Invitation

“Didn’t you say the lake would be busy this weekend?”

“Believe me, I’ve never seen it this dead. Usually there are tons of boats out, lots of fishermen and water skiers.”

Jay and Alysa stood next to a porch swing on a wooden deck attached to a small cabin. Originally the cabin had been white, but the clapboard siding was tinged green by the fungus that grew in the humid air. It perched high on a wooded hill overlooking a large lake. It would have seemed like a reclusive country get-away except for the fact that at least fifty other such reclusive get-away cabins were visible from where they stood.

“Come on, let’s get inside before anyone sees us,” Jay said.

They stood for another minute taking in the stark silence. Jay turned and used a key to open the cabin door.

“Can’t we sit on the swing first?” Alysa asked in a little girl voice.

Jay laughed. “After dark, when no one can see us, we’ll come out and swing away.” “Promise?”

“Promise.”

She walked past the large lake-facing window, following Jay inside. Alysa could tell his mood from the spark in his eyes. He looked good even in the shadows of the darkened cabin. Tall, blonde, and slim. He took her in his arms and kissed her. Alysa returned the affection, but only for a few moments.

“Not now, Romeo,” she laughed, pulling away.

“Awww.”

“God, it stinks in here. Smells like a litter box,” Alysa said.

Jay sniffed. “It’s just the moisture. Everything in here gets musty. We’ll open some windows after dark and air it out.” “Can’t we open them now? Do you really think anyone will notice?”

“I know the lake seems deserted, but believe me it’s not. If someone sees us at the cabin there’ll be a steady stream of men wanting to crack a beer with Dad, or women wanting to gab with Mom. And if we get caught here you can bet my folks will hear about it. That means your folks will hear about it. I’m sure they’d want to know what we were doing up here, spending the night together.”

“Oh yeah. Gosh Daddy, I know I told you I was staying over at Sara’s house, but I thought a pillow fight with Jay would be more fun,” Alysa said.

“Your dad would kill me,” Jay laughed. “If I was still breathing after my dad got done with me.”

“The cabin stinks,” Alysa repeated.

They stood in the small den. A couple of cheap prints hung in equally cheap frames on the wood-paneled walls. Mismatched stuffed chairs sat across a scarred coffee table from a lumpy brown sofa.

“Can’t we open one window?”

Jay nodded. He led her through a doorway into a tiny kitchen outfitted with ancient appliances. He stepped up to the sink and unlocked a window above it. It took some work, but he finally got it to slide up. Taking a short piece of wood from the sill, he propped the window open.

“This window faces the woods, no one will notice it’s open.”

Jay took Alysa on a tour of the cabin, a short tour for a small structure. A skinny door in the living room opened onto a bathroom.

“Granpop and Dad added it on about twenty years ago. Before that you had to make do with an outhouse.”

“You mean this isn’t an outhouse? It’s about as big,” Alysa said.

The sink and toilet were a lime green porcelain. A small white tub sat against a wall, the sloped ceiling so low over it that a person could not stand in the tub.

“And now to the bedroom suite of our four star accommodations,” Jay said.

He took her hand, and they left the bathroom. They crossed the living room to the spiral staircase in the corner. Alysa tightened her grip on Jay’s hand, uneasy on the shaky stairs. The staircase opened onto the bedroom, a low-ceilinged loft overcrowded with a queen-sized bed and two end tables.

“Oooh, nice bed,” Alysa purred, taking Jay’s arm. “So where are you going to sleep?”

“What?”

Laughing, Alysa ran back down the stairs with Jay close behind her. She knelt in front of the large window that looked out on the lake and pulled the curtains aside. Jay sat beside her and opened the window a few inches. “Thanks,” she said, taking a deep breath of the fresh air that blew in. “It really is a beautiful lake, even if it is overcrowded.”

“Yeah. My grandfather was the first person to build a cabin here. He said it was really peaceful for the first few years, and then other people began to build until it’s like you see now. Hardly anybody comes in the winter, but in the summer it’s jammin’.”

“Yeah, jammin’. It’s more like a ghost town!” Alysa said.

“I guarantee you that people are in almost all the cabins. I know for a fact that Derek is here. His family was coming up today.”

“Derek Caine?” Alysa asked.

“Yeah,” Jay pointed out the window to the left. “His cabin is the second one down that way, the log cabin.”

“You didn’t tell him we were coming, did you?”

“Are you kidding? The way that guy blabs. Our secret getaway is indeed a secret--unless you told someone.”

“What?”

“Like Meagan,” Jay said.

“No way. She talks as much as Derek. The only people who know we’re at your parents’ cabin are you and me.”

“My cabin,” Jay said.

“What?” Alysa said.

“My cabin. You said it was my parents’ cabin, but it’s mine.”

“What?”

“Granpop left it to me in his will. So technically it’s mine.”

“Really? I mean it’s not much, but I didn’t know you owned it.”

“Not only the cabin, but Granpop left me a sizable chunk of money, too.”

“You’re kidding me, aren’t you?”

