Creative Writing: A Winter Splint

Chapter 1

The creaky old door nearly slipped off its hinges as Renart’s fingers pushed between the cracks. A soft crackling flame from inside the mossy old cabin gingerly warmed his hands from the cold blowing winter.

“It’s been nearly an hour, where have you been?” Perrin said. The lanky string of a man shook as he stood up, collapsing under his own weight back on the chair while throwing his hands in the air, taking a small break to catch a breath and push his is antique circle glass up his large intrusive nose. Renart’s bones and trapping lines clattered as he stumbled his way across the abandoned cabin, his hands reaching out towards the warmth of the flame, looking straight through Perrin as if he was an apparition.

“Everyone is gone Perrin. I went back to where we last seen them and the only thing that is left is the can of beans. Over and over and over, days on end. The same can is laying there no matter how many times I picked it up. The forest is playing tricks with us. It isn’t possible.”

“Always talking about the can. You really have frozen your last brain cell in half, haven’t you? You’re probably just walking in circles again. Give me the can.”

“I told you I can’t get it, every time I walk away it disappears from my hand or my bag. I’ve tied it, I’ve held it between my teeth, hell I even threw it as far as I could in frustration, watching it fly away and sink behind the trees but there it was moments later, laying directly below my feet.”

“You’ve gone mad. What about the traps?”

“Nothing. All of them sprung but not so much as a tuft of fur or a drop of blood. I can hear the trees laughing at me.” Renart collapsed down onto an old crate next to the fire with a heavy sigh, his shoulders pushed together in front of him towards the warmth.

A chill breeze flowed through the cabin as a quiet somber filled the air.  

“Why are you playing such a cruel joke on me?” said Perrin. He dragged his finger in circles in the dust of the rickety table while staring daggers at him over the top of his dirty framed glasses. “What sins in my past life did I do to deserve such a foul, repressive, and wicked person to be stuck with. I know they’re all still there. You probably have feasts and wine with them in forest while I sit here and rot. I will get up, and I will leave you all here.”

Renart sighed and rested his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. “Goodnight Perrin.”

Chapter 2

Renart’s eyes shot open when he heard a small jingle from his trap and the struggle of a small creature just outside of the cabin window. He dashed for the door and was greeted by the sight of a small grey rabbit. Its soft blue eyes wobbled with panic back at Renart, trying to free himself out of the rope wrapped around his foot. Renart paced back and forth for a few seconds, closing his eyes and contemplating letting the rabbit go. The cold breeze prickled the top of his cheeks, he ran his fingers across his chest, feeling his ribcage through his jacket. His stomach growled as he hung his head in regret and desperation. He moved slowly and gently grabbed the rabbit in his hand, gave a quick kiss on the rabbit’s head. “Thank you.” And twisted until it suddenly stopped struggling.

“What was that? Was that a trap?” Perrin said. He sat up at full attention, his eyes wide and bulging, his teeth reflecting the flickering wood stove flame.

Renart gave a dull smirk and held the rabbit up. Perrin’s yipped in joy and tapped his fingers wildly on the table, nearly convulsing and lunging at him.

“You genius! You wonderful man! however terrible this situation is, I can only be so blessed to have you here with me. Please, can we eat it now?”

He nodded his head and turned to head back outside, grabbing an old hunting knife that was in the cabin. He field dressed the rabbit, occasionally taking small breaks to stare out in the endless snowy birch forest, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of their friends. Small snowflakes fell and twirled around him, sprinkling a soft powdery covering over the icy blood-stained snow. He headed back inside, carrying more kindling and prepared the wooden stove.

“There is still hope for us yet!” Renart said with a hopeful smile on his face.

“Yes, I wish the others would join us. It’s not fair they leave me here so battered and bruised.”

“I’ve told you many times, there is no one. I’ve looked for hours. Not even a single scrap from the car crash is anywhere to be found. No roads, no signs, no car, and no friends.”

“How would you know? You can’t even remember the crash. I just know that-“Perrin stopped himself when he spotted the tender meat of the rabbit starting to brown. The moisture and fat glistened when the flames licked it, creating a delectable char on the edges of the skin. “I know that we’re doing the best we can… Wait! Renart, do you hear that? That sound, I know that sound! Elise! We’re here! Please, you have to go look it must be her!”

Renart jumped from his seat in a flurry and rushed outside of the cabin door, screaming her name. A gust of wind slammed the door shut, a powdery puff of snow exploded and fell as it closed behind him. The sound of Renart calling for Elise slowly faded away. Perrin quickly scooted to wood stove and snatched the rabbit from the wooden embers. He smashed it against his face, taking a quick bite then leaving it there to smell and indulge in before tucking it inside his shirt, wiping the warm juices from and his face and scooting back to his place at the table.

