Chapter one: The Bloody Letter
The trees sang a melodic hymn as the gentle breeze flowed through the leaves of deep crimson. Bathing in the red summer sunlight, newly ripe blood-oranges hung low from claw-like brambles, their bloated silhouettes visible against the setting sun. The stark white bark of the trees made a stunning contrast with their blood-red leaves, while the deep blue river refused to reflect the dazzling pink sky above.
Daniel noted the sun's descent towards the horizon, so as he walked he kept an eye out for a good place to make camp. Daniel had been a boy scout back when he was a child, so he had no trouble finding a perfect spot between two large trees, each with a low-hanging branch running parallel to the other. He looked up at the pink sky, and noted the dark clouds drifting towards him. This would be a perfect place to make a hammock, and judging by those rain clouds, I would do well to sleep above the ground tonight. I hardly enjoy the idea of waking up drenched and muddy.
Daniel began to collect some wood to make a fire, but it had been a long day of hiking through the forest, and he was just about ready to pass out. He abandoned the half completed pile of firewood, and began to make his shelter. Daniel uncoiled his trusty twine rope, (he never went hiking without his life-saving twine) and tethered an end to one of the low branches. He then looped the twine around the opposite trunk, and tied the other end of the rope to the same branch a few feet away from the first knot. The twine resembled a "V" as it hung between the two trees. From there, he just had to throw a blanket atop the twine, and tie each corner of the blanket to the rope. Ten minutes later, Daniel was lying in a cozy little hammock with a makeshift roof of leaves and sticks overhead to keep the rain off him.
Once he was nice and comfortable, his thoughts slipped back to the question that had been lurking in the back of his mind all day: Why did that man pay me $500 just to deliver an envelope to an old hermit? It's just so odd! It's only a two day hike from the city, why didn't he just mail it? Perhaps the old hermit is not on the map, and the post service would not find him?
Daniel remembered how the sleek man had approached him in the bar the other night, and bought him a drink while promising to "make an offer that he cannot refuse." "You will find the lake about a two day trek north of here, you can't get there by car, and you can't miss it. Follow the western shore until you come across an old red house. The old man you find in that house is quite an odd character, do not blame him however, for he has had little contact with other people for years. I guess you could say he's a bit of a social outcast. Hahahaha, I like to call him the old hermit! And remember; come to this bar the night of your return to retrieve the other half of your payment. If you take longer than a week, you will never see me again." The man's deep voice still lingered in Daniels ears, and it made him shudder.
Well, that's why Daniel was here surely, but what could be so important that the man would pay $500 to deliver the contents of this envelope? After a few minutes of struggling with his thoughts, Daniel decided that the envelope was simply letter from one relative to another.
The When Daniel awoke in the waterlogged, humid forest he felt a feeling of relief for being nice and dry. However his relief was short lived, because he had no intention of trudging through the ankle-deep mud for another day, so for the time being, Daniel was stranded in his little hammock. With a sigh of frustration, he threw his face back into the cotton blanket, and went back to sleep.
He was awakened by a queer sound, similar to the popping noise a suction cup like a plunger would make against a hard surface. When Daniel opened his eyes, he was surprised to see a man with dark hair in front of him, struggling to pull his foot out of the thick mud. Finally, he managed to pull his boot out of the mud with a loud popping noise.
"Oh my, hello there, what would you be doing in a place like this… and on a day like this?"
Daniel studied him for a moment, and concluded that he was in his early thirties, just like himself.
"I think I should be asking you that question, what are you doing in a place like this? At least I am clean and dry."
"Oh apologies, you caught me by surprise, my name is Leon, nice to meet you."
Leon took a few unbalanced steps towards Daniel, and held out a muddy hand expectantly. Blushing, he noticed his mud-covered hand, and hurriedly pulled it back to his side. An awkward silence followed.
Leon continued anxiously, "I was paid to deliver an envelope to some old loner up in these hills. At first I was excited! I love the wilderness, and I was looking forward to the hike, even though I suck at this kind of stuff... But it is way harder than I thought. If I knew it would be this hard, I never would have taken the money. The only reason I haven't turned back yet is because I want that other $500 when I get back." It's been terrible; I have been walking through this damn mud all night and all day!"
It seemed as though Leon had run out of words, so he just stood there looking frustrated. Daniel was simply shocked into silence, and it took a few moments before he was able to explain the situation to this stranger.
"Look", Daniel began, lifting the envelope out of his jacket pocket, "I have also been paid $500 to deliver this envelope to an old hermit in a red house by the lake! Were you hired by a tall man with black hair, in a sleek black coat? Did he meet you in a bar?" Daniel's voice became frantic.
Leon looked stunned at first, and then began to laugh. "I guess he really wants to guarantee this letter is received. It must be a really important letter; probably family issues or something of the like."
Daniel smiled, "You think so too do you? Family issues. Well, it's the most logical explanation. The mother died, and the son is inviting his sibling to the funeral, something like that. Anyways, it's none of our business, so let's just deliver these letters together, and collect our payment. We should have this whole affair done with by sunset tomorrow." He put on his jacket, and examined Leon critically. "You seem in need of assistance anyways, so it's a good thing you found me. Someone like you could die out here!"
Leon glared at Daniel for a moment, and then asked hopefully, "Do you have breakfast?"
Before long, a fire was crackling merrily, and the scent of bacon filled the air. Leon finally took off his boots, and shoved his way onto the tiny hammock, leaving them cramped together uncomfortably. Several times Daniel attempted to shove him off into the mud, but both men were too stubborn to get more mud on them.
Eventually, they got comfortable and began to eat. It was a simple breakfast, but both Daniel and Leon felt ready for the days' trek. It took Daniel about 5 minutes to find a dry pathway on higher ground. Conveniently, this path led north, and it climbed uphill. He expected to find the lake within an hour.
"Okay, so we agree that he hired us on the same night… Remember how I said I was excited to come here at first? Well, I was so excited, that I left 3 days early", Leon took a sip of water. "Did he ever tell you exactly when you were supposed to leave, because he told me to leave in three days? So I shouldn't even be leaving until tomorrow".
Daniel thought for a moment, "He told me to leave straight away… So if he told me to leave right away, and he told you to leave in three days… Does that mean he is trying to keep us from meeting?
I doubt he cares; he probably just wants to make sure the message is delivered. The chances of the letter getting sent are definitely higher if we are working individually."
Leon sighed with impatience as they topped yet another ridge, but the other side of the hill was not what they expected. They had just climbed up the gentle slope of the hill, and the other side was a sheer drop into deep blue water. Daniel took out the compass: "We go west, and follow the shore until we find that house." And with that, Daniel turned to his left, and began to jog along the edge of the cliff.
Leon shook his head with disbelief as he watched Daniel run along the Cliffside, and then he followed, keeping well away from the cliff to his right.
An hour hike along the west shoreline took them to a wide open marsh. Keeping the cliff close to their right, they followed the path as it descended towards the blue water. Daniel took out the compass, and noticed that they were now walking north.
"We should be pretty close now, the shoreline has curved north, so we should reach the house soon."