Snared

17

A boy named Chris Herren wandered through the woods, swatting at the ground and the occasional shrub with a thick tree branch. Snow crunched beneath his boots. A chill wind worked its way beneath his scarf.

Get some fresh air, his father said. You’re not going to enjoy the trip if you just sit inside.

Yeah, like this festival of nettles and poison oak was going to improve if he immersed himself in it. He didn’t know what the hell to do in the woods. He knew what bears did in the woods, which made his current trek all the more disturbing, but Chris had grown up in a co-op in Midtown Manhattan. He didn’t even like to be close to nature, let alone surrounded by it. They were supposed to be skiing, but there wasn’t enough snow. Oh, there was enough to make walking a chore, but not enough good powder to justify waiting in the lift line. They didn’t even bother driving to the resort that morning.

He swung the tree branch, connected solidly with a fir trunk, and dropped the stick. Chris looked back down the trail the way he’d come, and then up the hill. A glimmer of light caught his eye, and he peered through the trees to get a better look. More than likely, he was seeing a bit of sunlight catching the top of a discarded beer can. But as he focused on the place from which the glint came, he noticed more movement. A slender tendril of smoke rose through a break in the trees.

A chimney? Neighbors?

Chris wondered if anyone his age lived up there. Or even better, maybe some college kids had rented a cabin for the Christmas break. Thoughts of keg parties and scantily clad coeds flitted into his mind.

It was worth a look.

The cabin, a large log structure, appeared slowly. Each step Chris took revealed another row of logs, then the break of the porch on the right. A window came into view, dark as night. Then he saw the porch railing and the rest of the window.

Chris hugged a tree, not wanting to get caught sneaking up on the place. He just wanted to see what his neighbors looked like. If they seemed cool, he’d wander up, pretending to not even notice the cabin until he was standing right next to it. The place looked empty, but he saw a car parked in the drive. Sunlight shimmered off a perfectly polished bumper. That’s what had caught his eye on the trail.

To his left Chris noticed a slight rise that would put him above the cabin’s foundation. He walked to it and climbed up. When he reached the top of the mound, he peered at the cabin and was shocked to see a face in the window.

She was a pretty girl, though a bit plump in the face. Maybe she’s just built a little thick, Chris thought. He couldn’t be sure, because from where he stood, he only saw her from the breasts up, which was cool. They looked nice. And she was definitely cute.

He tried to look busy, tried to look cool. He tried to look like anything but a stalker who was trying to sneak a peek into the house, but he was right out in the open on the rise. He smiled.

The girl waved at him, and Chris felt a tingle of excitement in his belly.

The family vacation is looking up, he thought.

Then another face appeared. The man was only slightly taller than the girl. His face was thick and strong-looking. Maybe he was the girl’s father or husband, but Chris didn’t think so. At least, he hoped not. She was about his age, and the guy looked as old as his granddad. He also looked pissed off.

The man wrapped an arm around the girl and guided her away from the window. Chris’s sense of disappointment flared, then went out completely. He saw the bulge of the girl’s stomach when she turned to the side.

No way, he thought. Pregnant is so not hot.

So Chris walked off the snowy mound. He picked up the trail where he’d left it and began the walk down.