The Farmhouse

*Sensitive topics: Mentions of death, implied murder, implied abuse

2015. That was the best summer of Amelia’s life.

Sitting on her porch beneath the gentle warmth of the spring sun, she cannot help but reminisce about the fateful season three years ago. Not only does a slight smile creep onto her face as she reflects on those cherished memories, but she can’t help but feel growing excitement for the summer waiting just beyond the horizon.

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She had just met Ryan, a handsome 23-year-old traveling the Appalachian Trail for the first time. Amelia was restocking the shelves of a tiny hiker resupply store that her dad owned right on the trail's edge in Monson, Maine. It wasn't much, but the store offered one final oasis before the grueling 100-mile stretch of rough terrain leading to the next town. She had seen many come and go, but there was something about Ryan that made her pause and watch him methodically browse the slim selection of ready-made dehydrated meals.

After a few moments of consideration and taking in his six-foot-one stature, she figured out what piqued her fascination. There is a quiet innocence that floats around him, which is a stark contrast to Amelia's bitterness. She decided to introduce herself and step out from behind the stock cart where she had been hiding.

“So let me guess, this is your first time?” Amelia playfully lets out while tapping him on the shoulder. This caused him to turn around at the speed of a trained Navy SEAL, revealing a startled look on his face.

“Is it that obvious?” He chuckled once he saw who appeared to be the harmless stock girl.

“Yeah, usually our regulars make a beeline straight to the Beef Stroganoff dinners. They're the only ones worth eating.” Amelia lets out while reaching for the mentioned meal. “Here, I would take the rest of these,” she stated while handing them to the man next to her. The pair’s hands lingered just a second longer than they should have, prompting him to take the bait.

“My name is Ryan, what's yours?” He exclaimed.

“Amelia. This is my dad's store, so I help out when I can.” She said while breaking eye contact and moving back to her cart. Amelia had felt her heart start to flutter faster; she had never made small talk with a man before. Growing up, she was always the awkward, shy girl who was never asked to braid anyone else's hair or play house.

Ryan just stood there and watched as she resumed stocking the depleted shelves, reversing the roles. It was like watching a painter work, seeing Amelia methodically placing fire-starting kits next to the long camp lighters he walked back over.

“ Well, which would you suggest?” he asked while pointing at the items placed on the shelf.

“Neither. If you are going to be serious about through hiking, you need to get a cooking system. It's just a small propane gas stove and a small cup, but it's perfect for the trail because fire isn't always guaranteed.” Amelia explains as she leads him to the aisle of all the trail cookware.

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This makes Amelia chuckle, bringing her out of her daydream, back onto her porch. There was no reason to try to sell an expensive cooking set-up to an inexperienced hiker, but after all, it was a business, and her dad needed the money. Her smile begins to fade as she thinks about her family. Amelia's dad is as good a father as any man could be. He works hard at his store, trying to make ends meet, especially during the off-season. It was just him and her. Now, Amelia's mom died about five years ago from brain cancer. Amelia can feel the joy of the past slipping through her fingers as a single tear falls as it’s warmed by the setting sun. Before she lets her mind wonder to much about her parents, she closes her eyes once again and reels the past back in, trying to remember the euphoria of that summer.

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“Well, I guess you are the expert here after all.” Ryan lets out a little more playfulness than usual. Amelia can sense her hooks sinking deeper, so she goes in for the set.

Amelia lightly grabs his arm as he reaches for the one hundred dollar stove, “If there is nothing else you need, I can go ahead and get you checked out. Maybe we can meet up for dinner before you head back out. There might be some tips and tricks I can share with you to make your journey a little easier.”

Ryan had never had any issues with women before. He has had plenty of girlfriends, but for some reason, the way Amelia grabbed his arm made a lump form in his throat. “Yeah, that would be great! Just let me know the time and place; I will be there!” He barely got out without stumbling over his words.

The pair made their way over to the register, where Ryan definitely overpaid for the items in his basket. After he swiped his card, Amelia quickly bagged up his future dinners as she tried to ignore his prying eyes. The old wood floor of the store creaked as Amelia shifted over the counter to hand Ryan his bag while the stale air stirred between them.

“Meet me back here at the store around eight tonight. I will take you to a lesser-known but special spot at the beginning of the trailhead. Make sure to bring your pack.” Amelia yelled out as she shuffled past Ryan and headed into the employees-only section of the store. She was gone before he could ask any questions, but he wasn't worried; the thrill of a new adventure clouded any hesitation he may have had.

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Ryan anxiously awaited outside the store. Between glances at his watch, he took in the scenery. The trail supply story is set nestled away from the rest of town in a small grove of trees and wildlife. It felt like its own little sanctuary; the store itself was in an old rustic cabin that had to be close to a hundred years old. Although the sun was setting, there was still a gentle warmth in the air, but there was a growing wind cutting through the trees. He looked down at his watch and said that the time read ten past eight.

He started to walk off when he heard a branch snap behind him. For the second time that day, he whipped around to see the shorter, dark-haired, stock girl standing behind him.

“You really need to stop doing that; you are going to give me a heart attack!” Ryan all but yelled with wide eyes.

That made Amelia smirk, “You can count on that.”

Ryan thought that was an odd reply, but didn't give too much thought because of the beautiful girl standing in front of him.

After a few minutes of small talk and Ryan gushing about how he feels like he is one with nature when he is on the trail, Amelia finally jumped in. “We only have a little bit of daylight left; we should get going, only about one mile in and out, so it should take about 20 minutes to get there.”

