It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. June Porter stared at the framed quote that hung from the wall in her father's untouched study, not truly seeing it. Her mind was preoccupied with faded memories of camping trips and days spent on a boat, early morning chores and late night bonfires. Too many years had passed for there to be tears, instead, she smiled fondly as she turned her attention to a photo of her two sisters and herself precariously perched on a huge boulder somewhere in Wisconsin. Another photo hung nearby, a posed family shot done the year her father disappeared.
She had been 14, her sisters just 12 and 8, when her father had taken a solo hike into the Minnesota backwoods. He never returned and his body was never recovered. The woods of northern Minnesota are vast and many carnivorous animals made their home there. It wasn't hard to imagine what had happened to him.
June cut her own thoughts off before they could turn morbid and stepped away from the wall of memories. The rest of the office was decorated in the same inspirational quotes and family memorabilia, his desk was still stacked with dog-eared nature guides and maps of every forest and state park in the country. When she was a teenager she resented the fact that her mother had kept the office a paralyzed shrine. It made her ache every time she walked by and saw the empty desk chair. Now, she was eternally grateful. She missed her father with every part of being, he had been her rock, her safe harbor, her mentor and now his memory lived on in this place.
The front door slamming shut drew June's attention away from her reminiscence. A huge smile lit up her face and she jogged out of the room and down the stairs. Standing in the doorway was a petite, round-faced, tornado of a woman. Her wild auburn hair was loose and feral complementing the fire in her cobalt eyes.
"Junie!" June braced herself as her youngest sister, Ella, ran towards her, dropping her bags mid-stride, she wrapped her arms around June and squeezed.
"Hey Squirt, how goes life in the big city?" June blew an errant strand of Ella's hair away from her nose and finally let go of her baby sister.
"It's amazing June!" Ella grabbed her bags and made a beeline for her old room. "I met this old woman from Scotland the other day at work, Scotland June, can you even imagine? She was so sweet and told me all about her family and everything and oh my god, June. So Caleb was almost fired last week... " Ella continued her fast-paced monologue as she tossed her bags on her bed and pulled off the blue blazer she had been wearing. June just shook her head and leaned against the door frame, waiting for Ella to pause a minute to breathe.
"...But that's not the only thing, I guess this guy was also in some off broadway musical about some obscure author I can't remember the name of," Ella finally broke off her continuous run-on sentence and looked slightly sheepish. "I'm talking a lot."
"I'd be concerned if you weren't," June said, laughing. "Mel is probably waiting for us though and I have to change."
They met Mel at the top of the hill set at the back of the property. The wealth of the farm house and barn could be seen from the crest of the hill where a large boulder sat. The middle sister stood near the boulder pensively looking out at the expanse of woods that abutted the property. She was all seriousness and order in balance to Ella's chaos. She sported a short haircut, ruffled by the constant Minnesota wind. Her pale skin contrasted brightly against the black windbreaker she wore, her blazing copper hair a torch against the grey sky.
"Melly..." Sang June breaking away from Ella to pull the younger Porter into a hug. The sisters embraced awkwardly for a moment before June and Ella deposited brightly colored bouquets of wildflowers at the base of the boulder. Mel had already placed a single, huge, sunflower blossom there.
Ella let her fingers trace the etching in the stone memorial. One side of the boulders craggy face had been shorn smooth, a plaque engraved into the shiny surface. Their mother had defaced the lonely stone, a stone that had stood atop the hill since before their father had purchased it when June was just a toddler, not as a memorial but as a beacon of hope that he would someday return.
"He's still out there somewhere," Ella muttered sullenly. It was a sentiment that was hard to avoid this time of year. June wrapped a supportive arm around her baby sister and pulled her close, tucking her into her side. She reached her other arm out to Mel who awkwardly leaned into the embrace. They stood like that for a long while before Mel sidled away and without a word began the descent to the house. Ella and June followed soon after.
As they entered the house through the backdoor the rich smell of baking bread greeted them. Their mother was home. Mel was the first through the door and headed straight for the kitchen where she found the elder Porter washing the dirtied dishes from her baking.
