The Lake and the Cabin

                   It was a Friday evening, a quarter after six, on December 12. The days were getting colder and so were the nights. Jess and Tam were at the drug store buying two ice cream cones. Yes, it’s a cold day in December and, Jess and Tam, were buying ice cream. They both grew up a few miles out of town. For them eating ice cream during the cold day was not unusual. They received their ice cream and left the store. The owner locked the door right after they went outside. There was a storm predicted to arrive after midnight. The storm wasn’t to be much of a storm for upper Michigan, just 8 to 12 inches of snow with winds reaching 35 miles per hour. If was to go through fast, most likely be out of the area around sun up. In the dark, Jess and Tam started their walk home. The moon was in the east, almost full, and a quarter the way up the sky. The winds were still. The 38 degree temperature wasn’t cold at all.
They walked along the curved road beside the lake. Following the road made the two mile walk closer to three miles. So as they have done many times before, Jess and Tam cut into the woods and onto the lake. They walked across the end of the lake saving the distance of following the curved road. Jess and Tam approached the other shore and remained on the ice. They walked to the right, following the shore, while staying 30 to 60 feet away from the shoreline. By walking straight beside the curved shoreline, they knew they could save walking distance. Jess and Tam knew to walk to the cabin, then through the woods to the road, and follow the road until they reach Tams house. Here they would both warm up. Then Jess would walk the next half mile to his house. Jess and Tam knew the story about the cabin, hearing it many times while growing up. Now Tam was 16 and Jess was 15. Tam use to like bothering Jess about how she was older than him part of the year. But for some reason, during the last couple of years, she quit doing that; she never understood why.
A half mile down the lake shore was the cabin. There was once a house there. It slowly decayed into a shack. Now it was called the cabin by the folks in and around town. Back when the owner was still living in the cabin. He was always seen in town, while he grew older. For the town his name was Herbie. He was just another person living around the countryside. Herbie never talked to anyone about himself. He would talk about the fishing during the summer and the snow storms during the winter. Nobody knew where he came from. He showed up one day. He was the owner of the land with the house on it. The older people in the town remember when the former owner and his wife and children lived there and kept the place up. Then they moved. Nobody knew where. The house slowly ran down because of the rains in spring and the cold winter storms of northern Michigan. One day Herbie came to the house and fixed part of it. Just enough for him to live in. He was the owner of the cabin and land. Nobody knew how he became the owner of the cabin. The townspeople knew this was his home.
At first he was in town once every couple of weeks getting groceries and regular supplies a person needed. He was friendly enough if someone said hello and talked about the fishing weather a bit. He never had a much longer conversation. People would see him fishing in the lake both summer and winter. As the years went by he got old with them. One winter the townspeople stopped seeing him in town. Some folks went to his house just to see how he was doing. He wasn’t there. Nobody knew where he went. The season had some warm days that winter. Some thought he was on the lake ice fishing and the ice collapsed and the cold lake water swallowed him up.
As Jess and Tam walked on the ice, Jess was talking, "Them two just disappeared into a hole in the ice and drown. Like Herbie did."
Tam responded, "Nobody ever fell through the ice and drown in this lake. That’s just a story made up to scare you when you were a kid."
Jess replied, "They did. They were are age and on a night, like tonight, they fell through the ice and drown."
Tam said impatiently, "Jess, do you really think you are going to scare me with that kind of talk. You know, we’re not kids anymore."
Jess continued, "The kids have to keep away from Herbie shack. He comes back and then some of them are found dead at the other end of the lake."
Tam replied again, "Sometimes I just don’t know about you. Herbie never disappeared. He never became a ghost. He was getting old. Probably just moved to a retirement home."
They continue on the ice following beside the shore. A sound came in the ice from the center of the lake. It came towards them. They both knew the ice was cracking. They ran towards the shore. Jess first with Tam right behind. Jess felt Tams hand on his back, pushing him along to go faster. Her hand slid down his back and then off his leg. Jess stopped. Turned around. Tam was gone.
