One Night Echoes on (Tales From Deranged Mind's Winter's Whispers)

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One night echoes on

By Ray Bush

“You and the kids are going to love this place,” Lincoln was so happy to be bringing his family to this resort. The Balder Retreat had been popping up on Lincoln’s social media for over a year now. The more it popped up the more it made him want to come. He had even taken PTO for a day so he could come check it out for himself. It was only two seconds in the parking area before Lincoln was in love. 

He knew the rumors of The Echo Forest but the resort was only about three miles in. Lincoln figured they would be safe. The room he booked was the family suite which had a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and almost the entire south wall was glass. They would be able to spend nights watching nature. Lincoln spent the afternoon watching from the living room sofa. He saw some cool stuff, mostly birds and small animals but he thought the big stuff may come out at night. It was the most beautiful view he had ever viewed. For Meadow, his wife, who despite her name had never been east of the mountains. Lincoln knew she would be in complete awe and so would his three kids. The oldest Parker went fishing with Lincoln around twenty times in his twelve years. However, his nine year old daughter Nova and the five year old Brody were like their mom. They didn’t really care much about nature.

Meadow didn’t want to go for Halloween, she didn’t want the kids to miss trick or treating. She agreed after Lincoln showed her the ad for the Halloween event at the resort. There would be a kids party as well as trick or treating between the twenty five cabins. Meadow loved the scenery away from their home as they drove through this canyon, she loved the long gone first canyon just as much. They passed a town by the name of Torrey that looked to be abandoned for years. She did think she saw a young child in a window, but there couldn’t have been a lone child surviving in a ghost town. She was glad that there was a road to the east of the town, she wouldn’t have wanted to cruise that place and down hell’s main street. Lincoln told her that it only snowed there once in the history of the town. 

The ride was the most magical for Meadow when they turned off the paved road onto a dirt one. It was like driving through a fantasy forest in late autumn. The trees were still bright with oranges, reds, and yellows. The lightly snow dusted ground had bright green grass dotted with red, yellow and purple flowers. Lincoln never saw grass that bright or flowers in full bloom with snow on the ground. But he was no nature expert, the only time he spent days in nature was during the warm months. Lincoln pulled over just outside the view of the resort so he could blindfold the family. He wanted to see all their faces when they saw this place. He could tell it made them more excited, now it was like a secret adventure.

His family was standing in the lot blindfolded on stomachs almost gurgling with anticipation. “Alright,” Lincoln told his family, “You can take them off.” They removed their mask almost in unison, it was close enough, then all gasped a gasp that Isaac would have been proud of. 

The retreat looked old almost to the point of being considered ancient. Everything looked as beautiful as Lincoln remembered and he could tell that Meadow was stunned in amazement. She only got to see places like this on TV. The cabin was about the size of a small hotel, that was the only comparison. Meadow had never seen a small hotel, or any hotel for that matter, as beautiful as this place. The dark wood and large windows gave the place an ominous feel. The front double doors were large and above it was a triangle window. A monster elk head could be seen through the glass of the triangle. The family stood in stunned silence of the beautiful, horrifying, magnificent retreat. 

“What do you think, kids?” Lincoln asked, all three kids and Meadow heard the excitement hiding behind every word. He sensed their nervousness, “I know it looks scary but that’s just cause it’s old,” He said, “Trust me, you’re going to love this place.” He ruffled Brody’s hair, gave Nova a squeeze, then put his arm around Parker, “Let’s go kids.”

The family walked in the door, Lincoln held it for everyone like he always did. The lobby was large and lit with several large chandeliers made from deer or elk antlers, Lincoln couldn’t tell which. There was a wide assortment of taxidermied animals decorating the lobby. There were badgers, skunks, foxes, squirrels, coyotes, and a massive bear standing in the corner. There was even a fake bigfoot. Also lighting the room were several rifle lamps. Four leather lounge chairs surrounded several coffee tables, in the center of each coffee table was a pistol lamp. There were more taxidermied animal heads decorating the walls. Some bighorn sheep, a bunch of deer, a few elk, and a very large bison. Also there were an assortment of fish that joined the animal heads. Lincoln loved this place.

“Welcome to the Balder Retreat,” A woman’s voice said from behind the counter to the right. On the wall above and behind her was a mega sized moose. The eyes seemed to be looking right into Lincoln’s mind. “My name’s Sadie. How can I help you folks”

The family walked to the counter with Meadow in the lead and Lincoln pointing out the different animals to the kids. The kids seemed a little leary but enjoying themselves for the most part. “Hi Sadie,” Meadow said as she reached the counter. “I’m meadow, we have a reservation for the Ryz… Is it Ryzard?” Meadow showed a smiling Sadie her phone.

“Ah yes,” Sadie answered, “Don’t worry it’s a weird name to look at. Meadow got a genuine good vibe from Sadie, “You must be the Kane family.”

