Grim Hill: Forest of Secrets by Linda DeMeulemeester

Author:Linda DeMeulemeester
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: MIDDLE GRADE
Publisher: Grim Hill Press
Published: 2013-10-20T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16 - A Foreboding Discovery

A SKELETAL TREE stood outside the dilapidated cabin. One branch’s long twig fingers tapped a haunting rhythm against the grime-covered window. Another branch swayed in the wind, beckoning us inside with its ghostly wave.

“This place looks haunted.” Skeeter slowed his approach.

We all slid to a stop outside the cabin’s darkened door, not enthusiastic about entering, not daring to remain outdoors while the wolves howled. Surely, inside would be safer. I reached out and grabbed an old-fashioned handle made of twisted iron.

“It’s locked,” I said.

“Are you sure?” Clive tried the latch, and while the handle rattled, the door didn’t give. “It’s stuck,” he said. “Mitch, Jasper, help me push.”

The three of them heaved the door, and though Clive didn’t think to include us, Amarjeet, Mia, and I began kicking the wood. It finally creaked open with a scratching groan, which was every bit as horrible as the sound chalk makes when it screeches down the blackboard.

“Uh, ladies first?” Clive peered cautiously inside the cabin.

“Glad I’m not a lady,” I shot back, even though I knew he was joking. We stepped inside the cabin together.

An old rusty wood stove stood in one corner of a large room. Beside the stove was a tottering wooden table surrounded by three chairs, all with broken slats. The table was set with a plate, mug, knife, and fork. The mug and plate were probably white once, but the grunge of undisturbed years had turned the enamel a dingy gray.

An iron bed was shoved against a wall and its tattered quilt had disintegrated over time. The pine board floor was coated with an inch of dust. My allergies kicked in and I let out a sneeze.

“Gesundheit,” Clive said automatically.

Rickety winding stairs led up to a loft, but it was too dark to see what was up there. Gingerly, Clive and I stepped inside, as the others followed. I let out another sneeze. Old has a smell: musty and corrupt. This place stank of something ancient.

“Whoever lived here sure left in a hurry,” Clive said, pushing ahead of me and lifting an old-fashioned coffee pot from the stove.

The bottom of the pot had burnt through and ashes scattered over the stove as soon as Clive moved it. Someone had planned to drink a nice cup of coffee, but never got the chance to pour it. For some reason, this made me shudder.

Toward the back of the cabin there was a large window, but it was covered with gray, ragged curtains that hung like cobwebs. For a second I wondered why anyone needed curtains – the place was in the middle of a forest where there was hardly any sunlight ...

“What if we stay here,” Amanda said. “We could clean up a little. If we could light a fire in the stove, we’d be set for the night.”

“And maybe rescuers will spot this place or maybe they already know about this cabin in the woods and they’ll look for us here,” Mia added hopefully.

It didn’t look like anyone knew about the place to me.

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