A Time Traveler's Theory of Relativity by Nicole Valentine

Author:Nicole Valentine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fiction - Middle Grade, Middle-Grade Fiction, Middle-Grade Novel, Middle-Grade Novels, novel, Novels, Time Travel, Science & Technology, Family, Adventure, Bravery, Courage, Family, Family & Relationships, Science Fiction, Time Travel
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
Published: 2019-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

The next landmark in the trail guide was supposed to be the hunter’s cabin. It was common for mountains to have one or two cabins shared by hunters who prefer something more than a tent. Finn had never gone far enough up Dorset Peak to see one, though.

The structure in front of them was not the quaint, cozy cabin he expected. Black, tar-papered and sinister looking, it rose out of the mountain like a thorn. Modern sashed windows jutted out of the dirty tarpaper like cataract-covered eyes, trying to see who might be thinking about trespassing.

Finn and Gabi froze. The building made Finn wonder what kind of hunting the occupants did.

“That place is freaky looking.” Gabi’s feet stayed rooted to the trail. The cabin lay a good thirty feet in front of them. “Do you think anyone is in it?”

She looked up at the roof and Finn followed her gaze. A narrow stovepipe chimney jutted out the top at an odd angle. There wasn’t any smoke drifting out the top.

“If they are they don’t have a fire on.”

She pursed her lips. “Let’s keep going. This place gives me the creeps. It looks like the home of a serial killer.”

“Come on, Gabi. This is taking much longer than we thought and we might be up here overnight. We don’t have the proper provisions. You said so yourself. There could be food or water in there.”

“Yeah, or victims hanging from the rafters! I’d rather take my chances. Please, let’s go.”

“You can stay out here if you like. I’ll only be a minute. I’ll go around the other side and see if there’s an open door.”

Without waiting for an answer, Finn slowly began to make his way closer to the cabin. He watched the windows but didn’t see any movement. As he got closer he realized that didn’t mean anything. The windows were so dirty he wouldn’t be able to see through one even if his nose was pressed against it.

He edged around the cabin to get a view of the only door. It was at an unnatural height and there were no stairs leading up to it. It would take a big step to get up there, and that wasn’t even the most unsettling thing about it.

Right over the bleak-looking mismatched door, nailed unceremoniously between the roof’s apex and the entryway, was a rotting animal skull. It still had some meat on it and flies were buzzing around it in a frenzy. Finn stopped in his tracks and tried to make out what that creature might have been. Its two hollowed-out eye cavities stared ahead in perpetual shock.

A hand grabbed Finn’s upper arm hard. He nearly swung a fist before realizing it was Gabi.

“Whoa! It’s just me—What the . . .” She had noticed it. Finn figured it was probably a fox skull, or maybe a deer, based on the size.

“That is disgusting!” Gabi said. “Let’s leave, please. There won’t be anything we want in here. This is the scariest place I’ve ever seen.

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