Pooling Heat

  "What? O-oh, oh yeah. I'm coming," I stuttered. I followed after her and we met the others a half mile down the trail. We made it back to the lodge just before sundown.

  I paused at the corner of the building and glanced back at the trails. A gentle wind blew through the trees and their shadows waved toward me as though beckoning me to come. I almost did, but Anna tugged on my arm and I reluctantly followed her inside.

  Chapter 3

  We had dinner served to us by Chiniki at a circular table in the dining hall off the right side of the lobby. It was a lonely affair with only our small group in the large dining hall. Tiffany scooted her chair close to Tom and leaned against him as her eyes flitted about the empty room. "Why do you think nobody else is here?" she whispered to us.

  "Maybe Chiniki murdered everyone else and sold off their cars," Anna suggested.

  Tiffany scowled at her. "That's not funny. This place gives me the creeps enough without your stupid explanations."

  "Hey, they're not stupid if you're paranoid," Anna countered.

  "That's enough, both of you," Tom scolded them. "I'm sure there's a reason why we're the only ones."

  "Yeah, everyone else was murdered," Anna repeated.

  "A reasonable explanation," he rephrased. "Just let me ask Chiniki about it, okay?" Tom brought up that subject with Chiniki when he came with dessert. "I don't mean to pry, but where is everyone?" he wondered.

  "You are the last guests I allowed this season," Chiniki revealed.

  "But it's barely Fall. Don't you have people wanting to come up here to see the trees?" Tom asked him.

  "Yes, but the gathering is coming, and I do not want anyone interfering with the spirits," he explained.

  "Gathering? You mean the prayer time for your people?" Alex spoke up.

  "Yes, exactly. While my people no longer come to the mountain the spirits are still here and do not wish for visitors to interfere with the prayer time," Chiniki replied.

  "So that's why we can only stay two more nights after this one?" Tom guessed.

  "Yes. Then it is the prayer time and no one will be allowed on the mountain. If you will excuse me." Chiniki shuffled off with our dirty plates.

  Tiffany leaned heavier against Tom. "He scares me worse than this lonely room," she whispered.

  "He's just a little protective over the lands of his ancestors. There's nothing scary about that," Alex argued.

  Clarisse gripped his arm. "I think I agree with Tiffany. This place is getting spookier by the minute."

  "It's just because it's dark. You'll feel better about it when there's sun coming through the windows," Tom told them. "Anyway, we've booked rooms for the next three nights, so let's use them to get some rest for tomorrow's hike."

  We finished our dessert and went upstairs to our rooms. Anna plopped down on her bed, but the dinner's talk about spirits and being alone spooked me. I walked over to the window that faced the side of the lodge and looked out on the trails. The sky was cloudy and everything outside was covered in a blackness so thick I could barely see the ground below the window.

  "What do you think of Chiniki's talk about spirits?" I asked Anna.

  "Just a bunch of talk," she nonchalantly replied. "Why?"

  I shrugged and turned to find her laying on her side staring at me. "I don't know. He believes it."

  "That's no reason we should," she argued. "Besides, he's crazy for not letting people up here during Fall. He's losing a lot of money doing that."

  I walked over and sat down on my bed on the side facing her bed. "Maybe it's more important than money," I countered.

  Anna rolled over and raised an eyebrow. "You're really bothered by all this, aren't you?" she wondered.

  "I don't know, it's just-well, I've been feeling a lot of strange things since we got here," I told her.

  "You mean the strange heating system problems? I'm sure it's just this old place," she consoled me.

  "I felt the same thing at the top of the trail. That's why I stopped and turned around," I revealed.

  She frowned and sat up. "What kind of feeling is it?" she asked me.

  "Like a soft hand touching my cheeks," I replied.

  A devilish grin spread across her lips and she wagged her eyebrows. "Maybe you're just discovering boys," she playfully suggested.

  I threw a pillow at her, but she caught it. "You know I've known about boys for a long time," I argued.

  "Ah, but have you really known a boy?" she pointed out.

  "No, but that's just because I just haven't found the right one," I countered.