The door swung back open and a powdery breeze blew back in.

“I couldn’t find her anywhere. Are you sure you heard something?”

“Find who?”

“Elise, you said you heard her? What did you- where’s the food?”

“What are you babbling about my dear, sweet Renart. Please come here. I worry about you so much. These frantic ravings, hearing voices. What food? Do you mean this bundle of sticks you brought over while nearly drooling all over me while I was sleeping? If there was food I would be jumping for joy, doing summersaults, not stuck to this chair like an old dying man. We really need to get you out of these woods.” Renart stared back at Perrin with a furrowed brow, his gaze and jaw tensed, his hands balled into fist then slowly releasing.

“I- I’m… I’m sorry. I don’t know what has come over me. I’m telling you, this forest is evil. I’m not sure how much more I can take.”

“I know. I know. We’ll get out of here soon. Till then, Please, let’s get some rest.”

Chapter 3

Perrin laid awake at night in his makeshift cot of boxes and newspaper and listened to the sound of wind blowing through the branches, the patter of snow hitting the windows, forest creatures carrying on through the night, and the occasional whimper from Renart. He stared at the glowing ceiling, snarling and grinding his teeth together, taking time to chew away at his nails and the skin around them. He Imagined his old friends Elise and Phillippe sitting by the fire in a palatial cabin with hot coco in their hands, overlooking a serene lake with their soft puffy jackets with fur lined hoods fit snugly around them. The delusions about them being be rescued and coming back to visit Renart and leaving him to die drove him mad. His fingertips bled.

He rolled to his side, picking a rabbit rib bone from his pocket and chewed on it, still cradling the cooked meat under his arm like a child and their teddy bear. Watching the flame dance in the stove to a soft piano music that played in his head. His eyebrow sunk and a corrupted smile sprung across his face. He reached for a long stick Renart brought him to help him hobble around the cabin. He raised the stick towards the stove with L shaped handle going in first. The latch to the stove made a grinding screech that caused Renart to let out a raucous snore. Perrin kept his composure, steadying the stick firmly in his hands, opening the stove door and scooping out hot embers to the cabin floor. He waited and watched with his teeth tucked over his bottom lip, his smile brimming.

The small sparks started to catch the wooden floors but immediately went out. Frustrated, he began to pull newspaper from under him and throw it on the embers. He waved other sheets frantically and blowing with his mouth from many feet away to coax the embers into an inferno. Finally, a flame. He tossed more small pieces of paper towards the fire in a trail towards an old dirty rug that sat under a stool by the window. The fire popped and crackled as the rug caught on fire. He let out a loud cough and yawn to help cover the sound of infant blaze. When he felt the flame was big enough to not put out. He cried with false tears and a smile.

“Fire! Oh god, a fire! Renart, please wake up! A fire!”

***

Smoldering ashes and small fires is all that was left of the cabin, a billowing black smoke poured into cold and dark forest air.

“Thank you for saving me,” said Perrin.

“Of course.” Renart sat battered and broken in the snow, dingy long johns and shirt was a sharp contrast to the soot that covered his face and hands.

“Do you think Elise and Phillippe are going to help us now?”

Renart took a deep breathe. “I’ve told you before. They are gone. Hopefully, they got out and they have found help, maybe they’ll see the smoke.”

Perrin scuffed and rolled his eyes while shuffling around and turning his back to Renart, silently mocking his facial movements in the comfort of his blanket.

“It will be morning soon. We’ll have to find new shelter if we plan to make it any longer,” said Renart. The sound of the forest behind them crawled back out of the shadows and joined them again as they sat and watch the flames till sunrise.

Chapter 4

“How far do you think you can walk?” said Renart as he scrounged through the cabin debris for any supplies.

“As far I need to go. My leg is starting to feel much better now.” Perrin’s eye shuttered at the memory of screeching tires and the impact, the feeling of a cold metal pressing against his leg and his bone giving away to the pressure.

“I remember a small cave not too far from here when I was scouting. We can set up there for a while, we won’t have much protection, but it will be better than the nothing we have now.” A glimmer from the old knife caught his eye under the stone and wood rubble. He smiled, brushing the soot from the antler handle and shoved it between his belt and pants behind his back. He gathered pieces of dried wood, cloth, and small embers encased in a small pouch made of birch bark that he remembered how to make from a survival show he watched as a kid.

He picked Perrin up and rested his arm on his shoulder as Perrin placed the walking stick under his other shoulder. This was the first time that Perrin had been outside since the accident. The sunlight bounced off the snow and forced his eyes to squint, the towering white trees surrounded him, making him cower under their presence. The sounds of the forest surrounded him. He could hear his heart racing in his ears as the trees seemed to grow and close in around him. The soft crackles of branches and bushes bounced around him, small cackles from faraway places tickled his ears. Renart walked unbothered and apathetic to its existence.

