Dreamland

I woke up several times throughout the night to tend to the fire or use the restroom. After the stressful trek through the cold and rainy woods, enjoying the soothing sound and warm glow of the fire felt good. Even the rattling sound of the sleet pouring over our cabin's roof added to the comfort; however, my companions started coughing, and Mike's fever worsened.

Despite this concern, the rising temperature inside the cozy cabin lifted our spirits, providing a refuge from the chilly mountain air. The lack of electric lighting meant we had to rely on the fire's flickering illumination, but that was not a life-threatening problem. Well, as long as one doesn't call the absence of social media life-threatening; however, we knew it would be like this since we first came here. What we did not know was that we'll have to stay overnight.

Unfortunately, our clothes remained damp, and we were uncertain if they would dry by morning, even if spread over the few chairs arranged near the fireplace to aid the process.

Hew did not come. He probably had to give up as the road became unpassable, and he was waiting in town for the rain to stop.

When Tom needed to go to the bathroom, I woke Mike up to help him. After that, we talked for several hours by the firelight, drinking some more whiskey. It was no longer needed 'for medical reasons,' but it suited the warm and fuzzy atmosphere well.

Mike got tired first and turned on his side to sleep because he wasn't feeling well. Tom and I continued to talk until we emptied the bottle, there wasn't much left in it anyhow, and then we went to bed, too, with the fire burning peacefully in its place.

In my slumber, I thought I needed to close the window to shut out the noise from the street. However, before I could realize that I was not at home, the sudden opening of the door jolted me awake, and some dark figures rushed into the room.

Startled, I jumped to my feet and hit my head on a beam, causing me to cry out in pain. I ended up standing, blinking furiously in the intense light coming from several flash-lights while rubbing my freshly-earned bump on my head.

A voice spoke to me, saying, "Oh dear, be careful!"

Another voice observed, "Looks like we didn't have to panic after all!"

Mike moaned and tried to shield his eyes from the light. "Pa?" he called out.

Tom grumbled something and pulled the blanket over his head, revealing his feet in the process.

It took some time for my groggy mind to register what was happening: we were being rescued by what appeared to be a military rescue unit. They gave us dry clothes and blankets to warm ourselves up.

As it turned out, Hew had his own little adventure. He had to leave his car stranded in the woods and walk back to town in the rain. He eventually made it home and told his parents, who then informed the other parents. Since they were unable to come to our aid, Mike's father pulled some strings, and the next thing we knew, there were two military vehicles parked outside the cabin.

Oh, well, never underestimate what the parents would do when they do not hear from their offspring...

As the sun began to rise, we arrived at the base of the mountain, where their families had set up an improvised base camp to greet us. It was a bittersweet moment, as we were relieved to be safe and sound but also a bit embarrassed to be the center of attention.