"Smells wonderful Mom," Mel said plucking an already made muffin from the table top and taking a big bite. Hilda Porter was the aged photocopy of Mel, from hairstyles to the way they held themselves. Though grey streaked her copper locks and laugh lines drew their way across her eyes and mouth.
"Mom!" Ella barged into the kitchen and bear hugged her mother.
"Ellie!" Hilda greeted her youngest daughter with a laugh. "Where is your sister?"
"Upstairs." Ella said through a mouthful of muffin. Echoing footsteps coming down the stairs punctuated the statement and June entered the kitchen, a green bag hanging from her arm.
"Oh, presents!" Ella cheered like a child, clapping her hands together enthusiastically. Mel rolled her eyes, it was just like June to bring home a bag of trinkets.
"Sit yourself down, child." June laughed, a hand thrust outward, keeping her puerile sister at bay. "Hi, mom." She kissed her mom on the cheek before digging into her bag.
"For Mel." She handed Mel a small package, wrapped in purple paper. Inside was an old swiss army knife, it's red handle was scuffed with age, but on the side, it still read Porter in faded black sharpie.
"It was dads, he gave it to me when I was 12 and we were camping in the Uintas." Mel's face was ever stoic but she reached out and hugged June.
"Thank you." June smiled back, her hazel eyes glowing.
"You're welcome."
Next June pulled a beaded clutch from the bag and handed it to their mother, explaining that it had been made by the Apache on a reservation not far from where she was living. Finally, Ella, nearly to the point of bursting, reached out and grabbed the little, wrapped box June offered her. Inside was a set of linked silver bangles shined and clinked together harmonically.
"They're beautiful June!" Ella gasped slipping them over her hand, they jingled as she shook her arm, admiring them. "Thank you!" June smiled fondly and hugged her baby sister tightly.
"I'm glad you all like them." June smiled fondly sitting at the table.
Dinner was full of laughter and stories. Ella dominated the conversation, as usual, making the exchange easy. Mel found herself relaxing and enjoying her younger sisters prattling for once, it might have been the bottle of Merlot that she and June had shared though. Eventually, the four women retired to the living room with hot cider and homemade pie.
The night grew long, mugs and plates discarded, old photo albums had been dragged from their shelves and now lay open on the coffee table. Ella had fallen asleep a while ago, her head resting in June's lap. Mel had perched herself next to the dying fire and Hilda sat across from June and Ella.
"How long will you be in town?" Hilda asked June.
"Three weeks," June said quietly, running her fingers through Ella's hair. Hilda nodded and sat back in her chair, her eyes falling shut. June turned her attention to the sister that was awake.
"How are things at the store?" she asked.
"Good, good." Mel said stretching her legs out in front of her. "Been pretty busy with tourists coming into town." Mel had opened a sporting goods store the previous year. Partially in memory of their father and partially as a way to justify staying in the small town. "We should get to bed."
"I suppose so." June sighed and looked fondly down at Ella. "I don't think we can carry her anymore."
"I dunno, I bet we could." Mel laughed. She stood and stretched, her fingers reaching for the ceiling.
"Well, I'm not going to try," June said with a chuckle. She gently moved Ella and placed a pillow under her head. Mel was waking their mother to usher her upstairs with them. Slowly they made their way up to the second floor and said their goodnights.
Mel hesitated at the door to her old room. She turned back to June who was crossing the hall to the bathroom.
"I'm glad you guys are home," she said. Her mouth was pursed and she refused to look at June.
"I love you too Melly," June laughed. She crossed the hall and embraced her sister. "Dad would be so proud of you, with the store and all."
"I hope so," Mel said quietly. "I'm gonna go to bed now."
"Night, Mel."
"Night, June."
"Good lord woman, come on!" Ella was hanging out the passenger side of the old Jeep Mel drove, her copper curls spilling out of her ponytail. She was calling for June who was still standing in the kitchen with their mother.
"Call when you get to the park please?" Hilda asked.
"Yes, mom."
