October Outing

Chapter 5 - Binoculars

The morning light peeked through the windows of the quiet living room, a frail beam of sun landing on Toby's face. With a little grunt and squint, he rubbed his eyes to adjust. Sitting up and looking around, he found himself on the floor, having rolled off the couch overnight. Inke was softly snoring on the opposite couch, arm dangling off the side, drool soaked her pillow. He smiled through a yawn, ruffling his hair. "Well, good a time as any to get up." He stretched and propped himself on the couch to rise to his feet. The room was left in a relative mess; cans and scattered snacks from the private party.

Toby quietly stepped his way to the kitchen, pushing aside some trash off the counter, into a bin, as he cleared the area for breakfast. "Let's see; some eggs and bacon are a good start. Don't know when she'll wake up; probably when she smells the food." He chuckled to himself, grabbing the ingredients from the fridge and setting them out. The kitchen only had a small cook top range to work with; lacking a full oven made their meals limited, but enough for the basics. "Heh, I really would need to upgrade this place." Toby thought back to the idea of living out in the forest cabin. Sounds of frying bacon broke the silence as he reached out to grab some salt and pepper from the coffin shaped spice rack that his parents found 'unique and quirky' at a local craft store. They always found weird things to add to the collection of decorations that lined the cabin, but perhaps that was part of the charm that he loved so much being out here.

A low grumble emitted from the living room, Inke groggily sitting up on the couch, "...eww" was all Toby heard, making him exhale with laughter. She crawled her way over to the windows, peering down over the lake. Squinting at some shapes on the surface of the water, Inke glanced around to find a set of binoculars on a side table. Picking them up and looking through the sights, she was able to clearly see over a dozen ducks floating right off the shore from the cabin beach. "Hey, take a look!" She called to Toby.

"I'm not looking at your pillow, weirdo." He replied, tending to the bacon in the pan, not taking his eyes off it.

"No, gross. There are like fifty ducks near the beach. Come check it out." Inke looked through the binoculars again, intently staring down below.

He sighed, "Are there actually fifty ducks, or five?" Putting the pan aside to not let it burn, he wiped his hands off on a towel, walking into the living room to see her staring out the window.

"Uhhhh, somewhere in between." Inke pulled her head back and offered the binoculars to Toby, "Just look."

Toby kicked a couple of cans as he moved to the window, taking the binoculars from her. He humored her, taking a looking through the lens, "Yup, those are ducks."

"Oh come on, there's so many! Isn't it cool how they hang out there, mister cabin man?" Inke jabbed him in the side, snatching the binoculars back from him. "Whatever, more birds for me."

Rubbing his side, Toby turned back from the window, towards the kitchen, "How many eggs do you want, bird lady?"

"Two, scrambled." Inke was focused on the ducks again, snickering as she watched then peck at the water and honk at each other.

Setting the pan back on the cook top, he returned to cooking the bacon and eggs. "We should have an extra bike in the shed if you want to try and get to the other side of the lake; while we still have good weather today."

"Sounds good. That sink hole still over there?" Inke leaned on the edge of the couch to rest while watching.

Toby cracked two eggs into the pan, "Uhhh, maybe? I haven't looked in a few years so I couldn't say for sure. You want to start cleaning up a bit before we get too lazy?"

Inke frowned, "Fiiiine." Setting down the binoculars, she turned to sit on the couch, taking in the mess they had made. "Damn. Garbage bags?"

"Under the third cabinet. Doesn't have to be spotless, but let's keep the animals away." Toby set up two plates for them, setting the food as he went, "Toast as well?"

"Please." Inke got up and headed to the cabinets, opening them up and grabbing a black garbage bag. Stretching her arms and back, she placed her fists on her hips, "Alright, let's do this!" With a sudden enthusiasm, she began to pick up the cans and garbage, tossing them into the bag.

With the first night over and the morning under control, Toby and Inke settled in for breakfast, discussing the trail to take with the bikes, checking to make sure the weather would hold out. A backpack stuffed with some supplies, they would set out not too long after on their first day in the forest.