“No, really. There were two things Granpop hated; Democrats and taxes. He had a particular dislike for the estate tax, or what he called the death tax. That’s the tax on money and properties that are bequeathed to sons and daughters in wills. Granpop said the ghouls in Washington set it up so they could tax your money twice. Once when it’s coming in and again when you’re going out. But, there are loopholes. One is an exemption on the estate tax if the estate skips a generation.”

“You sound like an accountant,” Alysa said.

“Dad explained it to me when Granpop died. Basically, what it means is that instead of leaving everything to my dad, Granpop left it all to me.”

“Wow, I’m dating a wealthy land-baron.”

Jay laughed. “Not really. It’s all mine, but in name only. Dad controls the money and stuff and handles it all. I imagine a lot of it will go toward my college tuition.”

Alysa thought a minute and turned to look at Jay. “Still, it’s your cabin, your place. I like that. It makes me feel more comfortable about being here.”

They sat before the den window all afternoon, except for when Jay went to a closet and retrieved Hi-Ho-Cherry-O, an old children’s board game. They played a few rounds, laughing the whole time, until the sun set. When the sky darkened enough to be sure they wouldn’t be seen, they went outside and sat on the porch swing. Small talk turned to comfortable silence. They held hands, then held each other, and then kissed.

Sometime later they heard a shrill noise.

“What was that?” Alysa asked, turning from Jay.

“I don’t know,” Jay shrugged without taking his hands from around Alysa. “An animal of some kind, I guess.”

“It sounded like someone screaming,” Alysa whispered.

“Nah, it was an animal,” Jay said, moving in for another kiss, but Alysa held him back, looking into the dark night.

The sound repeated, louder this time. Jay stood and tried to locate the direction it came from. The only light visible was at Derek Caine’s family cabin. The scream started again but abruptly died. Alysa stood behind Jay, her breath loud and trembling.

“What do you--” she began.

“Shhhh,” Jay whispered.

There was movement by Derek’s cabin. It was too far to make out, but several people moved in front of the light from the cabin. The light extinguished.

“Let’s go in,” Jay whispered.

“I’m scared.”

Jay locked the door and peeked out the window. “I don’t think anything is really wrong, but--” he let the curtain drop back into place.

“But what?”

“It’s just weird. None of the cabins have their lights on. No one was at the lake today. That scream.”

“Maybe we should leave.” “And go where? We don’t have enough money for a motel. We’d have to sit in the car all night.”

“Should we call the police?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. If something is really wrong. We’d get caught for sure if we call the police.”

Jay turned on a table lamp and sat in one of the stuffed chairs.

“Well, what should we do?”

“I know. I’ll call Derek at his cabin. See what’s going on.” “Don’t tell him we’re here.” “I won’t. I’ll pretend we’re still in town, just checking to see what’s happening at the lake.” Jay held out his hand. “Give me the phone.”

“What?”

“Give me the phone.”

“I don’t have it.”

“You did. You called your mom and told her you were staying at Sara’s.”

“It must still be in the car. Isn’t there a phone here?”

“No. Dad figures what’s the point of getting away if you can be reached by phone.”

Alysa sat in the chair next to his and put her hand on his arm. “So now what?”

Jay sighed. “I’ll go get the phone.”

“But we parked all the way back by the road so no one would see the car.”

“Look, it’ll only take me about twenty minutes, quicker if I hurry.”

“I’m not sure it’s such a good idea,” Alysa said.

“I know--but that scream. I’ll be careful.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Do you want to come with me?”

“Not really.”

“Then stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Jay went into the kitchen and returned a moment later with a large flashlight. He flicked it on and off, and then moved for the door.

“Don’t turn on too many lights. Lock the door behind me. Don’t open it for anyone but me.”

“How will I know it’s you?”

“I’ll give you a secret knock. How about the ol’ shave and a haircut--two bits?” He demonstrated by knocking on the door jamb. Bam-bam-be-bam-bam--pause--bam-bam.

Alysa walked to him and put her left arm around his waist. “You’re a favorite customer. I won’t charge you two bits. The shave and a haircut is on the house.” Bam-bam-be-bam-bam, she knocked with her right hand.

Jay kissed her and slipped out the door. She locked it and walked into the kitchen so she could watch him through the kitchen widow. When she could no longer see him she shut the kitchen window and returned to the living room. There were a number of dusty Readers Digest condensed books on a shelf. She picked up one and sat on the couch. She thumbed through it a few minutes and then remembered the den window was cracked open. Alysa crossed the room and closed it. Instead of returning to the book, she began pacing.

How long has he been gone? She thought. Five minutes maybe? That leaves fifteen or so minutes until he’s back. She checked her watch. Her breath caught as something skittered across the deck outside. After a minute of listening she decided it was just a squirrel or raccoon. The scare left a funny feeling in her gut. She had to pee and went into the bathroom. When she came out she checked her watch again. Eleven minutes to go. Why was time moving so slowly? She forced herself to sit on the sofa and open the book. She scanned some pages, trying hard not to look at her watch. She gave up and glanced at her wrist. Only four minutes had passed.