A hole of water was three feet in front of him. He stared at the edge of the ice. Tams hands came up and clenched the ice. Jess fell face down on the ice, grabbed her hands and pulled. Her head came above the water. He kept hold and slid his body toward the water. He moved his hands inch by inch up her arms. He slid toward the water. His hands were at the top of her arms now. His head was above the lake water, touching her head. Tam placed her hands on the ice and lifted herself part way out of the cold water, pushing Jess away from the water. Tam was still in the cold lake water from her waist down. Jess slid forward and grabbed hold of her around her back. They both didn’t move.
Time passed, neither of them knew how much. They said nothing to each other. Then Jess slid his hands onto the waist band of her jeans and pulled. Tam slid completely onto the ice. They both laid on the ice for a very short time. Then, still lying on the ice, they both used their hands and legs to slide themselves to the shore. A foot before reaching the snow covered shore, Jess and Tam helped each other stand. Both were soaked. Both knew they needed to get dry before the shivers started and they passed out. They both knew the night was getting colder. They both knew if they passed out from the cold they might not wake up.
They stayed on the ice next to the shore and walked as fast as possible to Herbies shack. The only place they could get to. They said nothing. They both knew they needed to get there. When Tam slowed down Jess grabbed her, pushing and pulling her to keep going. When Jess slowed down Tam grabbed him, pushing and pulling him to keep going.
After both were pushed and pulled for the unknown longest time, they saw the cabin. They walked fast through the snow to the cabin, pulled the door open, went inside, and closed the door. They stood a while holding onto each other. They could not think what to do. Tam started to speak. But the words came out as shivers from her mouth. Then Jess and Tam knew they had to get warm. If they both passed out there might be nobody there to find them if hypothermia started.
Jess and Tam looked around the one room cabin and saw the fireplace with no cut logs. They saw a pile of boards on one side of the cabin. They looked and looked to find something to start a fire in the fireplace. They found nothing. They realized by moving around, inside the cabin, made them a bit warmer. From the crack between the boards on the small window, Tam saw the moon was almost to the center of the sky now. The stars were dimming as the clouds moved in. Jess and Tam knew they had the moon light for now. But it would disappear as the storm was arriving. The first flakes of snow were falling. They both knew they cannot continue the walk home. The water in their clothes would freeze and so would they.
They decided to use the pile of boards to make a wood box just big enough to fit two. They might be warm enough if they stayed inside the boards till morning or until someone arrived. They could take turns in the boards and moving around in the cabin. If one fell asleep the other would wake them. They stacked the longer boards for the sides. Then added the shorter end. And then put the boards on the top. Jess and Tam, both crawled into the open end. Then pulled the remaining boards to part way cover the enclosure.
Tam muttered something and fell asleep. Jess did not know if she was asleep. He put his hand on her shoulder and shook her to wake up. Then he woke up. At first, Jess didn’t know where he was. Then he remembered the lake and getting to the cabin. Had he fallen asleep. He didn’t know.
He asked himself, "Did Tam fall asleep or did I? Am I awake now? Are we in Herbies cabin?"
Then Tam moved. He now knew it was true and they were in the cabin buried under the wood boards. Tam opened her eyes and looked at him. He looked at her. They both heard the sound outside the door. The pulling sound of the door opening. The door opened wide.
Something dark was in the snow outside the door. It did not move. Then the black shifted a little. It moved inside and shut the door behind. Now, they could see it was a person. The black shape said nothing and walked to the fireplace. A small piece of the black moved, through the air, and landed in the fireplace. The black shape was a person with an arm load of cut logs. Now putting logs into the fireplace. The person pulled something from the front of him. Then moved his hand across the end of a log. It was a match. Put the match into kindling mixed in with the logs. The kindling was burning. The still dark person, walked to the door and opened it. The dark shape stepped into the snow outside and closed the door. Then there was silence.
Jess and Tam inched their way out of the boards and crawled to the fire. The light and warmth filled the room.
Then Tam said to Jess, "That was Herbie. He was here. He still here taking care of the important things. This is his home."
Jess and Tam sat by the fire as they and the room warmed. Jess and Tam heard the sound of snowmobiles in the distance.
Tam went to the small window, looked out, and saw the snow was light and winds were low. It was still dark. Neither Jess nor Tam knew the time. The lights of the snowmobiles approached. The snowmobiles stopped in front of the cabin.
Someone shouted, "Anyone inside?"
Tam shouted back, "Yes, we’re here."
The voice from outside replied, "It will be a few minutes, till we clear the snow from the door."