"Still no signal honey?" Henry called out to his wife, Joan, as she wandered 20 yards ahead at the roadside, swinging her phone around her head in an erratic pattern. His wife of 18 years turned and shook her head, shoulder length mousy brown hair whipping from side to side as she did so.
Frowning Henry turned to regard his teenage children, James and Jess. Both 15 year old twins looked up at their father, faces sullen and miserable, and shook their heads.
They were good children normally, but the days events was trying their patience, making them cranky and prone to bickering.
The family sedan, Henry's pride and joy was now miles behind. Probably still with smoke gouting from the engine. A breakdown on a rural forest road was the last thing the Miller family needed, but here they were.
A lack of phone coverage to call breakdown services had forced them on to the roadside once it became apparent that the road was less than commonly travelled. That was 3 hours ago, the sun now beginning to set and a chill setting in. Power was low and morale lower as the family trudged on.
Henry paused for a moment, calling his wife to stop. She did so and began trudging slowly back to the group.
This wasn't sustainable, he thought. They couldn't walk on through a night here, that was madness. Best they returned to the car and slept for the night and then went back the other way. The car had water, food and more clothes. They could stock up properly and set out in the morning and search for civilisation.
He was just about to relay his plan to his gathered family when the younger of the twins, Jess, a short slight girl whom puberty seemed to have passed by unlike his bountiful curvy wife, pulled on his shirt sleeve.
"Hey Daddy... is that a light in there?". She pointed off into the trees at the side of the road. Henry turned and moved his head from side to side, seeing a mote of light winking in an out of view as he did so.
"Well I'll be! Good eyes Jess!" He grinned and ruffled his daughter's hair. Looking around he noted a path starting at the roadside and leading off into the woods.
"Must be the path here." He commented. As he did Joan joined the group with a quizzical look. Her son James jumped in first, "Jess saw a light in there, and Dad found this path."
She regarded the path and the woods, seeing the light off in the trees. "Yes I see! Must be a home, surely they have a phone or at least some way of contacting people. Should we pop in?" She asked her husband.
Henry smiled, "Certainly seems like our best option." he boldly stated as he began trudging down the path. Without a moment's hesitation his family began to follow.
----
The journey through the trees along the wooded bath took far longer than any of the Millers expected. Joan did think a few times that they were actually on the wrong path, but always the light was ahead of them, so on they travelled.
Some 15 minutes of walking along the narrow wooded path later, the sky now almost fully dark, they finally hit their target. The path opened up into a large wide clearing in the forest. The clearing was covered in mosses, grasses and flowers, with the sound of running water indicating a nearby brook. The cleaning had a slight incline towards the centre, on the top of which stood a fantastically well made two story wooden log cabin.
"Whoa!" James and Jess both exclaimed at the same time.
Henry's eyebrows arched up. It was fairly impressive. The building was well made, looked sturdy, not in any way dilapidated or abandoned. He did frown as he noted that the only light from the building, their guiding star, was in-fact the light illuminating the porch of the door. No lights illuminated the interior.
Undaunted he marched his way through the clearing and up to the front door, loudly hammering and calling out to any potential inhabitants.
Moments passed and the rest of Henry's brood joined him at the door. His wife standing behind the teenagers, hands on shoulders in a protective manner.
Henry turned to his family. "Looks like no-one's home..."
"What do we do now Daddy?" Jess asked, voicing the up till then unasked question.
"Not sure sweetie. I..." He looked around again. Night had thrown it's pall fully on them now. He couldn't even make out exactly where the path that led them here was at the clearing's edge. Both children were shivering and he himself was beginning to feel a serious chill from the cloudless night.
Going back was going to miserable, he knew it, but what choice did they have. Something took hold of him then, he wasn't sure where it came from, normally a timid and shy man, not prone to fits of bravery, he turned and tried the door handle.
With a click the handle went all the way down and the door was open.
"Dad!" James called, incredulously. Ignoring his son Henry swung the door open. The warm air of a long hall greeted them. Henry stepped in, followed by his wife as she took his hand.
"This place probably only sees seasonal use. Doubt anyone's here. We'll pop in, use a phone, book for the morning, kip on a couch and leave some money on the counter for whomever's place this is."
Behind him is son, ever eager, piped up, "No point in looking a gift *horse* in the mouth eh?"
Jess rolled her eyes, "You're so full of *bullshit*". James' arm swung out flicking his sister's ear. Eliciting a yelp from the girl.
"*Kids*, cut it out this instant!" Joan cut in, "No fighting while we're guests."
Reprimanded and admonished the teenagers followed their parents down the hall.
Henry lent in and whispered to his wife, "Not exactly guests though are we?"
She giggled.