They followed a small game trail to a large cliff that rose above them. Vines and tree roots wrapped through and around the patches of soil and dark jagged rocks. Behind a thicket of shrubs peaked the cave’s darkness.

“We’re here. Just behind those plants,” said Renart.

“Are you sure it’s safe?”

“As far as I know. I found it while chasing down a mink, nothing chased me back, so I’m guessing so.”

“What about bears?”

“That’s why I planned on rolling you in there first, just in case they need a mid-winter snack.”

“That’s -that’s not funny!” Perrin pushed his head towards Renart, the words seething behind his teeth. His eyes darted back and forth between the cave and the sea of bushes and trees, his fingers tapping one by one along his walking stick.

“Don’t worry, I’ve been out here every day for possibly weeks now. Never even heard a growl.” Renart stepped forward into the entrance of the cave and threw a hand full of pebbles and stones. Small echoes bounced around in the darkness but eventually fell to complete silence. “See? Nothing to worry about.” He pushed the leaves away and stepped into the cave. A cold wind sent a rattle down Perrin’s spine while he peaked into the inky black over some rocks.

The darkness broke and Renart’s face lit up in a soft orange glow as he blew on the small embers wrapped in twigs and forest remnants. He gently coaxed it to a small fire at the edge of the cave.

“Are you coming in?” Renart asked.

The entrance of the cave couldn’t have been more than 8 feet tall and about two body widths wide, but the fire revealed the true vastness of the inside. Perrin’s mouth quivered while he traced roots and moss that were encased inside the frosted walls of the cave with his eyes, they slowly drifted away from the comforting glow of the fire into complete darkness. No sense of depth or height could be recognized. He pulled closer into the fire, wrapping the blanket tightly around him, rocking back and forth.

Renart picked up a branch from the fire and headed towards the back of the cave. He ran his hands across the icy walls, the smell of trees and the faint draft of mildew surrounded him. The ice receded as he pushed closer into the darkness. The sound of water dripping fell around him. The walls became sharp, reflective, and smooth. The small fire from his torch illuminated his breathe, but his hands fell into darkness as he reached out in front of him. He brought the fire closer to the wall and saw his distorted reflection looking back at him. The jagged rocky walls were now a black glossy stone that shot out of ground like pillars of crystals. He staggered as he moved forward, occasionally looking back, contemplating running back to the self-coddling Perrin and the comfort of light and warmth, but something drew him forward.

He continued to run his hands along the walls of the black stone until he came to an end. The fog from his breathe disappeared and his cheeks became comfortably but oddly warm. As he swung his torch around to follow the opposite wall he noticed a shimmer from above him. He raised the torch and revealed an intricate and beautifully carved black sculpture of an owl surrounded by snakes biting his wings. The owl’s eyes stared deep down inside of him as a low growl emanated from the carving.  He fell down and scrambled back to the fire, making sure to keep composure to not scare his friend.

Chapter 5

“Hello? Can you hear me?” A soft feminine voice creeped out of the shadows of the cave and reverberated off the roof above Perrin’s head.

He jolted from his bed of leaves and dirt, glaring out into the darkness beyond the campfire. He scooted towards Renart who was still fast asleep. The cold winter night was alive and blowing outside the cave entrance behind him.

“Hello?” the voice called out.

“H-Hello? Who’s there? Help us!” Perrin replied.

The trees shook violently in the winter storm then suddenly stopped; the silence consumed the cold cave. He leaned in close and surveyed the darkness. The sound of metal sent him jumping back in shock as a tin can rolled into the light of the campfire.

“Answer me! Who’s there!”

“Who are you yelling at?” asked Renart, confused and trying to focus his baggy eyes.

“Someone is here! In the cave…They gave me this!” His hand reached out towards the can and his hand balled into a fist as he grasped at the air, the mirage of the can disappearing in front of him. “You can’t trick me! I will find you Elise!”

“Elise?” asked Renart.

“Yes, her and that rat Phillipe are playing with us. Why won’t you help us!” Perrin lunges towards the depths of cave and clawing at the ground, his chest heaved up and down in desperation and anger.

“Perrin…”

“What excuses are you going to make for them now?” he snarled back at Renart, his face planted in the dirt.

“Perrin, what is this?”

Perrin peered back over his shoulder and the soft glow of the flame highlighted the rabbit skull in the palm of Renart’s hand. Perrin turned his face away from him and grimaced, whispering angry nothings to himself before turning back to Renart with a saddened sulky face.

“It must have been here already. So close, we we’re so close to food. Only a world so cruel.”