  "Uh-huh, or maybe it's because you're too shy. You need to be more adventurous," Anna scolded me.

  "Um, no. Being adventurous with guys makes babies, and I'm not quite ready for that," I argued.

  Anna sighed and rolled onto her back. "It doesn't have to make babies, but I guess I see what you mean," she replied. She furrowed her face. "Still, I think you could be more fun. It's not like everything risky has bad consequences," she pointed out.

  "No, just what you suggest," I teased.

  "Hey, I resemble that!" she replied. She sat up and threw back my pillow.

  I caught it with my face and tossed it onto the head of my bed. "How about we resemble sleeping people right now? I'm kind of tired."

  "All right, spoil a perfectly good chance at an epic pillow fight," Anna sulked, but she slid under her covers and was out before I shut off the bedroom light.

  I lay down on my bed and stared at the white ceiling. Maybe she was right, may I wasn't very adventurous, but adventurous stuff didn't happen to me, and I sure as hell wasn't going to go look for them. Maybe by the time I was eighty an adventure would find me. Then I could rub it in Anna's own wrinkled face. I slipped into sleep with those strange thoughts drifting through my head.

  Morning wakeup call was performed by Anna with accompaniment provided by her taking my pillow out from under my head and tearing the covers off. I blinked through the bright light and glared at her. "Do you mind?" I growled.

  "Nope, now get up. Tom was just by and said breakfast was ready and after that Chiniki would take us up the trail, "she told me.

  "All right, all right," I agreed. I sat up, scratched my back, and shuffled into my clothes.

  We met the others downstairs in the dining hall, and in a half hour food was eaten and we were snug in our hiking jackets ready for a brisk hike. Chiniki led us outside and to the right-hand path. He stopped at the head of the trail and turned to our little group.

  "Do any of you have a cellphone or camera?" he asked us. We all shook our heads, and Alex half-turned to show off his backpack in which was his pencil and pad. "I must warn you that the trail after the first mile becomes very steep until we reach the Sacred Pool for which the lodge is named," he explained.

  "Isn't the Sacred Pool some sort of hot spring?" Alex wondered.

  "Yes, but no one is allowed to bathe in these pools. They are for the spirits. Now if you will follow me." Chiniki turned and guided us up the path.

  He wasn't kidding about the path getting steeper after the mile we traveled yesterday. Even being semi-experienced hikers we huffed and puffed our way up the trail that zigged and zagged through the trees. We left sight of the lodge at the first zig, and I lost my direction at the fifth zag. The trees were so thick and full of shadows that I couldn't tell in which direction sat the sun. Even Tom was worried as I watched his head turn from one side of the path to the other trying to find his way.

  "Is this safe?" Tom asked Chiniki.

  "Yes, so long as you remain with me," Chiniki warned us.

  Our one compensation was the path was very distinct. There was never a spot where we doubted where it lay. We traveled through the darkness for a few miles until the path opened to reveal a rock-filled crossroads. The trees parted to let in some natural light for us to see our way without squinting. In front of us was a path that wound its way through ferns and broad-leaf plants, and moss covered the ground to create a luscious, w
et carpet. To our left was a steep path filled with rocks and covered in dust. I hoped our way led forward, but Chiniki turned to the left.

  "Where does that path go?" Tiffany wondered as she pointed at the forward path.

  "That goes to the Sacred Pool. We will not go there," he told us.

  "Why not?" Clarisse spoke up. She took a step toward the path, but Chiniki hurried to block her way. Clarisse stumbled back into Alex's arms.

  "No one is allowed there. Only the spirits and chosen women have traveled that path," he explained.

  "Chosen women?" Tom repeated.

  "Yes. Long ago when the meeting time took place there would be selected among them a virgin woman who would travel to the Pool as a bride for the spirit of the water. The spirit provides all the life in these woods, and thus was held very sacred. We shall not defile the path," he insisted.

  "But it looks like someone uses it," Tiffany argued.

  "That is the spirits going to wash themselves. No humans other than the chosen women have ever been there. Now come, there are still many miles to-" A breeze blew down the wet path and swept over us. My eyes widened when I recognized the hot air as what I'd experienced the day before. Chiniki gasped and whipped his head up at the sky. His body trembled and he stumbled through us back from where we'd come. "We must leave at once!" he ordered us.