“Yes,” Brody spoke loud like five year olds are known to do, “My name’s Brody Kane.” The family chuckled and Sadie smiled wide at the cute young boy. 

“Well aren’t you just the cutest thing Brody Kane,” Sadie said and the young boy blushed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Realizing he was now the center of attention Brody got hugely embarrassed. He ducked halfway behind his dad’s legs. “Oh no,” Sadie was now embarrassed herself, “I’m sorry sweetheart.”

Lincoln and Meadow both took a few minutes to reassure Sadie that she did nothing wrong. Brody even got comfortable enough to give Sadie a hug. That made her feel better. Sadie led the family out of the backdoor of the lodge and down a narrow path that passed three empty cabins. The trial was thick with trees and decorated with skeletons, spiderwebs, jack-o-lanterns, and an assortment of various Halloween decorations. Meadow said nothing but Lincoln did hear her gasp when she saw each.

“I don’t know if it’s because I'm excited or what, but each cabin gets more beautiful,” Meadow said and Sadie agreed. Lincoln’s heart filled with delight watching his family fall in love with this retreat. 

Then the biggest and most beautiful cabin yet came into view, Meadow let out a fresh gasp. “Yeah,” Sadie said, “We get that a lot. This is our Utah famous Ryzard cabin.” 

It was a single level but very long and had more windows than any house Meadow had ever seen. The windows were the exact things that drew Lincoln to this place. He really wanted his wife and two younger children to see some wildlife. They took the kids to the zoo but that’s not the same as seeing wild animals that have to fight to live almost every single day. Like most families the kids had too much screen time, and if he were being honest he as well as Meadow also enjoyed too much screen time. 

Sadie took them in and gave them a short tour. There were only six rooms. Both the parents and kids would have their own bedroom as well as their own bathroom. Then there was the kitchen and living room. Meadow couldn’t remember the last time she saw a six room house/living space that had zero TV’s. The walls were covered in plaques and paintings in a similar style as Greek or Roman murals. The only walls that were empty were the glass walls. All of them featured the same man. The plaques named him Ryzard, which made sense because they were in his cabin. The kids hung back in their room with their four chairs surrounding a children’s play table, and an assortment of board games. Parker also found several hundred piece puzzles. Lincoln could hear his kids laughing and choosing beds. Brody called the bottom bunk so Nova would sleep on the top that meant Parker would get the other bunk bed to himself. 

“Who’s he?”Lincoln was looking at a picture of Ryzard on the edge of a beautiful lake of dark blue water holding a sword and spear. The full moon hung over the forest on the far side of the lake and reflected in the water. In front of him were two things coming out of the water, they looked demonic. 

“That’s Ryzard,” Sadie answered with a kind voice and a genuine smile. She seemed to really enjoy her job, one of the lucky few. “That one shows the time he banished two demons from The Echo Forest. It begins tragically like most stories following a hero. There’s legend after legend of this guy. You should look him up online. Echo Forest legend tells Ryzard as one of the greatest men to ever wander this land. They are some amazing stories.” Lincoln thought they sounded interesting and agreed he would look them up. 

Lincoln tried to tip Sadie as she exited the room but she refused, her pay was more than enough and even if it wasn’t she got to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. She left the family to begin to enjoy their vacation. Lincoln followed his wife to the kids room where they both watched them lovingly while the kids laughed and played. Lincoln put his arm around his wife and kissed the side of her head. Lincoln wished he could live in the moment for the rest of his life and beyond. Right here was heaven. The wall facing south was all window broken only by thin support dividers.The forest beyond was thick and probably a twenty yards away. 

The couple left the kids to unpack while they went back to the master bedroom. Meadow didn’t get a good look, she was talking to Sadie, like women tend to do. Meadow’s mouth dropped when she really looked at the room. The bed was king sized, which made sense from the little bit she knew about Ryzard. The posts were at least ten feet tall and made of thick tree trunks. The hardwood floor was polished to perfection making it a beautiful floor. When you added in the glass wall facing south looking into the forest, this place really was heavenly. She could have done without the fish mounted on the wall but they would not stop her from loving this place. 

“Oh my god Lincoln,” Lincoln could tell she was nearly breathless. “This is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Like it’s not even close.” She turned and almost fell into her husband's arms then kissed him passionately. It was the most passionate kiss they shared for probably years. She pulled away so she could look into his brown eyes with her teary blue ones. “Thank you for this. I think we both needed this vacation.”

“You’re welcome baby,” Lincoln almost teared up himself, “You’re right for sure, our lives definitely needed a reset. 