Ryan just had a puzzled look on his face, “ Where exactly are we going?”

Amelia met his eyes with hers, “There is a stunning lookout that my mother used to take me to. It overlooks a small farmhouse with a pond in the foothills of Appalachia. There is nothing like it.”

Ryan can sense that there is more to that story, but he does not want to push for the details of a stranger's life. Neither of them said anything. Amelia began to walk toward the store and retrieved a small hiking pack that was sitting out on the porch. Ryan just stood there, not following the small woman to the front of the store.

“Are you going to come or not? “ Amelia waved him over. She points up to a ridge just behind the cabin, “That's where we are heading.”

Without any more questions, Amelia threw the pack on her back, and the two started heading to a cleared entrance of the woodline. It wasn't much of a trail, but there was clearly a small footpath carved into the earth. They had been walking for about ten minutes when it became too dark to continue without the use of headlamps. The landscape around them was dense, and the overhanging trees provided a guard between them and the increasing moonlight. Not one word had been spoken till they stopped to retrieve the lights out of their packs.

“So you said that your mother used to bring you up here?” Ryan asked as he dug through his pack looking for his light.

This made Amelia pause, elbow deep in her pack. He is the first person to ever ask her about her mother after she passed. She took a deep breath and answered, “ Yep. This was the one place that we could both escape to. Sometimes, Dad would get pretty upset when the store wasn't doing well, and when he would be in one of his moods, we would come up here. They were old-fashioned; Mom wasn't really allowed to have an opinion or say in the family business. This was the one place she had all the control.”

Ryan didn't know how to respond to that, so he kept looking for his light. He finally felt his finger wrap around the elastic band, and he quickly pulled out the headlamp and illuminated it. As the light from the small device made its way over to Amelia, he could see the tears that were silently falling down her face as her arm remained frozen in place.

He took a deep breath, but before he could respond, Amelia added, “You are the first person I have brought up since she died.”

That left him even more in shock because not only did this stranger reveal very personal details about herself and her family, but she had chosen him for some reason to share that with. Ryan finally mustered the strength to open his mouth, “Thank you for sharing that with me. I know it must be hard to be up here after going through all of that.”

Amelia was brought back to reality when Ryan gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She didn't add anything else and kept looking for her light. She finally found it without skipping a beat, had it in her hand, and turned it on. Both of them stood up from their crouched positions and started down the path once more.

There were a million things that Ryan wanted to ask or say, but after seeing the woman he barely knew go through a roller coaster of emotion in such a short time, he decided it was best not to do anything that might push her over the edge. He figured if he could just make it through this hike and back down, he would just start back on his original journey without waiting for daylight to return. Ryan had a sinking feeling that had started to grow after watching someone go through so many emotions so swiftly.

After another ten minutes of hiking in silence, Amelia rushed ahead up the steep incline and shouted, “ We made it! We are here, Mom.” This made Ryan look around, half expecting to see her dead mother up here with them, but once again he chalked it up to be some weird manifestation of grief.

He had finally made it to the overlook where Amelia was patiently waiting. She was just standing there facing out into the darkness, close to the edge. Ryan, albeit ready to be back, did eagerly look out into the darkness to search for the old farmhouse in the distance. But the sinking feeling that started in the pit of his stomach now moved to form a lump in his throat.

There was no Farmhouse with a pond. It was just a vast forest within the rolling hills.

It was only darkness. The sounds of the nighttime creatures were the only thing keeping the void alive.

“What about the Farmhouse?” Ryan asked in an upbeat tone, trying not to sound accusing or scared. They both were standing shoulder to shoulder at the edge of the overlook. After a few moments of stillness from Amelia, she turned and faced him. “ The Farmhouse is a construct of the mind; if you want it to be there, it will be.”

He knew that he needed to get out of there, but as he turned his back on Amelia to leave, he felt the tip of a sharp object slowly press into his lower back. Not enough to cause pain but enough to cause fear. Amelia felt the rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins; she had never done this alone before. Using the newly created control, Amelia directed Ryan back to the edge.

The air had cooled significantly now that there was no more sun. Ryan felt himself shaking, but he knew it was not from the cool air.

“Do you see it yet, Ryan?” Amelia asked, a strange calm in her voice.

She continued, “There is a Farmhouse out there, searching for its perfect family, and it's our job to provide it"

Amelia felt the fear radiating off the man in front of her. This only made her more excited. Mom was right; there is a balance that must be protected, and his fear balances hers.

Ryan had a million things he wanted to scream out, but he was unable to. He never imagined that this was how the night was going to go.

“Please.” Was the only thing he was able to muster up.

“Ryan, you have control here,” she said as the pointed instrument stayed firmly placed in the small of his back.

Amelia closed her eyes, letting the breeze settle her.

“It's your decision. Do you see the Farmhouse?” She asked in an almost motherly tone.

“Yes.”

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Amelia slowly opens her eyes. This time, no tears fell. The last sliver of sunlight falls behind the towering trees, night settling over the porch.

She rises from her favorite rocking chair that was once her mother's, stretching her arms as she works the soreness from her shoulders after sitting still for too long. A familiar calm washes over her.

Before stepping through the threshold of her home, she glances back at the pond. A smile tugs at her lips.

She thinks of her mother.

This summer, she will work harder than ever to make her proud.