October Outing

Chapter 3 - Boots

Dwindling twilight threatened the remaining drive through the forest, as the unpaved trail had Inke and Toby bouncing in their seats. Though used enough by travellers, the uneven terrain and rainy days claimed more than a handful of vehicle bumpers from bottoming out.

"Right at the next fork and we should be a straight shot until the cabin driveway." Toby pointed to the road ahead as they came around a tight corner.

"Thank God there is no one else on the road right now, I hate how tight this gets when people try to squeeze by." Inke's grip on the wheel tightened, trying to keep the car from veering too far off to the side. "You think by now they would have smoothed it or some sort of maintenance."

"But that takes away from the charm." Toby chuckled, "It always let's you know that you are getting close to your destination; and wakes up anyone still sleeping."

Inke snickered, "I remember your brother nearly jumping out of his seat when we hit a large dip, whacking his head on the window."

"Oh man, dad almost leapt into the back when he heard the shout," he laughed, "and mom had to stop herself from letting go of the wheel. James held his head the rest of the ride until he could roll on the grass." Toby breathed in and out, calming himself, "Poor guy."

"Yeah, he couldn't make it either, huh?" Inke turned at the fork to follow the dirty trail, thankful for the light that shined through the trees to help their way.

Toby shook his head, "Nah, his kid is too young to bring out for such a long trip. He said maybe in a couple of years he could convince Veronica to get them all out again."

"Dude, you're an uncle, I keep forgetting! How's that life?" Inke gave him a quick shoulder jab before clutching the wheel again. "Stuck on niece duty yet?"

"Thankfully not." Toby sighed in relief, "She's too worried about letting anyone else besides the grandparents look after her. She's cute but I'd rather not clean up after a child right now." Spinning the top of his water bottle off, he took a shaky drink, spilling a bit down his chin and wiping it away. "Hey, you remember that old playground at school?" Toby pointed out to the left of the car.

"Yeah..wh-" Inke broke into a cackle, spotting a pair of boots in the mud; one of them sunk almost all the way in. "Oh my God! When we used to joke that it was cursed because so many kids kept losing their boots!"

Toby matched her laughter, holding his side, "The mud monster was trying to steal the feet of kids, by taking their boots, so they would trip and fall into the mud! Ha! So many kids were afraid to go near the playground after it rained because of it. Ooooohh good times."

She wiped a tear from her eye, "Yeah, teachers got pretty mad at the group of us for continuing to spread it to the younger kids." Inke squitned, looking down the road, "Is that it up there? The cock sign, right?"

Toby rolled his eyes, "Rooster; yeah yeah, you made that joke enough times, thanks. Pull in and back right to the cabin so we don't have to walk far with our stuff. No one else is going to be around this week. I didn't even see any lights from the other driveways, so I wonder if we have free roam of most of the area for now."

"That would be great! I want to go exploring so badly, and if no one is around that makes it so much better." Inke slowed as they pulled into the driveway, closing in on the patch of dirt beside the cabin. 

The lot was surround by hedges and trees, a sizeable plot that had a two story, wood and stone, cabin that looked to be around sixty years old; held up by occasional renovations and decorations. A wooden shed that could fit a car inside, if it wasn't filled with trinkets and tools, sat about thirty metres away, beside a cobblestone path leading down a long hill to a lakeside sitting area and dock. The lot itself could fit about ten cars comfortably, but trying to drive out would be a difficult task.

"Weeeeee're heeeerre!" Inke parked the car and throw her hands up, "Soooo glad we made it before night."

"Yeah, we made some good time, even with the couple of stops." Toby opened the door, stepping out and stretching, "Let's get everything inside though, before we settle in. You know once we do it's game over for the night." Closing the door, he headed to the back of the car and popped the hatch.

"I know, as soon as these shoes are off it's clothes off and drinks on." Inke jumped out of the car, striking a confident pose.

"Please keep your clothes on. I'm still here, and this is still my family's place." Toby sighed as he started to pull out bags and search for the cabin key.

She turned, grinning mischievously, "Still too shy, huh Toby? What's wrong, this womanly body too much for you?" Inke skipped to the back by Toby, grabbing the bags to help.

"You're definitely too much, that's for sure. Hurry up before I decide to lock you out tonight." Toby picked up what he could, heading over to the carved wooden door, unlocking it and stepping inside. Starting to turn on some lights, the two of them carried and dragged in bags and coolers. Geared for a weeks worth of Autumn forest vacation and exploration.