  "What? But we haven't seen the meeting place!" Alex protested.

  Chiniki's voice was full of fear and panic. "I will lead you no farther. Come!"

  Chapter 4

  He fled down the path and without our guide we didn't have any other choice but to follow him back. We hurried after him and as we raced down the path the wind picked up. Leaves blew into our faces and the chill soaked through our coats to chill us to the bone. The shadows between the trees lengthened and darkened as clouds blocked the sun. Even with the storm brewing we made record time back to the front of the lodge. All of us were out of breath, even Chiniki, and he leaned against one of the front doors. The wind tore at our clothing, but we couldn't get past Chiniki to go inside.

  "What was. . .that about?" Tom asked Chiniki.

  "The. . .the spirit has. . .has been awakened. I must. . .must ask that you leave right now," he requested.

  A powerful gust blew by and Alex's glasses were nearly torn off his face. "Right now? With this storm? You must be mad," he commented.

  "No, I must insist," Chiniki repeated.

  Thunder boomed overhead and lightning split the sky. Day turned to night, and we turned into popsicles. Matters weren't helped when we were pelted by a sleet of rain that would have worried Noah.

  "We can't drive through a storm like this. The road might wash out," Tom persisted.

  "Please let us stay until tomorrow. It might be clear then," Tiffany pleaded.

  Chiniki frowned and looked from one female face to the other. I swear his eyes lingered on me before he looked to Tom. "You can stay if none of the women are virgins," he told him.

  Tom choked on a mocking laugh. "What? Are you serious?" he asked the old man.

  "You will not stay here if any of them are virgins," Chiniki replied. He turned to us. "Are any of you virgins?"

  I opened my mouth to give a truthful reply, but Anna jabbed me in the side and sweetly smiled at Chiniki. "None of us are innocent," she assured the man.

  "You are sure?" he persisted.

  "Yes, now can we please go inside before we're drowned?" Anna pleaded.

  Chiniki frowned, but opened the doors and led us inside. We sighed in relief and sloshed off our coats and shoes. I swear I dumped a gallon of water and two fish out of my boots. Chiniki stood close by watching we females as though we would magically change from un-virgin to virgin in front of his eyes.

  "Well, thanks for letting us inside. Mind if we sit by the fire?" Tom requested as he nodded toward the hearth and its crackling warmth.

  "No, but you must go tomorrow. I will compensate you for the lost night," Chiniki told us.

  "That's fine. We'll leave tomorrow," Tom agreed. He sloshed over to the fire, but I grabbed Anna's hand and pulled her toward the stairs.

  "We'll change into dry clothes first," I told them. I dragged my roommate along to our room and shut the door firmly behind us. "What are you thinking?" I hissed at her.

  "If you're meaning about lying to that guy, first, I didn't lie, and second, it got us out of that rain," she pointed out.

  I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at her. "How wasn't that lying?" I wondered.

  "I said none of us was innocent, and that's true. You're a virgin, but not innocent," she countered.

  I rolled my eyes. "So you used semantics to get us inside?"

  "Yep, whatever that means, and I'm damn proud of getting us inside out of that rain. Besides, if this keeps up then we'll have to build an ark to get back to the road." A peel of thunder interrupted our conversation. "Geez, what a storm. I've never seen anything come up so fast."

  "Neither have I. Let's get down to the others before the electricity goes out," I instructed her.

  We changed into dry clothes and met the others by the fire. Everyone else had taken the time during our conversation to also change clothes so we were dry and creeped out sitting there in front of the flickering flames.

  Tiffany glanced at Tom with narrowed eyes. "Still think this place isn't creepy?" she questioned him.

  Tom rolled his eyes. "It's just a storm. By the way it's blowing I'd say it's going to be done by midnight," he argued.

  "So what do we do until then?" Clarisse wondered.

  "We wait it out and try to amuse ourselves," he suggested.