She stood and went up the shaky spiral staircase and looked at the bed. She turned down the covers and fluffed the pillows. Next, she turned on both end table lamps, not caring how much light they produced. She sat on the end of the bed and checked her watch again. Three minutes had passed. She crossed her legs and kicked nervously as she hugged herself.

Not quite a minute passed when her gaze returned to her watch. The watch--and everything else--disappeared. The two lamps in the loft and the one downstairs died.

She tried to turn her fear into anger at Jay. If he’s pulling a trick on me, he will be so dead, she thought. Would he do something like that to me? No, he wouldn’t. She shuffled to the edge of the loft and peered blindly below. There was only utter, total darkness.

She stood with her hands on the railing. For long minutes she listened until she lost herself in the act of listening for Jay’s return. At last the black gave way to grays. A barely noticeable luminosity shone through the sides of the den window drapes. The moon had risen, providing a minimum of light. The furnishings below slowly took shape, devoid of any color. Her arm shaking, she held her watch to her eyes, but couldn’t see the watch face in the filtered moon glow. She’d been in the loft for a long time, maybe even half an hour. Jay was late.

As quiet as possible, she descended the spiral staircase. Intending to go into the cramped kitchen she stopped, remembering the window over the sink. What if she saw the silhouette of a head, of somebody looking into the cabin? The thought froze her until she forced herself to move, step by step, to the kitchen doorway. Moonlight barely lit up the window, no one looked in. She exhaled in relief.

Someone knocked. Bam-bam-be-bam-bam.

“Jay!” She turned and stepped quickly to the door. She reached for the knob, but the knock continued.

BAM-BAM!

She would have jumped, but instant terror took her past being startled and into paralysis. Slowly, an inch at a time, she withdrew her hand from the doorknob.

BAM-BAM-BE-BAM-BAM!

“Shave and a haircut,” she sang in a whisper, “but no two bits, remember? Shave and a haircut, that’s all.”

BAM-BAM!

“Shave and a haircut,” Alysa chanted tremulously, her mind clouding.

BAM-BAM-BE-BAM-BAM!

“Shave and a haircut--that’s all.”

BAM-BAM!

“NO TWO BITS!” She screamed.

BAM-BAM-BE-BAM-BAM!

“STOP IT, NOW!”

BAM-BAM!

“NO!” Alysa screamed, and without conscious thought she opened the door. There were people in front of the cabin. Some stood in the dim moonlight. Others were perched in the limbs of trees. Some, impossibly so, seemed to drift in the night breeze. Thirty, forty, maybe more. They all watched Alysa with blank faces. Some wore swimsuits. More than a few wore pajamas. Vacant faced children in cut-offs and t-shirts were scattered among the grownups. There were men in Bermuda shorts and Hawaiian shirts, and women in summer dresses. They all watched Alysa. A tall man stood in front of them. He was dressed differently. He wore a black suit, his arms dangling well past his coat sleeves. Alysa saw that the coat wasn’t too small, but the man’s arms were too long. They were bent in a strange manner, as if his arms each had an extra joint. His head was completely hairless and his eyes were wide, staring at her in child-like wonder. His pale, thin lips moved into a slight smile, accentuating two long teeth that extended from his mouth and punctured holes into his chin. The man opened his mouth and the teeth lifted from the chin holes, yet no blood trickled. He closed his mouth and his teeth returned to their fleshy pockets.

Invitation.

Alysa heard the word in her head.

Invitation.

It came from the black dressed man.

Invitation. He tilted his head and lifted a hand, palm upward.

Her attention was drawn to the man’s eyes. They were so innocent. Alysa, for the first time since she heard the screams, felt at peace.

Invitation.

And longing. There was something desirable about him.

Invitation.

Hadn’t she come up to this stinky little cabin for romance? What could be more romantic than inviting him in, inviting all of them, and giving herself up to them?

Invitation.

Yes. All she had to do was stand aside and invite them in. It would be so romantic, so erotic, so very--so very--deadly.

Alysa screamed and slammed the door. She turned and raced up the spiral staircase, the rickety apparatus swinging from side to side. Looking for a safe spot she squeezed herself into a corner by the farthest end table. She kicked and squirmed and pushed against the wall trying to force herself deeper into the little recess.

What was that? The doorknob? She’d panicked and hadn’t even locked it. The door squeaked slowly open and closed. Alysa heard footsteps. Someone walked into the downstairs room. She sat and shivered, listening for the footsteps to resume. She waited. Oh, she had been so patient. Waiting for Jay to return, and now waiting for that evil man to resume his trek across the floor and up the staircase.

“NO!” Alysa screamed and jumped up. She ran for the loft railing, leaned over and yelled. “You don’t have an invitation! You can’t come in!”

“I don’t need an invitation, it’s my cabin.”

Alysa blinked, not believing. Jay stood there in the center of the den. He looked up at her and smiled.

“Jay? Is that really you?”

“I’m back,” he said and started up the spiral staircase.

“Don’t invite them in,” her voice quavered. “They can’t come in without an invitation.”

“No. I won’t invite them in,” he said softly. “If I did, I’d have to share you.”

He took her in his arms and killed her with a kiss.