For years now, I've been telling them stories about little kids (with their same names, coincidentally) who wander the hills, around their house, exploring. They were bedtime stories meant to teach them to be safe, to stay put when they were lost and to pray when they got scared. And, I always hoped, to get the idea of playing outside, utilizing the ranch as their own personal playground...to be the kid I always dreamed of being, footloose and free to roam the ranch. When they got to Robin's, they announced, "We made it!" on the two way radio (we didn't send them out completely ill-equipped). Later, after Robin brought them home, they were different some how. They stayed outside and played until it was almost dark. And when the came in for dinner, I couldn't help but notice it again. It was evident on their faces, they had attempted independence and succeeded. A bittersweet moment for Tera and me.
As I'm typing this, I am remembering one of our bedtimes stories that I wrote out for them a while back. I'll paste it below, although be advised that I got a little verbose.
Secret Hiding Place
One lazy summer afternoon, Korin and her brother Nicholas were playing on the swing set in their yard, but, there wasn’t much playing going on. They were bored. Their dad was at work in town and their mom was inside putting Emma and Anneka—their younger sisters—down for their naps. “There’s just nothing to do when you live in the Middle of Nowhere,” said Korin, as she kicked lazily at the dirt. She had a thought. “Do you want to go on an adventure, Brubby?” Korin asked her brother on a whim. She didn’t even know exactly what she meant by adventure, but she figured they could certainly find something more exciting to do than hang on the old swing set they’d long since outgrown.
Nicholas, who’d been hanging upside down from the crossbar, agreed but only halfheartedly. “What do you have in mind?”
“A hike—” She started to say.
“Bor-ing,” Nicholas interrupted, dropping to his feet. “I knew you were going to say that.”
“Wait,” she said. “You didn’t let me finish.”
“All you ever want to do is hike, but we’ve already explored every inch these woods,” he said. He looked at Korin and saw a mysterious look on her face.
“Except Gill Canyon,” she said. Gill Canyon was half a day’s walk from their house and anytime they’d ever tried to make it there, something happened to slow them down—like the time Nicholas got bit by a spider crawling under a barbwire fence and the time they ran into sow black bear and two cubs on the trail and wisely decided to turn back.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Nicholas exclaimed, suddenly a whirlwind of enthusiasm. “Let’s go.”
Inside the house they tried not make a peep as they gathered a few things for the trip—two water bottles, a package of crackers, extra clothes and a flashlight. Korin brought a backpack into the kitchen which they loaded with all of their supplies. “I’ll carry it to start,” she said to Nicholas, “and you can take a turn when I get tired.”
“Sounds fine to me,” Nicholas said with a grin. He loved to run unencumbered in the woods, and, for some reason, Korin was always willing to bear the burden for him. So off they went, up the road to a trail at the edge of their property. Once they crossed under the barb wire fence, it was steep at first and Nicholas got ahead, but after all of his side trips, chasing pine squirrels and chipmunks, he’d expended just as much energy as Korin and they both ended up walking at the same pace. After some easy hiking the trail narrowed and they came to the base of a shale slope. Here they had a decision to make—scramble up the shale slope or follow the trail up and around until they reached the top of the hill. The flat granite rocks slipping and sliding over one another made scrambling up the shale slope, for those who’ve never done it before, like walking uphill in quick sand. In most cases it would be wiser to follow the trail, even if it was much longer. However, in this case the trail was not only longer, but is wound around to the face of a steep cliff, that even mountain goats had trouble negotiating.
So in the interest of time, Korin and Nicholas chose to scramble up the shale slope. By the time they reached the top, they were tired and hot and Korin was ready for Nicholas to take a turn with the backpack. After a short snack break—a couple crackers and a swig of cool water—they continued on their trek. They scanned the horizon and found the north face of Bamber Mountain, which marked the head of Gill Canyon. It seemed like a long way off, both Korin and Nicholas looked at each other, with doubt. “It’s so far away,” Korin said. “We’ve got plenty of time. I bet it’s not even three yet.” The siblings were so accustomed to being outside—Spring, Winter, Autumn or Summer—that they could tell the time based on the time of year and the position of the sun. And Nicholas was about right, it was just before three P.M. But Korin was right too, they still had a long way to walk.
Luckily for them, this leg of the journey was relatively easy. The hunters called the area “tabletop” because of the way the land seemed to stretch out in all directions. Of course it wasn’t completely flat. There were rolling slopes, springs, draws and copses of fir and pine trees aplenty, out of which the occasional mule deer, snowshoe hare or ruffed grouse exploded in unfounded terror.