  It was a really long day. We played cards, charades, hide-and-seek, go-fish, and every other conceivable game that didn't require outdoors, large amounts of people, and much equipment. After dinner we repaired to our rooms to sleep the rest of the day away. By that time the storm was letting up. There was no more rain, and a mild wind even promised to blow the clouds away so the moon could shine over the lodge and woods.

  I didn't notice Anna hadn't followed me until I reached our room. I glanced down the hall and didn't see any sign of her, so I stepped inside and slipped over to my bed. The room was quiet and cold, and I wrapped the top sheet around my clothed self. I was as snug as a burrito when the door to my room opened and Anna hurried in. She shut the door and sailed over the floor to plop down on her bed. Anna looked to me and waved a book above her head. "Look what I found," she cooed.

  "I thought you were allergic to those things," I teased from my cocoon.

  "Not this one. I found it in the lobby and it has the story about that maiden sacrifice," she told me.

  That got my attention, and I sat up. "What does it say?" I asked her.

  Anna plopped the book down in front of her and opened to one of the chapters. She pressed her finger to the pages and summarized the paragraphs. "Says here that a maiden, that means a virgin, was chosen by the elders from all the tribes that came to that meeting. The girl was given all sorts of pretty clothes and jewelery, and on the first night of the meeting she was escorted to the crossroads we got up to, the one with the wet path," she explained. "Then the maiden climbed the trail alone until she reached the pool where she removed her clothing and swam to the seat."

  "Seat?" I repeated.

  Anna shrugged. "That's what it says. Anyway, the spirit would come to her, they'd have sex, and the maiden would come down as his wife. Every year until she died she'd go up the trail and see her husband, and she'd be worshiped by the tribes for the rest of her life." She slammed shut the book and grinned from ear to ear. "Sounds like a pretty comfy living, doesn't it? Well, except for that fact that spirits really don't exist, so the women wouldn't really be getting any sex."

  "I'm not sure I see where you're getting at by telling me this story," I commented.

  She sat up, and I didn't like the excited look on her face. "Don't you see? This is your chance to do something exciting in your life!"

  "By doing
what?" I persisted.

  "By going up there and seeing if that spirit is really there," she told me.

  My mouth dropped open. "Are you nuts?" I exclaimed. I waved my hand in the direction of the trail. "After all this rain and in the dark?"

  Anna jumped off her bed, jumped onto mine, and clasped our hands together. "Come on, now's your time to do something adventurous before you're stuck in boring old college for four years!" she argued.

  "Why don't you go and tell me all about it?" I suggested.

  Anna rolled her eyes. "It won't work with me because I'm not a maiden, but you are," she pointed out. She squeezed my hands and looked into my face with her famous puppy-dog eyes. My heart sank. I was going to lose this argument. "Come on, Trish, it'll be fun. Just the two of us and a spirit who wants to make out with you."

  I sighed and nodded my head. She squealed and hugged me, but I pulled her off and gave her a stern look. "I think if we're going to do something this stupid we should tell the others," I told her.

  "Hell no. If we told Alex he'd say we were committing sacrilege-"

  "Which we are," I pointed out.

  "-and Tom would convince us not to do anything that stupid," she finished.

  "Which we are," I repeated.

  "Stop worrying! We'll take some flashlights and a lantern I saw in the lobby. I'll wait for you at the crossroads, and when you're done at the pool you come right back down," she instructed.

  "Why do I get the feeling this won't end well?" I muttered.

  "That's just the fear talking, but let's hurry up. According to this book the ceremony usually took place around midnight, and we have a long hike ahead of us," Anna reminded me.

  Chapter 5

  A long hike indeed, what with our stumbling over every root and broken branch on the trail. Our one consolation was the canopy was so thick that the dust hadn't turned to mud but just wet dirt. Anna led the way with the kerosene lamp in one hand and a flashlight in the other. Both lights cast eerie shadows across the trunks of the trees and I stayed close to her heels. The breeze that has promised to blow away the clouds had succeeded, and the world was awash in a creepy mix of darkness and light.

  We reached the crossroads fifteen minutes short of midnight. I still had the unknown hike up the wet path. We stood at the mouth of the ferny trail and stared up its winding way. There was no sign of the pool.