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Kicking up a plume of dust
(Blakely)
There was a snuffling and scratching noise. Shit shit shit. Coming from outside, a shadow cast through the crack under the door. It was a horror movie, I had been right.
The door jostled. Then the doorknob jiggled.
I slowly moved my hand to the phone and slowly quietly pulled the handset to my ear and then slowly pushed the button for the office. It rang and rang and then Liam’s voice, low and Scottish, and very sleepy, “Aye?”
I whispered, “There’s a... animal, you...” Scratch scratch. “It’s trying to come in.”
No answer.
Again the animal bumped against the door. “Liam, Liam, please there’s an animal. I don’t know what to do. I’m...”
He groaned and smacked his lips. “What... an animal?”
There was the sound of snuffling, it was breathing into my room. I whimpered, quietly, so it wouldn’t know I was there. “Is it going to come in, Liam?”
“Hold on...” His end of the phone went down to a table, but not disconnected, I could hear him get up, then I heard a door open, then footsteps outside, and his voice, “Get! Get! Get out of here, ye giant rat.” The sound of an animal lumbering away.
I pulled the covers up to my chin.
Liam knocked on my door. “He’s gone, I think he just wanted back intae his home.”
I groaned. “This room is his home?”
“Nae, more likely he was the room service ye ordered, comin’ tae see if ye needed help makin’ up the bed.”
His steps walked away. A moment later I could hear him through the phone again — a squeaking noise, like bed springs, then he asked, “Ye still there, Woodshee?” His voice was low and quiet.
“Yeah, I’m still here. What kind of animal was it?”
“Twas either a massive bear or a wee raccoon, twas verra dark.”
“Thank you, sorry I woke you.”
“G’night.” The phone clicked.
* * *
How was I supposed to sleep now? I couldn’t, but then after parsing through the argument with Darren, over and over, my mind finally chilled out just before dawn and I fell fast asleep.
* * *
I woke with a start.
Damn, it was past nine; my time zone was all off. I had to solve a lot of problems, not least of which, I needed to get on top of the way I looked. I had been a disaster last night and needed to redeem myself, fast. I took a quick shower, blew dry my hair while applying makeup, and dressed. I chose a cropped shirt and a pair of cutoff shorts that looked great with my boots. I had brought the outfit specially for day one of the hike, but since I was doing this differently, under duress — also, since looking in my suitcase, I had fifteen outfits for the hike and none of the necessary camping gear. I might as well wear one of the cute outfits now.
While I tried to solve the camping equipment issue.
And the phone problem.
I put bandaids over the raw blisters on my pinky toes and pulled on wool socks, then my boots. I wasn’t sure if I could totally solve everything today, so I re-packed my suitcase, straightened the room, but left my suitcase there.
I walked down to the office.
No one there.
