Tales From Mt. Basset: Weeping Willows

Stephanie rolled out of bed to the familiar sound of her alarm screaming out. Four-thirty AM was the usual wake up time around the Burke house. The days were long but Stephanie never minded. Being out with the horses, chickens and other animals was her favorite place to be. Not having many friends was never a concern for her. She had her cousin Danny, he was only three months older than her and never let her forget it. She also had her best friend Jamie who lived about a ten minute bike ride down the mountain and was her closest neighbor aside from the old Willow ranch in the opposite direction. Stephanie preferred the company of animals aside from her two friends because they were quiet. She never understood the incessant need for small talk and she tried to avoid it whenever she could. Racing down the stairs Stephanie is greeted by the mouth watering smell of bacon and eggs. Her mom Allison is just placing the eggs on the table as Stephanie stumbles into her chair. "You've always only had one speed child, wide open. You're going to fall and break your neck one of these days if you don't slow down." teased Allison, in her more than chipper voice. Always looking for a way to have fun and get a laugh in. Stephanie just nodded her head shoveling eggs in her mouth only stopping to snag a bite of bacon. She's almost done when her dad, Finley takes his seat to her right at the round kitchen table. "In a hurry for something?" he asks watching his daughter eat as if she's starving. Stephanie nods. "Jamie and I are going to meet Danny down at the creek to go swimming after lunch so I want to get my chores done." She said gulping down the last of her juice and rushing out the door. Finley laughed and shook his head. "What are we gonna do with her?" he asked leaning over to kiss his wife. "Just love her. She's all you." giggled Allison as she began eating her breakfast. Out in the barn Stephanie was blazing through her chores faster than usual. She had already fed the chickens and horses, turned them out for the day, and was mucking stalls when Finley joined her in the barn. "Working double time this morning huh?" he asked as he grabbed some fresh hay to put in the freshly cleaned first stall. "There's a lot to do and only the two of us to do it. We need a farm hand dad. Things are getting bigger and it just keeps adding more and more to the chore list for us." Stephanie said a little more sharply than she intended to. "I know things are picking up Stephy. You're right, we need an extra set of hands or two around here. Think we could fix up the old cabin down by the edge of the field out back?" He asked taking the shovel from Stephanie and cleaning the last stall. "I mean I guess we could. No one's been over to it in a long time though. No telling what needs to be done." Stephanie replied a bit unsure. "Well after we finish up here let's go have a look." suggested Finley, a sparkle in his eye almost as if this were some wild adventure. "Fine." Stephanie chuckled back, smiling at her dad. Just then a loud beat up dusty white truck pulled up outside the barn. A tall older man in clothes that looked as if he came out of a western movie stepped out and spit tobacco juice on the ground as he approached the barn. "Can I help you friend?" Finley called out meeting him at the door. The man took a quick glance around. "You Finley Burke?" he asked with an accent that reminded Stephanie of your stereotypical 'backwoods good 'ol southern gentleman'. "I am. What can I do for ya?" Finley smiled extending his arm for a handshake. "Names Alvin Peters." said the man shaking his hand. "I just moved here about a month ago. I bought the old place by the lumber mill." explained Mr. Peters. "You mean the old Willow ranch?" Finley asked seeming a bit shocked. "That's the one." said Mr. Peters with a chuckle. "My grandfather actually sold that property to James and his family years ago. When I heard it was back on the market I had to buy it. I grew up out there until I was about seventeen." he continued his voice trailing to what Stephanie and Finely could only assume was a memory. "Anyway I was actually wondering if you had any dogs that roamed the east side of your property. I keep hearing them at night and it sounds like they're fighting something. Just wanted you to know you might have a mountain lion or bear out there." he said seeming genuinely concerned for the dogs. Finley and Stephanie exchanged a confused glance. "Sir we don't have any dogs on that area of the property. We only have the one dog Percy and he's inside at night. Are you sure you aren't hearing coyotes?" Finley wondered. Maybe this man wasn't used to hearing them since he'd lived elsewhere so long. "Son I know what a coyote sounds like I've lived in areas such as this all my life." Mr. Peters quipped. This man knew what he was talking about. The way he carried himself and his reaction told Finley that much. "I meant no disrespect sir. If you're as certain as you seem to be I will look into it tonight. Thanks for the heads up I have cattle that I let graze that field in the fall. A few more weeks without knowing and that could've been a disaster." he said with a sigh. "I'll call the guys and see if they're up for a ride tonight." Finley said turning to face his daughter. "Just let me know if you need some help." Mr. Peters said as he