The couple was going through a rough patch for about the last year. Nothing that would end them, but they fought more in the last year than their whole marriage previous. Lincoln was feeling like Meadow was nitpicking everything that he did. Meadow felt like Lincold had become distant and more easily angered. Like so many times each thought their issue was caused by the issue they had with the other. Lincoln knew he was more easily angered but it was because Meadow kept nitpicking everything he did. But she was nitpicking because she never knew what was going on because he was so distant. They both knew it would end eventually. Divorce was not even a thought with these two. The rough patch was just dragging on longer than both wanted. Lincoln hoped more than anything this weekend would be just what they needed to end the nonsense and get back to loving every second with each other. 

Lincoln squeezed her hand then pulled her close so he could give her a kiss on the forehead. “I love you so much Meadow,” Lincoln said as she buried her face in his chest. “We’re gonna be ok baby, I promise,” Then he kissed the top of her head. Three tears that Lincoln would never see leaked from Meadow’s eyes and soaked into his shirt.

“I love you too,” Meadow said back and in that moment neither ever meant it more. Both got butterflies in their stomachs.

The rest of the afternoon was lost to the sounds of the happiest family in the world. First the family went to the small park and played an amazing game of tag. Somehow this forest felt magical, like a natural high. After tag Meadow sat on the park bench under her husband’s right arm and watched the kids play on the all purpose toy. Nova ran across the bouncy bridge being chased by a squealing Brody. Parker was swinging in the background across the monkey bars. Lastly, the kids swang on the swings next to one another. Dad went back and forth between two swings pushing Nova then Parker while Meadow pushed Brody who was still squealing. Sadie stood unseen in the shadows next to her boyfriend standing by her side. 

The family went back to the cabin and waited for the snowfall to start, well the news forecast said snow. The few clouds visible from the clearing did look like snow clouds. The first snow began to fall nearly a full hour later just as dinner was about to start. Lincoln always loved when the snow began to fall. The flakes were hard to see but glittered like glitter as they fell. Sadie dropped off their dinner and made sure the family was comfortable. The kids watched in wonder as the flakes grew while they shared a pan of the best mac and cheese the kids have ever eaten. That was high praise because those three loved mac and cheese. Meadow ate smothered chicken with a baked potato covered in butter and sourcream. Lincoln devoured a steak and the side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Both parents agreed with the kids, this was amazing. 

The kids moved to the couch and the parents to the lounge chairs looking at the wall sized window. The flakes slowly grew in size and became more dense. The snow on the ground was accumulating quickly, the kids were loving every minute. Not one person in the family missed any of their screens or electronics. This scene looked to be painted by the hand of a god. That’s when the dimming evening took a beautifully terrifying turn. A massive black wolf stepped out of the treeline looking majestic. Lincoln had no idea that wolves could get as big as this one, it was nearly the size of the bear. The dark eyes pierced into Lincoln’s soul. Large flakes fell on the black coat as the wolf approached the glass. 

The wolf reached the glass, somehow Meadow could sense the creature's supreme intelligence. It looked at the family from oldest to youngest then fixed its gaze on Brody. Drool began to drip from the bottom jaw as it growled low. Tears filled Brody’s eyes but he was too afraid to make a sound. As the wolf looked into Brody’s soul it started licking the glass. Its tongue was enormous and its teeth were massive. The rest of the family was uncomfortable by the scene but was still stunned in amazement. The wolf took three steps back then let out a long beautiful howl. It was loud and majestic. Only moments after the howl echoed away five more, almost as large, black wolves entered the clearing. They slowly approached so they could join their pack leader. Usually the largest wolf was the leader. 

They all matched with their perfectly shiny black coats. The snow falling and accumulating on the ground mixed with the beautiful forest as a backdrop was the most amazing scene Lincoln had ever seen. Then Lincoln really looked at the one on the far left. That one looked wild. The fur was more matted and more gray as well as some patches of hair were missing. If the wolves were a hockey team, that wolf had to be the enforcer. Without warning it jumped into the glass with a loud thud. The whole family jumped. They were all becoming more uneasy. The other four began to howl while the wild wolf chirped and barked. Neither the pack leader or the wild wolf’s eyes never left Brody. The howls were not quite in sync. Lincoln had never seen anything so amazing, even considering the mild fear. The others continued howling, Brody’s heart was nearly pounding out of his chest. Meadow moved to sit next to her baby boy, the pack leader watched her intensely. The wild wolf pawed the glass using alternating paws, the long nails scratched the glass like nails on a chalkboard. Parker and Nova both covered their ears. After a good minute the wild wolf gave up pawing on the glass and began to lick it. His dark eyes never left Brody. Brody could no longer contain himself, he belted out a loud cry. 

Then suddenly everything stopped. The wolves stopped howling, the wild wolf stopped licking, and Brody stopped crying. All five wolves looked at Brody like he was their next meal. Meadow even thought she saw the pack leader’s lips curl slightly, like it was smiling. The moment seemed to linger for several minutes. Finally the alpha let out one more long beautiful howl. It slowly turned and walked back into the forest. His pack followed except for the wild one. That one held its eyes on Brody for a moment longer and let out a quick bark before it turned to follow the rest.