“Then why did it come out of your blanket?”

“My blanket! Are you accusing me of keeping this from you? I am broken! How would I go hunt and eat without you?”

“Because you weren’t the one that hunted it. Remember? The rabbit that I supposedly imagined, the logs I brought to the fire?” He stepped toward Perrin who sat up, his back hunched over and facing towards Renart. “What do you have to say? Or I am imaging that too?”

“I would say…you…need…to mind your business!” he twists and launched himself backwards toward Renart, clawing at his legs and taking a deep bite into the side of his calf. Renart falls backwards next to the fire and Perrin closes in on top of him, throwing a fury of blows at his face and body. The feeling of a cold floor and warm puddles of blood sit on the back of Renart’s head, his vision hazy and falling in and out of focus. Perrin stands straight up and wipes the trail of blood from his lips and casually paces back and forth with no sign of a limp or injury.

“Why couldn’t you just do as you were told and shut up!”

“You lied. This whole time you were never hurt at all?”

“You were never hurt at all,” Perrin repeated mockingly, throwing his hands in the air and rolling his eyes. He scoffed and strutted towards Renart who was still laying on the floor wincing in pain and kneeled next to him, laying his hand on chest. “I am so tired of you holding me back. Always the goody two shoes, you never had what it takes to survive. If it wasn’t for me you’d be dead by now.” He reached under him and pulled out the knife from Renart’s pants and balanced it between his thumb and index, watching his matted reflection warp inside the blade. “You’ve grown to be such a burden. I’ll have to leave here without you. I’m sorry Renart.”

He lifted the dagger up and pointed the blade towards Renart’s chest. Renart rolled to side and quickly slapped a small pile of embers towards Perrin and sprung towards him to get control of the knife. Their hands slid across the wet and cold floor as they reached for it, their hands grasping at each other’s wrists and struggling for control.

They rolled out of the comfort of the fire’s light and into the cold darkness of the cave, scrambling through the dirt. Perrin caught a glint of the blade a small distance away and leapt for it. Renart ran deeper into the cave, disappearing into its inky blackness. The entrance of the cave silhouetted Perrin as he lurched in the shadow towards Renart. The black gem like walls of the cave let out a soft hum and illuminated in faint red glow. Renart ran out from the shadows and tackled Perrin to the floor. He felt the soft tissue and jolt of pain of teeth hitting his knuckle as he hit him with a powerful strike.

The low hum grew louder and the soft light brighter as they approached the back of the cave, twisting and fighting every step of the way. Perrin eventually fought for control, lashing out a series of punches and beat Renart till he was sitting, scooting back farther into the darkness. The hum grew louder.

“There’s nowhere left to go Renart. Accept it!”

Renart raised his hands in mercy, the soft red glow became brighter. He felt Perrin standing above him now, the small reflection of light bouncing off the blade that dangled over his head. He reached out forward and snatched the Perrin’s shirt and kicked at his heels, sending Perrin flying over the top of him and landing on a loud and wet thud.

The walls grew bright into a brilliant yellow light, Renart looked behind him to see the piercing eyes of the owl sculpture now shining magnificently in the dark cave. The sculptures of snakes attacking the owl’s wings began to slither their way back into the walls from which they came, passing and wrapping over Perrin’s lifeless body that was punctured by the owl’s claws.

The cave grew dark again as the lights dimmed down and the hum returned to its normal silence. Slowly, the sound of birds chirping creeped in from the entrance of the cave. What was once the small flicker of a campfire in the distance was now being overpowered by a warm yellow glow of a midday sun. Renart staggered back to the entrance and took a deep breath outside. When he opened his eyes, he was met with sprawling green leaves and blooming flowers, the chitter of squirrels running from tree to tree, and in the distance the faint noise of a helicopter blades.

He took off in a full sprint back to the cabin. The forest was a live around him, the soft whispering encouraging him to keep going. As he reached the clearing where the now burned down cabin once stood, a man suspended from a rope from the helicopter reached his hand out. Renart ran towards him limping, bloody and bruised. As their fingers met, a white light poured over Renart and he fell unconscious.

***

“Hey, stay with me!”

A voice came from the white light. A face then appeared behind a small flashlight.

“There you are. Stay with me okay?”

Stars twinkled in Renart’s blurry vision as the night sky and buildings came into focus, the bustling sound of cars surrounded him. He stared up into the sky and saw the glowing green street signs named Elise and Phillipe. A broken voice crackled over the radio of the man looking down at him.

“Update on patient?”

“He’s responding to Naloxone; we’re taking him in for further treatment.”

“Where’s Perrin?” said Renart.

“Calm down bud, you were having an overdose. Just relax for a moment”

“10-4.”

The End