turned and headed back to his truck. Just before he reached it he stopped and turned to face Finley again. "Glad to finally meet you, neighbor." he said with a smile and small tilt of his big tan cowboy hat. With that he climbed back in his truck, waved to the pair standing in the barn door, and headed back down the driveway. Stephanie looked at her dad and just shook her head. "Want me to come with you tonight and help?" she asked as she started the water hose to fill the trough for their three horses. "Nah it's alright. You stay here and help your mama with clearing the kitchen after supper. I'll call Duncan and Bill when we get done here." he replied as he turned to put out fresh hay for the horses to munch on. As the morning routine was coming to an end Finley grabbed the key for the four-wheelers and tossed one to Stephanie. "Let's go see what the damage to that cabin is before lunch." he said as they both started their engines and headed on the short drive to the cabin at the edge of the meadow. Once they arrived things were noticeably out of place. The front door was wide open and all the furniture was stacked against the back door on the inside. Finley motioned for Stephanie to wait outside as he crept in the cabin in search of anyone who may still be there. Stephanie looked around the immediate area outside and saw no traces of anyone being there. The weeds were still knee high nothing disturbed by footsteps or a vehicle other than the tracks she and her father just made. Just as Finley called to her the coast was clear, a deafening, bone chilling, scream rang out across the open meadow. The hair on the back of Stephanie's back stood on end as she raced into the cabin with her father. He met her at the door as she was running in. "What on earth was that?!" he questioned as he closed the door behind his daughter and peered out the windows in search of the source of the scream. "Wasn't a mountain lion. Their screams are eerie but they don't sound anything like that." Stephanie said trying to catch her breath. She's lived here the entire fourteen years she's been alive and has never heard something so ear piercing and terrifying out here. Including the numerous mountain lions she's heard screaming and fighting in the night. After putting all the furniture back in it's respective place Stephanie had all but forgotten about the scream that startled her and Finley before. "A coat of paint and a little dusting and she'll be good as new." Stephanie said brushing the dust off her hands. "Ready to go grab some lunch kiddo?" her dad asked as they headed for the door. Stephanie started to feel uneasy once they were outside again. Almost as if she were being watched but the ride back home was uneventful. Pulling into the barn Stephanie realized she had been holding her breath the entire ride. She sighed audibly relieved to be back home. As if knowing his daughter was still shaken by the scream her dad wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they headed for the house. "It could've been a bird in one of the trees close by. Don't let it bug you too much." Finely said as the reached the door. Stephanie nodded and headed inside. Something in her knew that wasn't a bird but an even bigger part of her desperately needed to believe her dad. She lived here. This was her home and she couldn't let herself be afraid to be on her own property. As they walked into the kitchen they found Allison just placing sandwiches on the table with potato salad on the side and tall glasses of sweet tea. "So I saw you guys head up to the cabin earlier. Planning your escape already Steph?" she teased, winking at her daughter. Stephanie smiled and began eating her lunch, pondering what could have made such an awful sound like that and why the cabin was in that state. Her dad said teenagers from town but she didn't buy that. All the kids at school were more worried about going to the mall or hiking the designated trails in the park closer to the base of the mountain. "I'm thinking of cleaning it up and hiring a couple extra hands to help out around here." Finley said taking Allison's attention off of Stephanie. He did that a lot. He knew Stephanie hated small talk and he also knew how much his wife loved it. Finley was used to being the buffer between the two. Stephanie finished her lunch quietly as her parents discussed all the details for hiring a couple hands. Then the subject changed to Mr. Peters and his visit earlier. They discussed what he said and Finley stepped away to call Duncan and Bill to see if they would be able to ride out that evening with the horses and check it out. Stephanie thanked her mother for lunch and excused herself to her room. She collapsed on her bed and Percy jumped up to lay next to her. She lay stroking his copper fur thinking about what happened at the cabin. The creek she was supposed to meet Jamie and Danny at ran along the edge of the meadow opposite the cabin. What is this person were still out there? Stephanie shook the thoughts from her mind, again determined to not be afraid in her own home. She got up and put her swimsuit on, grabbed her towel and put it in her bag. As she was sliding on her sandals her cellphone rang. "We're waiting for you!" called two familiar voices from the other end. "I'm coming I'll be there in literally three minutes." Stephanie laughed hanging up her phone and