The afternoon sun grew hot. Nicholas suggested they stop for a drink at the spring toward the base of the canyon. They’d made it to the shimmering pool of cool water once before—the previous summer, but were forced to turn about there because evening was drawing toward night. When they saw it up ahead, guarded by the roots of a massive fir tree protruding from an eroded bank, they ran to it and kneeled next to it and drank deeply of it from their cupped hands. It marked the closest they’d ever come to reaching Gill Canyon. “Come on, Nicholas. We still have plenty of light! I think we can make it.” But Nicholas was still drinking greedily and splashing the water on his face and neck. “Alright, alright,” he said rising slowly from the pool, his head of reddish blond hair freshly soaked. “But here,” he said, holding out the backpack. “Your turn.” Korin took it without complaint and they followed a cattle trail up a steep draw, that dead-ended in a thicket of impassable wild roses.
“Now what?” Nicholas asked, peering up the steep hillsides to either side.
“We climb,” said Korin. And climb they did—huffing and slipping, even crawling at times until they reached the top of the hill, only to realize that they had yet another long hillside to climb ahead of them. For the first time, Korin was worried they wouldn’t make it. And as though he could see the worry in his big Sister’s face, Nicholas reassured her, “I’ll be we’ll be able to see it at the top of the next rise.” What “it” was, Nicholas was suddenly unsure of. They were probably in one of the fingers of the main canyon, now. They’d certainly never been this far before—maybe no one had, he thought. Wasn’t this far enough? But he didn’t allow himself to be satisfied. He pressed on and Korin followed. And sure enough, once they cleared the top of the rise they could see Bamber Mountain’s northwest face, up close—the bare granite looming there, pocked and fissured. And sweeping below them was the heavily timbered floor of the main canyon. Gill Canyon.
The two siblings cheered. We made it! They spun each other around and dropped to the ground, exhausted and elated. Korin took off the backpack and lay her head on a moss covered rock. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths of the fresh mountain air. She felt the cooling breeze brush over her. But something odd struck her then. The breeze felt cooler than it should have. And stronger, too. Snapping her eyes open, she quickly sat up and saw the unmistakable fury of a thunderhead taking shape directly above them. She looked over at Nicholas who was in the middle of noticing the ominous black cloud billowing in the sky. “Come on Nicholas! We’ve got to take cover!” Korin heard herself shouting over the roar of the wind rushing through the trees. “Where?” Nicholas shouted. “I don’t know!” Korin answered. So, not thinking, they ran down a narrow game trail into Gill Canyon.
Overhead, the canopy of trees was swaying as if being washed over by huge waves. They ran faster and faster, jumping over exposed rocks and roots, dodging branches. Somewhere not too far off the trail they heard a deafening crack. It was such a loud and impressive sound that both Korin and Nicholas stopped in their tracks and watched, awestruck, as a the crown of a massive old spruce tree, crashed to the ground, its limbs splintering off the trunk as they brushed against the outreaching limbs of the surrounding fir, spruce and larch.
Then the wind seemed to die down as quickly as it had begun. And the sky grew darkerl. And it began to rain. A drenching downpour that completely soaked the two adventurers, almost immediately. It was a cold rain, too. Their only concern was to find shelter. Korin and Nicholas had become discombobulated by the storm, so they continued up the canyon.
The rain rapidly filled low spots in the trail, creating puddles that the kids mindlessly splashed through, ndlessly searching for somewhere to get out of the weather. As they rounded a bend in the trail, Korin thought she saw something of an unnatural shape behind a large, granite boulder. Farther up the trail, she began to make out the form of an abode, covered in heavy green moss, with dark brown wood siding and one small window next to a door that was once painted red. “Nicholas, I see something! It’s a cabin!”
“I see it too!” Nicholas cried out, and together they ran toward the old sagging structure. The rain continued to pour as they approached. Cautiously, Nicholas peered through the little window and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Meanwhile, Korin had gone to the door, but the window in the door was too high for her. She looked over at Nicholas and saw the look of amazement still frozen on his face so she hustled over to see what, inside the cabin, was enthralling him so. What she saw, after she’d made her way over to him, amazed her in the same way it had her brother. Her gasp broke Nicholas’s trance. They looked at each other, their eyes still as big as silver dollars.
“There must be a thousand of them!” said Nicholas.
“Maybe more,” Korin returned.
“Let’s take a closer look,” Nicholas said, heading straight for the door. “Wait!” Korin shouted. We don’t know who they belong to. We don’t…”
But Nicholas wasn’t listening; he had that door open and was half way inside before she’d said the first word. Resigned, she followed him through the door, shutting it quietly behind them. The rain was making a steady drumming sound on the roof, but it was what was under that roof that was making a bigger impression on them. Stacked on every surface—floor, counter and shelf—was a stash of gifts, beautifully wrapped in glittery green and red paper, adorned with candy-striped ribbons and bows.
