The Cheery House In The Woods

He stirred from his slumber as he felt her soul nearing the house. After all the years of solitude, he was anxious for his new toy to arrive.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Finally, after two hours on unfamiliar roads, the last thirty minutes on winding back country roads, the yellow a frame house came into view. Olivia Adler felt the excitement course through her body. Her new home looked more beautiful than the pictures. She stopped at the gate attached to the fence that enclosed part of the yard. The house sat on four acres, roughly one acre was fenced into a yard. The gate being unlocked seemed odd to her. In the city an unlocked gate was an invitation to have an addict walk off with anything saleable. She pulled through the gate, stopping to close it behind her. Following the arching drive, she drove in front of her new home.

In the middle it was an A frame. There were extensions on both sides. The paneling was a cheery yellow color while the brick work was white. The double front door was dark stained wood with a huge ornate glass panel that covered three quarters of the door. The steps that led down to the door made it a poor choice to unload the car by. If she remembered the layout from the online ad correctly, there was a side door near the three-car carport on the side of the house. The drive continued past the carport to the workshop beside it. Which allowed her plenty of room to back the unfamiliar SUV into the carport. She was proud it only took three attempts to get it where she wanted. Not bad for someone who hadn’t driven in years let alone anything as bulky as her rental SUV.

Olivia grabbed her phone, purse, and lunch before hopping out of the car. The woods surrounding the house blocked a lot of the sun, casting shadows everywhere. It felt as if eyes were watching from them as she walked the couple of yards to the side door. The quiet country life was going to take some adjusting to. She jumped when a dog in the distance barked. Inside the hibiscus pot near the side door was the key to the door as promised by the realtor. The door opened silently into the utility room. She passed the built-in cabinets that framed the empty space the washer and dryer should have been. The door into the house was unlocked. Obviously, the utility room was an add on since the door was an exterior one. Or the previous owners were paranoid.

Careful to keep his shape hidden by the shadows the trees cast in the afternoon sun, he paced her from the tree line. Excitedly he looked upon her for the first time. She appeared to be in her late thirties with long brown braided hair that almost reached her waist. The distance was too great to determine more of her features. Her soul, however, he could sense. There was a delightful amount of turmoil coming from within the new resident. 

Once through the door she stepped into the dining room and kitchen area. A smell assaulted her nose. She wasn’t sure what it was other than foul, air fresheners were added to the list of things she needed to get. The dining area wasn’t bad, but the kitchen was going to need a total gut. The laminate counter tops were a pink popular in the eighties. The appliances appeared to be from the same era. The flooring was a boring black and white checkered vinyl. A small window overlooked the sink. On the wall that faced the front was a floor to ceiling window. It had no curtain on it. Again, odd. Olivia made a mental note to correct that. She didn’t want anyone to be able to peep in. She sat everything down on the counter to dig her lunch out of the bag. Before she had turned off the main highway, she had come across a BBQ shack on the side of the road in a small town that had a line wrapped around it. Taking a chance that the locals knew what was good, she had stopped to get a plate.

She took a bite of her first Texas BBQ while crossing into the living area. That first bite proved she was right to trust the natives. The living area was a decent size. On the wall across from her something was hanging on the wall with a sheet draped over. A quick peek revealed it was a mirror. Thinking it was odd, she moved on to the foyer. It was as wide as the living room, an arch on either side. The wall between the arches also had a mirror covered by a sheet. The wall against the kitchen had a fountain on it. Continuing around she went down the hall off the foyer that led to the master bedroom and bath. The bathroom had been remodeled sometime in the nineties, so she added that to the list of things to get. Oddly, the mirrors were covered there too.

Having finished her meal, she returned to the kitchen to dispose of her container in the sink. Once she washed her hands and guzzled a drink, she went to discover the rest of the house. The office was to the right of the dining room was unremarkable other than the picture window that ran the length of the back wall. The view of the woods was beautiful. She hoped the deer would come close enough to see. The secondary bath would also need to be gutted. Again, mirrors were covered with a sheet. This was bizarre. Olivia could think of no reason to cover up mirrors.

The back half of the A frame contained a winding staircase that wound up to the loft second bedroom situated in the front of the house. Olivia admired the detailed work of the stairs. She would bet money they were hand carved and built. As she climbed the stairs, she looked up at the Texas sun shining in. The back half of the A frame roof was solid glass. The listing online mentioned how beautiful thunderstorms were to watch through it. At the top of the stairs the door to the second bedroom was closed. Jiggling the handle did nothing. It was locked.