rushing down the stairs as she shoved it into her bag. "Bye mom I'm going to meet the two other musketeers. See you this evening!" she shouted through the house. "Be careful, I love you!" she heard her mom call from somewhere towards the back of the house as she bounded out the door. Stephanie jumped on her four-wheeler and headed for the creek where her friends were waiting. Once she met up with Danny and Jamie, Stephanie felt much better about what had happened a few hours ago. She and her friends were talking, laughing, and swimming. They were having a great time relaxing and enjoying one another's company. All of a sudden Danny stands up out of the shallow water and looks across the meadow. Instinctively Stephanie and Jamie follow his gaze to the cabin. Once again the front door is standing wide open. Stephanie felt her breath catch in her throat and her heart started to race. "Guys me and my dad were just up here earlier. We found the furniture all moved around and the door was open like that. We put it all back and locked up. How is it open again?" She explained, a slight tremble in her voice. "Well let's go see who's learning manners and trespassing laws today." Danny said as he shot out of the creek and started towards the cabin. Clearly annoyed that someone was messing with the family's land he was not listening to Stephanie and Jamie as the begged him to come back. Danny made it about halfway to the cabin from the creek when that same bone chilling, ear piercing scream rang out once more. Danny turned and ran back to the girls who were already waiting on Stephanie's four-wheeler. He hopped on the very back, "go, go go!" he screamed as Stephanie took off towards home. Finley who was just returning from checking in on his cattle walked into the barn to find his daughter, her best friend and his nephew standing next to the loft stairs. All three holding their chests and trying to catch their breath. As he started to make a sarcastic dad joke he caught his daughters stare, he face twisted with fear. His face instantly fell. "Stephanie what happened?" he asked looking at all the teens, each looking just as horrified as the others. "We were swimming uncle Fin, and I looked across the meadow and noticed the cabin door open so I went to check it out. I got almost halfway and something screamed so loud I almost wet myself. So we all came back here." Danny explained stumbling over his words. Finley pulled all three teens in and hugged them. Disturbed by what these kids told him he tried to find logic and still claimed it was a bird making the sound. The reason the cabin was open was probably a busted lock that he didn't notice. All three nodded and with an exchange of glances, decided this was the easiest explanation and they overreacted. With Danny and Jamie laughing and joking with one another about what just happened, Stephanie looked over to her dad who had started on some work just outside the back of the barn. Something about the look on his face caused a cold sensation to slither up her spine. Refocusing her attention to Danny and Jamie she decided to just trust her dad and try not to worry. Soon the three of them decided it was time to call it a day. Evening chores still needed to be done before supper so Stephaine wave goodbye to her friends as she joined her dad to do the routine from this morning only in reverse. After feeding all the animals and washing themselves up, Stephanie and Finley head into the kitchen to join Allison. "I made a roast for tonight!" exclaimed Allison nearly bouncing in her seat. Roast was a family favorite for the Burkes which they didn't have very often. "Mrs. Farley came by while I was in the garden earlier." Allison announced as she passed Stephanie the mashed potatoes. "She said something had been getting her chickens worked up at night the past few nights. Wanted to know if we have had any issues. Of course I told her everything here was fine as far as I knew but that the neighbor mentioned hearing dogs." Allison carried on, not looking up from her own plate. Stephanie and her father stared at one another puzzled for a moment. "Maybe it's the same dogs snooping around her place." Finley mumbled as he quickly ate his supper. Shortly after Finley finished eating Bill and Duncan arrived. "We heard you had yourself a hound problem." boomed Duncan's deep voice as he laughed and slapped Finley on the back. "That's what Mr. Peters says. I haven't heard anything myself." Finley snickered. "Better safe than sorry." Bill spoke up from behind Duncan who towered over him. Finley hugged Allison and Stephanie then walked out the door with the other two men. "I sure hope they're careful." Allison said under her breath while she cleared the rest of the table, placing the remaining dishes in the sink where Stephanie had started washing them. "They'll be fine mom. They're just dogs." Stephanie reassured her mom but she could see something was troubling her mother. More than just worrying about dad looking for wild dogs roaming the fields. "Are you and dad not telling me something?" Stephanie asked just as her mom was wiping the table off. Allison froze and for a split second Stephanie could see her hesitate. "No of course not! What a silly thing to ask, why would we do that?. Allison smiled as if her daughter had been asking as a joke. Stephanie decided to let it go and just nodded her head.