Preface for the story, the scene is set and so, it begins.
Preface- Butterfly Lake
Rob pulled off of the interstate and continued on the road leading to the town of Pinecrest, Pennsylvania. Pinecrest was a quiet place for the most part, but when the busy summer and ski seasons come around, the population at least doubles. Rob drove past the hospital and police station then stopped at the GetGo store to gas up the mustang and grab a coffee to go. He continued on and thought to himself, little Robby caught his first fish here, sure had us some good times up on the lake. Rob eventually made a right turn and headed past the old general store and up the winding road to Butterfly Lake.
With the last of the long hills behind him, Rob pulled into the driveway and hit the brakes in a hurry. In front of the car, a covey of doves flushed up into the pines, and a pair of bushy-tailed gray squirrels stood watching before scurrying out of harm’s way. Rob continued on, parked the car, and then took a deep, rejuvenating breath of the cool, fresh mountain air. He opened the trunk and looked at the family cabin with a smile on his face.
The old cedar-wood structure wasn’t much, but it had good bones, the kind one could get used to. Inside, there was a cozy stone fireplace and a loft with two bedrooms. The wooden-plank kitchen table bore the dings and scratches of times gone by, and it was awaiting more.
One step out the back door carried visitors into another world. The cabin sat on a plot of land at the edge of an ancient forest, full of pine, oak, and hemlocks. A stone’s throw away was the natural spring-fed waters of Butterfly Lake, its ripples glimmering with flickers of reflected golden sunlight. A narrow, worn trail winds its way through a copse of trees and down to a small boat dock at the water’s edge.
Rob inhaled the crisp cool air once more, then resumed preparing the cabin for his best friend Tex and his family. He hoped it would be a relaxing, reinvigorating vacation.
