Thursday, April 12, 2020
It started snowing an hour into their drive, and an hour before they arrived. They turned right and drove slowly down the long winding driveway lined with dense tall pine trees that veered off the main road and down a steep hill. When the lodge came into view it stood tall and wide amongst the trees, a large lake visible behind it. The trees, the lodge, and the lake looked almost fake behind the heavily falling snow. The lodge was made of dark red wood, and had rows and rows of large windows flanked with dark green shutters.
The car pulled into a roundabout that brought them to a large front entrance.
“I’ll go check us in,” Mack’s mom said, climbing out of the passenger seat.
The girls looked at each other. None of them had imagined their mom’s stayed anywhere so grand for Girls Weekends. They’d spoken of small houses, cabins, a couple of times they even stayed in a decked out RV. This looked like a hotel out of a movie.
“Does anyone else think this looks like a horror movie?” Brie asked. They all nodded silently. Because while it was grand, and beautiful, it also seemed just a little too…quiet.
Mack’s mom returned to the car with two teenage boys in uniform. They helped unload the bags and brought them inside.
“Sounds like a lot of groups canceled because of the snow,” Scout said, grabbing her own bag. “We might have this whole place to ourselves!”
The girls exchanged looks.
“Come on girls,” Grace said over her shoulder from the driver’s seat. “I promise there will be no serial killers here.” She got out and handed her keys to one of the boys that reappeared to park the car.
They walked into the lobby and stopped. Two large staircases stood on either side of the front desk and led up to what appeared to be a ballroom. Behind the front desk there was a restaurant, bar, multiple fireplaces, and a wall of glass. The lake beyond the windows was still frozen and now had a layer of new white snow on top.
“Holy crap,” Mack whispered.
“My boss has been coming here with his family since he was a kid,” Scout was telling the other moms.
“Your parents must be rich,” Brie whispered. “Or it’s just really cheap because it’s haunted or something.”
*****
They were given the Spruce Suite at the end of the north wing of the lodge. It was a two-story suite. The girls walked in behind their moms, eyes wide. There was a large kitchen, living room with a huge TV and fireplace, and dining room with windows all around. The windows to the left looked out at dense forest while the windows straight ahead revealed a patio with a bonfire, hot tub, and couches. Beyond that was a trail of about 100 yards that led to Lake Carlos.
Off of the living room, were two bedrooms with king size beds, and private bathrooms.
“Girls, you get the upstairs,” Scout said and the moms took their bags into the two rooms downstairs.
The girls walked upstairs and found themselves in a hallway. There was an entrance to one large bedroom with a king size bed and private bathroom to the right, another identical room to the left. The hallway continued and opened up so the girls could see the large open space downstairs. At the end of the hall, they turned right and found another small living room with a couch and leather chairs, another fireplace and TV, and a small kitchenette with a little refrigerator, microwave, and countertop. There was balcony that lined the entire back of the upstairs and faced the lake. It had couches, outside heaters, and had a staircase that led directly down to the patio. In their own living room, the girls could barely hear the loud laughter of their moms downstairs.
“This is crazy,” Hannah said, looking around. “How did we get this place?”
It’s time to vote which way this story will go next! Voting will be open until 5pm (CST) on Friday, April 24. A new chapter will drop on Monday, April 27!
CARRIE MONROE O'KEEFE 