“Wow,” Nicholas whispered. It was a sight to behold, to be sure. But what was it? Where did all the presents come from? Who were they for? Why were they stacked here in the middle of nowhere? Korin was now standing beside Nicholas just inside the doorway. They slowly started to move throughout the room, looking at the great variety of shapes and sizes, being careful not to touch anything. The wood floor creaked beneath their feet as they walked—the only sound to be heard. Nicholas and Korin were silent with awe.
After they had covered every available square inch of the exposed floor—which wasn’t much, what with all the presents stacked everywhere—Korin spoke up. “Where are we?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Nicholas answered. “If we were closer to the North Pole, I’d say we found one of Santa’s workshops.”
Korin looked at him and laughed. “There’s really no explanation for it,” she said, thinking out loud. Nicholas was on his second lap around the cabin now. “Yeah,” he agreed, “You’d think they would be all covered with cob webs and dust—stuffed away in here like this. What do you think? Should we open one, just to see what’s inside?”
“No, Nicholas! They aren’t ours, and I refuse to open someone else’s presents.”
“But whose presents are they?” asked Nicholas.
Nicholas was just about to look at the tag of one of the presents, when a strong gust of wind rattled the windows of the cabin. “That was eerie,” he said, putting his hand back down to his side. Then there was another gust of wind, followed by a steady thrumming sound.
“Listen,” said Korin. “It sounds like someone’s coming.” They squatted down and listened intently. And sure enough, from beyond the door came another sound—something like earth-muffled foot steps and…could it be? Bells?”
“Do you hear what I hear?” asked Nicholas.
“Shhhh!”
Slowly the door opened and the outside light spilled into the dim interior of the cabin. The large silhouette of a man filled the doorway.
“Is anyone here?” bellowed a deep voice.
Korin and Nichols, stooping behind a pile of gifts, slowly rose to their feet.
“We are,” said Korin. Nicholas had snuck in behind her and was peeking at the man across the room. He was a large man with a close-cropped white beard and short white hair. His shoulders were broad. He was wearing a t-shirt with the words, ‘I love snow’ embroidered across his chest. His well-worn jeans were held up by a pair of thick red suspenders. The imposing figure took two more steps into the cabin and the floor shuddered and shook beneath his heavy black boots. He put his hands on his shoulders, stared at the two frightened children and…smiled.
“I see you’ve found one of my secret hiding places,” he said.
“Santa?” Nicholas asked.
“How’d you guess?” he said, chuckling. “Yes sir—the real McClause.”
“What are you doing here, in the middle of the woods?” asked Korin.
“Well, it’s a long story,” he said. “But, in a nutshell, I’ve had to find ways to keep up with demand. World population is increasing exponentially and kids just seem to be getting more and more well-behaved. Back when there weren’t as many ‘nice’ kids in the world, I could pack my sleigh with enough gifts all of the world’s good little boys and girls.” Santa pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of his jeans and wiped the rain off his brow and rosy cheeks. He smiled wide and continued, “So, I started scoping out regional locations for stockpiling presents. Things change, you see, and a person—even Santa Clause himself—has to change with the times or get left behind…” His voice trailed off, but the smile didn’t. He looked up at the Nicholas and Korin, who were staring at him in disbelief. “Well, now, I guess that’s enough philosophizing for one day?” The two siblings continued to stare numbly at Santa, who couldn’t help but let loose one of his hearty laughs. “In case you haven’t noticed, the two of you young adventurers have managed to discover one of my stockpiles.”
Korin and Nicholas looked at one another and watched as the delight they felt in their own hearts emerged as plain as day on the other’s face. Instantly they fell into a felicitous fit of laughter. When their laughter died down, Santa approached them and knelt down. “The two of you have proved your mettle as good kids. Here you are loose for who knows how long in a present stockpile and not one bow is out of place. And because I need you to keep this top secret, I will bring you a gift of your wildest imagination if you promise not to tell a soul about this place.” He stood up and looked at Korin and Nicholas—this time with a very serious look on his face—and they both nodded solemnly back.
“Well, it’s getting late and I’ve got some more gifts to unload…So, if you two wouldn’t mind giving me a hand…I’d be glad to give you a lift home.” He opened the door and there stood a pair of Clydesdale horses harnessed to a sleigh with knobby wheels instead of rails—and stuffed full of presents, which they quickly unloaded.
“All aboard,” Santa shouted!
Korin and Nicholas anxiously stepped up into the sleigh. “Close your eyes and count to three,” said Santa. Nicholas and Korin closed their eyes, and together, counted, “One. Two. Three.” And after a crack of the whip, and a quick but painless lurch, they opened their eyes and found themselves…back on their old swing-set, in the exact same places they’d been in earlier that afternoon—Korin sitting on a swing, and Nicholas dangling, upside down from the crossbar—no longer bored. With a big secret to keep.
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