Morning's Glow

Arlynn takes in the beauty of her first morning at her family's cabin.

Arlynn woke up. Her eyes opened to the pitch darkness in the room. It took her a moment to remember where she was and to adjust to the silence of the space.

Listening in the dark, she could hear the stillness around her. Too quiet. Before shifting the sheets off and letting the cool freshness of the air assail her, she reached out to flick on the light by her bed. The room filled with a soft glow as her heart steadied itself .Sight was restored. Her clock read 5:30 in the morning. Early, but she felt rested. Time to get up and see what the new day brought.

She sucked in a breath as her feet touched the floor. Ice cold.

Slippers, where were her slippers? Had she even brought any? If not, she'd need to mark it on her list of things to pick up in town.

Treading carefully forward on the tips of her feet she located her suitcase and pulled out her heaviest pair of socks. They would have to do. She also grabbed her heaviest sweatshirt and dragged it on over her head. She also snatched up a pair of leggings to keep the chill at bay.
Once dressed, she made her way out into the great room and stared out into the inky black of the woods and lake beyond the wall of glass.

Where was the light in here?

She headed for the kitchen and flicked on the overhead lights. The room filled with illumination making it easier to find the coffee machine and set it up for a full pot.

The rumble of its awakening made her smile as she headed for the bathroom to finish getting ready.

With a coffee and her water bottle at the ready, she set up her yoga mat in the great room and settled into stretching. It felt good to move in this space. As she moved through the yoga poses, she watched the world out beyond the glass lighten. The trees held the dark inkiness as they reached up to touch the sky which turned from black indigo. Orangy hues began to dance at the edge of the horizon, casting a golden glow up to the few clouds that emerged from the night. It was breathtaking.

As soon as she was able to see the trail leading down to the dock, she slipped into her shoes and headed outside. She made her way down to the water’s edge. The gentle lapping of the water had her slipping off her shoes and moving forward to dig her feet into the cold morning sand as the water rushed up and around her ankles.

This was bliss. She let out a deep sigh as if she’d finally come home after a long time away.

The glow of the morning loosened up the rest of her nerves. Her past was behind her. There was no way Phil would find her here. She could relax and find her way into this new life.

It was far too early to worry about the details, but she had a feeling things were looking up.

Morning chimes of the loons floated over the water. Birdsong was also beginning to add to the symphony of the morning. The world was waking up.

A sudden thunderous rustling of the bushes behind her had her tensing. She stood frozen in place, her eyes wide as she stared.

Was it a bear? Was she safe? Could she make a blind run back to the safety of the cabin?

Her eyes scanned the tree line just as an animal emerged charging straight for her. She stood unable to move as terror ripped through her body. Her breath clogged her throat making screaming impossible.

Then she heard a voice, Deep and alpha.

"Gulliver."

More rustling and heavy footsteps came through the bush just as the dog stopped right in front of her. It was as if the voice pushed stop. His tongue lolled out in greeting.

Laughter bubbled out and broke the surface. She doubled over in hysterical laughter as the booted footsteps came to a stop not far from her.
When she could stand up, she whipped the tears from her eyes as she glanced over at the tall man who stood there looking deeply chagrined.

“I’m so sorry. Gulliver bolted before I could stop him. He must have thought the Othelo's were here.”

Laughter rolled through her again and she began to wave her hands around as she tried to catch her breath. She managed to shift and make her way to the Muskoka chair where she dropped into it. Gulliver lapped at her face and she began to giggle.

The man grinned over at her. He seemed to relax.

“No harm done,” she managed to gasp out. Her hands moved over the dog's fur. He was in heaven.

Now that her heart had settled and she could see clearly. She realized that the bare chested, ab-rippling man in front of her was the same police officer that had given her a warning just before she came into town the day before. She didn’t want to stare, but he was deliciously gorgeous with his shirt hanging off his shoulders and his sweatpants dipping low revealing the muscles that disappeared down. She licked her lips and tried to swallow. Dragging her eyes away. She shouldn’t stare. It was not polite, but my my my, he was built like a god. That should be illegal.

Yesterday he had been covered in his OPP officer’s uniform. He looked fine in that, too fine. But now here. Looking like he had just rolled out of bed.

Be still my heart.

“You live close?” she began feeling stupid by the obvious question.

His lips tipped up on one side and he grinned at her. Her heart flipped over, much like the dog at her feet rolling around to let her rub his belly. She indulged, giving her something to do and keep her focus off the man in front of her.

“I have the fixer-upper next door. Just through the bush.”

Arlynn nodded keeping her eyes on the dog.

“Gulliver was hoping the family would be here,” he said looking back at the house.

“My family will be arriving some time later today.”

He nodded.

“Well, Gulliver and I were just heading out for a run…. We should get going.”

She smiled up at him as the dog shifted to sit at her feet.

“Ready to chase some squirrels?” he asked the dog who thumped out a quick rhythm and jumped to his feet.

“Nice meeting you…again. Neighbour,” he said, as his smile deepened.

“Same,” she managed to say.

Then he turned and headed back the way he came. The dog stayed until, Ryan looked back and gave a whistle. The dog bolted forward, but at the edge of the bush he stopped and looked back as if concerned.

Arlynn smiled and waved, “I’ll be alright, Gulliver.. Enjoy your run.”

With that, the dog disappeared into the foliage in hot pursuit of his owner.

With them gone, she let out a sigh. Then got up and went to stand in the water to calm her fractured nerves. That had been a dramatic experience.



Word count = 1211.

Notes ▶︎

Written January 10 - 12, 2026
For Deadlines for Writers
Due January 28, 2026
Word count = 1200 words.
This falls within the 1150 to 1250 window.