, and hate it so deeply? The nausea threatened to return, but with an effort and a forced laugh, she pushed it down.
“You ok, Miss? You looked green for a minute there.”
“Oh, just shaking off the plane ride. Do you think we could stop for some water on the way to your office, Fred?”
“I have some water waiting in the car for you. Karen put together a little cooler. That woman is always two steps ahead of me. Karen’s my secretary. She’s the one that keeps me running, bless that woman.”
As they stepped into the oppressive humidity and swirling heat, Kiara almost lost her breath. She really HAD forgotten what the heat was like. As Mr. Turner opened the door for her, Kiara was never more grateful for Freon as the whoosh of cool air hit her face.
Watching the hills roll past, thick with pine and oak, and the occasional dogwood, Kiara allowed herself to enjoy the beauty of the countryside. The ‘airport’ was a few miles outside of Lakeview proper. The forest quickly gave way to a few homesteads, then an abandoned gas station, and more BBQ joints than red lights. They pulled into an oil-topped parking lot next to a shiny Ford F250 dually king cab. Must be Fred’s truck, Kiara thought to herself.
The office was the first two rooms of an old Victorian-style house. Apparently, Mr. Turner shared the building with a dog groomer and a beauty salon. The chemical fumes from the salon threatened to send her into a coughing fit.
“Hang on there, Doll!! Let me get you some water!!” A sweet-as-honey voice drawled from another room, presumably the former kitchen.
“Fred! Why didn’t you get this young lady some water? I sent a cooler!!”
“Oh, Karen, you know I wouldn’t forget that.” Turning to Kiara, he loudly whispered, “How could you let me?” with a chuckle.
“What was that? Are you side-talkin' me?”
“No, no, I’d never....”
A bustling, squat woman with shocking red hair came around the corner. Blessedly she had a big tumbler of water in one hand, condensation beading on the white plastic.
“Oh, wow!! A Roughneck High School commemorative cup!! I hadn’t seen one of these in years!” Kiara took the proffered cup and drank deeply. The water here always tasted sweet to her. It was one of the better memories from her childhood.
“I’m Karen, Fred’s keeper.” The plump woman made a slight curtsey and turned to lead them into a small office crammed with boxes, papers, and a window-unit air conditioner. Karen pulled a folding chair away from the desk for Kiara to sit in. It seemed that everything had a light layer of dust covering it.
Kiara began reviewing the documents that Mr. Turner laid before her. After about 20 minutes, boredom took hold and the little window A/C was doing nothing but pushing around the hot air.
“Can we just go out to the land?” she asked, little beads of sweat beginning to appear on her face.
“Oh, why of course!! I’m so sorry, I shoulda taken you there first!!” Mr. Turner exclaimed, not one droplet of perspiration to be seen.
How curious, Kiara thought, then pushed it aside...
~~~
The drive out to Swamp Camp Road was shorter than she remembered. Kiara texted Rachael to let her know that all was well during the car ride. As she glanced through e-mails and app alerts, something flashed beside the car. Kiara jerked her head to catch sight of rustling underbrush and a glimpse of, was that fur?? Suddenly, there was a second flash of movement, just on the heels of the first. At that moment, Fred swerved the car off the main road and onto a dirt path. Kiara’s attention abruptly switched to the dirt path and the wall of trees in front of them.
“LOOK OUT!” Kiara yelped as the car bounced towards the trees.
“So sorry for startling you, Ms. Spiegel. I didn’t mean to turn so sharp back there. The twins caught me off guard.” Fred Turner offered her a toothy grin with his apology.
“The ‘twins’?” Kiara looked back, trying to determine where the movement had caught her eye. All she could see were pine trees and patches of sunlight. It seemed as if the forest had swallowed them whole.
“Why yes, the twins. They are rambunctious. Especially when they get excited about meeting new friends.”
Kiara looked down at the phone in her hands. Should she call Rachael, or send her a coded message? They had a system, but Rachael didn’t know where Swamp Camp Road was. Kiara noticed that she had no signal and suddenly the battery on her phone died. She took a deep breath as the car trundled further into the pines.