When Seasons Pass

"The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window."

There is something comforting about a secluded cabin in a forest. Quiet nights, soothing forest sounds and if you could find a clearing, an abundance of stars to gaze at during the night.

Eric had been hoping to get away for several months now, and had finally managed a break in his schedule to make his getaway, a July hiking vacation in Killarney Park where he'd spent some summers during his teen years and early twenties. It was a five hour drive to the park which didn't excite him greatly but the reward would be a fabulous week of solitude and rest.

Once he arrived at the park entrance, he showed the gate attendant his camping reservation and interior permit and drove to the parking lot. He unloaded his gear and locked the car, deliberately leaving his cell phone under the drivers' seat.

"Ha!" he thought smugly, "this seclusion is going to feel SO good!" Pausing briefly, he jiggled his backpack into a comfortable position and began his trek.

The George Lake trail wasn't particularly difficult so he set a leisurely pace for the first leg of his adventure. It would take about an hour to reach his first stop, a stunning vista that looked out over the hilly terrain and from which you could catch a glimpse of Georgian Bay. He'd have a snack there and then head down the cliff to a small but immaculate cabin he'd discovered on a hike one summer, and which hikers could use as an overnight shelter.

The view from his rest atop the cliff was as spectacular as he remembered, and he looked to the left and downwards to make sure the cabin was still there. Everything looked remarkably the same and he felt a sense of relaxation really begin to set in. What struck him as a bit odd was that the leaves on the trees were deeply colored, as if it were autumn, yet this was only July. As he contemplated this, a slight breeze passed and despite it being the middle of summer, made him chill and again he thought it was odd.

"Nothing to worry about", he thought "I'm only here for a week." He checked his pack, stood up and began the descent to the cabin by the edge of the lake. The sunsets from the front porch of the cabin were usually pretty impressive, and, while he felt like he had lots of time to make the descent to the lake, the sun seemed to be setting and darkness tended to come quickly in the forest. He didn't relish climbing down in the dusk, but he didn't want to hurry either and make a mistake that could cause injury.

Surely he hadn't taken that long to hike and have his snack and rest. The sense of relaxation began to diminish. Had he lost his sense of time? His instincts couldn't be that bad....

Eric hadn't noted any movement at the cabin from his clifftop vantage, so he'd probably have the cabin to himself. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have some company tonight, he began thinking as he reached the base of the cliff and headed toward the cabin. From his new vantage, he could see in the dimming light that the cabin hadn't seen any upkeep or human touch in quite some time, years perhaps. "That's just great," he thought, "probably mice and critters running throughout and I won't get a good night's sleep."

Then he stopped.

The cabin, which had apparently been abandoned for years and was obviously unoccupied had one very noticeable feature that didn't belong.

A candle could be seen in the front window, burning brightly and flickering softly. Someone must be inside.

Eric climbed the three steps and tried the front door. It hung loosely and gave a bit when he pushed, but something was either blocking it or it was hanging poorly. He kept pushing until it opened and what he saw next made him gasp.

In the middle of the room, sitting alone on the floor was a young girl, about eight years old.

She didn't look up when he entered but sat with her knees drawn up and her chin resting on her knees. He was behind her and off to the side, so he called out: "Hello! Are you alone? Are you OK?"

She didn't acknowledge or move so he came around to face her. She seemed as if in a trance and Eric's mind raced as to what could possibly be going on. He fumbled with his pack to find a light because the candle was

WAIT!

There was no candle in the window. This was getting scary quickly. He went to the window and discovered a lump of cold hardened wax, the remains of a candle that had been extinguished for a very long time. He turned again to the girl who was now laying on her side, motionless. By now he had found his light and shone it towards her.

The girl was dead, had been dead for months, mummified in the dry cabin air.

Impossible! Nothing was making any sense.

"Stay calm, Eric!" he told himself. Taking slow, deep breaths his heart began to slow and he went to the front door to get some fresh air. The night air seemed very cool and he stepped off the porch to go to the lake for some fresh water. Something else was odd, and he couldn't figure it out at first.

A full moon lit up the opening around the cabin and he could see the unreal beauty of his surroundings.

And he could see that he was standing in a foot of snow.

It was too much to handle. Eric's mind was spinning, thinking a thousand things.

The autumn leaves in July. The candlelight from a candle that had burned out long ago. A young girl who died and mummified in what seemed minutes. Now it was snowing.

Eric continued to the lake to get some water to refresh himself. The lake was now frozen and he found a rock to smash the ice so he could fill his bottle. The water was unbelievably cold and it helped him focus on what to do next. He must spend the night at the cabin as he couldn't hike out in the dark. In the morning he could assess his situation after getting a good sleep, if he could sleep.

He returned to the cabin and found some firewood. A warming fire was soon crackling and it lent some comfort to his inhospitable sanctuary. The body of the girl was gone, only a pile of dust where she had been but it didn't faze Eric in the least. He'd seen too much in such a short time, nothing would trouble him now. He gathered a few things from his pack to make a small meal, ate, and gradually fell into a restless sleep.

When he awoke, he was unsure at first where he was. He lay in his sleeping bag, slowly recalling the strange and frightening previous day. Fully expecting another onslaught of curious events, he moved his eyes about the room and took note. Everything seemed normal. He listened to the sounds from the forest. Birds were singing and the wind in the trees made a comforting sound. Rising, he looked out the window and saw the snow from the previous night was gone and it looked like summer again. The air was warm and it promised to be a hot day.

The pile of dust that had been the girl remained and he pondered what he should do. Sweep it up? Bury the remains? Who was she? Why had she been there? Was anybody looking for her? Was anyone looking for him? What was going on, anyway?

If he was going to bury the remains of the girl, he thought there should be some sort of committal service and a marking of the grave for future reference. He concocted what he thought was a respectful homage and gathered up the remains. He chose a spot beside a large pine and dug a shallow pit with some tools he found on the property, and made a small cairn to mark the spot. That would have to suffice, he thought.

After cleaning up and eating, he repacked his backpack and began the journey back up the cliff and along the trail he made just yesterday, or was it yesterday? Nothing made sense anymore. He paused at the top of the cliff to look back at the cabin, but it was no longer there. Only a pile of rotting timber marked the site. One more thing to add to the "odd" list, he thought.

After several hours, Eric arrived at the parking lot where he left his car.

It wasn't there.

Somehow, he wasn't surprised. He approached the attendant at the park gate office. "I'd like to inquire about a car I left here yesterday. Grey SUV." He showed the registration to the attendant, who backed away cautiously.

"Yesterday?" the attendant asked. "Nothing like that here yesterday. Can you give me a minute please?" He disappeared into another room and Eric could hear a whispered conversation. After several minutes the attendant appeared with another park employee, apparently a supervisor.

"Sir, do you mind coming with us for a moment?" They motioned for Eric to follow them in the direction from which they had come.

They all sat down at a small table and asked him "Coffee?"

"Yes please. Is there some kind of problem?" Eric asked.

The two park employees looked at each other and the supervisor leaned forward and said "Could you please provide any details of your hike? We've got some questions for you after you're finished."

Eric began his story and recounted as many details as he could. He wasn't sure how they were going to respond when he told them about the girl.

When Eric finished his story, the two of them looked at each other, then at Eric. "We believe what you say is true, sir. A young girl was reported as missing and your description of her resembles what the searchers looked for. As for your vehicle, it was towed after the owner never returned and all traces of him came up empty."

"What?" I was only gone for one day!" shouted Eric.

"That is the part we all have trouble believing" said the park supervisor. "Your vehicle was towed away eight years ago."