Cottage Creep - Chapter 4
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Tom woke early just as the sun was breaking on the horizon.
Although he could not see the horizon because of the trees, the
occasional spot of bright light on the wall in formed him that the sun
was indeed up. He set up a coffee pot on a propane stove, and a pot
of water beside it. As the water warmed, he searched the house for
signs of anyone who may be been there the night before. After finding
no signs, he returned to the kitchen and sponge bathed with the warm
water. The coffee perked and he watched for the tale-tale signs of
dark fluid bubbling up inside the glass knob.
After it finally reached a satisfactory color, he poured a cup
and savored the smell. Next he fried up some bacon in an iron
skillet, and save the grease to fry a couple of eggs. Last, he made
skillet toast and enjoyed his first breakfast in his newly established
residence. All in all, a fine start for the day, and Tom was feeling
great. After finishing cleaning up, he strolled outside for some
fresh air, and was surprised at the appearance of the place. It was
like the place had somehow changed during the night. It looked,
cleaner, or maybe just less depressed than when he had first seen it.
Perhaps the morning light was more flattering than the harsh evening
glare.
After a short work out, Tom reentered the kitchen and poured
more coffee. He again surveyed the rooms seeking an alternative
bedroom, keeping his promise to himself from the night before. He
settled on a front bedroom whose windows opened onto the front porch
on the front, and to the east side of the house on the other wall.
The morning sun would enter this window and essentially guarantee he
rose early each day.
After he cleaned this room to his satisfaction, he set about
cleaning the rest of the house. It took the entire day, but at the
end of it, he had swept every room, had pulled down all the sagging
wallpaper, and removed all the dangling ceiling tiles. While he had
cleaned the rooms upstairs, he had noticed several distressed places
in the roof over the porch and had decided to inspect the rest of the
roof the next day. An opening in the ceiling above on of the upstairs
bedrooms had hinted at access to the upper areas of the house, and he
decided that this would be his starting point for the next day.
He made a quick meal and decided that he needed a smoker so
that he could do a bit better for himself in the meal department. Tom
sat down and made a list in a tablet under the light of a kerosene
lantern for a shopping spree the next day. He was going to need tools
as well as materials and he decided that tomorrow would be the first
of many shopping trips for the place. He would need to go back to his
parents house and retrieve a trailer to haul construction materials,
but he would wait for the weekend for that. There was plenty to keep
him busy for now, with smaller purchases.
He decided a generator would be a good thing to have, and
added that to his list. That way he could work later into the
evening. He wasn't sure though that lighting would be his only
challenge as he again realized how tired he had become. His decision
to select a downstairs bedroom had a good choice as he now felt simple
too tired to climb the stairs.
Tom entered the new bedroom and opened the one window that
still had an intact screen. He lay down and had almost fallen asleep
when he heard a noise someplace in the house. He got back up and
opened the door. "Hello? Hey, whoever you are, I would like to talk
with you in the morning. I could use some help here, and I would be
willing to pay you for it. I'd also offer food. Do you hear me?"
Still not getting an answer, he felt a bit embarrassed at his talking
to an old settling house. Still, he wedged a chair under the door
knob before he lay back down. He dreamed. He dreamed an odd dream
that he would not remember the next day. He would only remember that
it was odd, and pleasant, and he would try all day to remember the
details.. any details. He would only remember that it was an odd,
and pleasant dream.