“Well pardners,” he said in the best cowboy accent he could muster. “Let’s move 'em out doggies! Everyone grab a load out the back and I’ll get the door to this here rancheroo.”
The children scurried to the back, Sean opening the door, intent on showing he was no longer a little boy. Hal shot Veronica a quick wink, and she rolled her eyes with a small chuckle as she moved to help the children.
Hal trotted over to the front door full of renewed excitement. This would not be too bad. Grabbing the keys, he flipped through them as he walked. Right before he got to the small landing, his feet hit something, and he almost fell face down. If not for the railing, the hospital may have been his next stop.
Looking down, he noticed an overgrown, gnarled root growing up out of the ground.
“Watch this root here guys,” he warned.
Reaching the front door, he inserted the key into the patterned grooves of the lock. He worked it a few moments and after a small protest, the deadbolt gave. Opening the door, a brisk gust of stale air exited as he surveyed the inside.
The cabin was clean and homey, furnished with log cabin chairs and tables. A distinct smell of wood filled his nostrils. It was clear no one had been there in a while, minute strands of cobwebs suspended from the ceiling corners and blanketing the light fixtures. The modernized kitchen set off to the left, the counters made of the same log decor.
“Does it pass inspection hoss?” said Veronica as she carried her purse and travel bags inside.
“It could use a little dusting but this is really not bad. Go check the bedroom out and I’ll go grab some stuff from the van.”
As he turned around, he saw Donna approaching with a bag of food in her arms, her vision obscured by the top.
“Hey, honey. Watch your step. There’s a big root right there at the landing.”
Donna paused and turned her body sideways to maneuver around the hazard.
“Where dad?”
Hal walked forward.
“It’s right her…”
Hal looked down. Nothing. The dirt was loose but there was no sign of any root.
“What the…”
Looking up and down the area, he tried to determine where the wooden appendage had gone. Had he tripped over something or was it his feet? He was sure it wasn’t his feet. Something was there but somehow, it had disappeared.
“Dad?”
“Just... take that inside honey.”
They spent the rest of the day unpacking the van and cleaning the cabin. That was another contingency Hal had planned for since he knew Gary hadn’t stayed in the place. He’d brought brooms, mops, and cleaning supplies. Yes, it was technically work but for a free cabin getaway for a week with cleaning duty the price of admission... well... you couldn’t beat that with a stick.
By the time they finished, exhaustion was tapping each of them on the shoulder. Donna fell asleep on Veronica’s lap who sat on the couch. Sean nodded off on the floor with a Captain America comic tucked under his head. Hal stared into space in the lounge chair, contemplative.
“Honey?”
Hal heard the voice on the periphery of his senses but lost in thought, it didn’t quite register someone was speaking to him.
“Honey?”
This time the inquiry came with a subtle urgency, snapping him out of his self-imposed trance.
“Yeah. I’m sorry,” he said, turning his head towards her.
“What’s consuming you?”
He didn’t know if he should mention it but it had been bothering him ever since they arrived. Throwing caution to the wind, he chanced it.
“Did you see that big root at the landing?”
Veronica took a moment to think about what he was talking about.
“Oh. You mean the one you tripped over earlier. No, I didn’t see it but I wasn’t looking for it either.”
He didn’t know whether he should belabor the point. Veronica had a way of dismissing the small details he believed were important. She called it nitpicking. He called it thoroughness.
“I went outside to tell Donna to be careful so she wouldn’t trip over it but when I looked down, it wasn’t there.”
Veronica listened without responding, her countenance attentive and calm.
“I know you may not think this is important but I’m either losing my mind or something strange is going on.”
Veronica’s face softened.
“Listen, honey. I won’t sit here and say you’re going crazy. What I know is that you have been working non-stop for years. This is our first vacation in who knows how long. You’re good at what you do and you do it well.”
She paused letting a smile play across her face.
“You’re a hard worker and I’m proud of you. We all are. But — and this is just a possibility — do you think your mind might be creating these details? Maybe it doesn’t know how to slow down.”
Hal sat pensive, considering her words. He realized she was, again, dismissing what he was saying. But it was a loving dismissal. Plus, she may have been right.
“I know what I saw,” he said, more to himself than to her.
Veronica struggled to her feet, lifting Donna with a small grunt.
“I think it’s time we call it a night. I’ll put Sleeping Beauty to bed. Could you get Sean?”
Hal nodded with a half grin as she disappeared down the hallway into the bedroom.
Nudging Sean with his foot, he aroused him from his slumber which was a surprise since he was a bear to get up at home. In his drowsy stupor, he lumbered down the hallway to his room.
Hal sat for a few moments, unmoving, letting his eyes wander around the room. Veronica was right. His mind was always working. There was always something to do and not enough time to do it. It had been so long, he didn’t know if he knew how to unwind. In the whole scheme of things, what difference did it make if the root was there or