"And keep-"
"And keep Ella out of trouble and Mel out of trees, yes mom," June laughed. "I've done this before."
"June, let's go!" The horn honking punctuated Ella's shouts. June gave her mom a quick hug, grabbed her pack and jogged out the door. She trotted down the step and threw her bag into the back of the Jeep before pulling the door open. Ella crawled into the back seat to allow June the front, taking the AUX cord with her. She put on some upbeat pop song on as Mel pulled the Jeep out of the driveway and they began their three-hour trip to Lake Wobegon.
The sun was high in the sky by the time they made it to the campgrounds of Lake Wobegon National Park. They had paid their fees, gotten a map from the park ranger, and mosied the 45 minutes through the park to the camping area. The park was over one thousand acres of wilderness with campsites placed here and there among hiking trails and on the lake itself. That is where the sisters planned to spend the next five days. Their camp was more secluded on the north side of the lake, tucked into looming ash trees and wild shrubbery. Ella was the first one out of the car, brightly colored knapsack bouncing behind her. June and Mel came slower, pulling equipment and coolers from the top of the Jeep. Mel pulled the tent off last and closed the back doors of the vehicle.
"On your left," Ella said jogging around Mel and taking the tent from her hands as she did.
"Be careful with that!" Mel yelped as Ella unzipped the tent's case and spilled its contents onto the forest floor.
"It's a tent, Mel," Ella shrugged.
"It's an expensive tent," Mel muttered. June shook her head and smiled as they started to piece together the tent. That endeavor in itself took an entire hour much to Mel's annoyance.
"Elle, why don't you get us some kindling?" Mel suggested. They had finally finished the tent to her liking and were settling into their campsite. June had assembled the pit grill over the fire pit and Mel was rolling large logs over to serve as chairs.
"Ugh, fine," the youngest pouted. She pushed herself off the ground where she sat and meandered into the woods, picking up small twigs as she went.
"Not two hours into this and she's already driving me crazy." Mel rubbed her temples.
"Try not to be so hard on her," June sighed sitting hard on a log.
"I'm not being hard on her June, she's so... immature!"
"Mel, she's only 19," June said. "If I remember correctly you fell out a tree and broke your tibia when you were 19. Just... try to be a little more understanding. She doesn't mean to annoy you, she's just trying to help." Mel rolled her eyes and tossed a stick into the fire pit.
"Fine," she said, her lips pulled into a thin line.
"We are going to have all sorts of fun." June insisted. Ella came tripping out of the woods a few seconds later, her arms laden with sticks. June jumped up to help with Mel following slower.
Night fell and the sisters gathered around a blazing fire. June had pulled out all the stuff to make s'mores, the smell of burning marshmallows thick in the air. Ella sat between her sisters, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders to keep the chill at bay.
"Isn't the lake suppose to be haunted or something?" She asked blowing on her latest fireball.
"Oh no, not this again," June groaned and leaned back, laughter on her lips.
"It's not haunted," Mel said sardonically. "There's aliens in these parts."
"Aliens?" June couldn't help but laugh this time. "Ghosts sound more plausible."
"Wait, so what exactly happened?" Ella asked through a mouthful of gooey sweets.
"Back in the seventies a bunch of hippies went missing." Mel scoffed. "Probably got lost and eaten by a mountain lion, but people were reporting strange lights and weird weather around that time too."
"We've been coming here for 11 years and strangest weather we've ever seen was that rainbow over the lake." Ella laughed.
"Exactly," Mel nodded.
"What if it's something though," June said quietly. "I mean, not aliens or ghosts, but what if someone was like, murdering those hippies."
"What?" Ella's eyes grew wide and she shifted closer to Mel.
"You never know what might be lurking in the SHADOWS!" June reached out and grabbed Ella, roaring as she did so. The youngest woman shrieked and fell backward off her log. Mel and June dissolved into hysterical laughter.
"You are terrible June Porter!" Ella shouted picking herself up. "You're lucky mom's not here." Once fully on her feet Ella huffed indignantly and stomped off to the tent.
"Oh, come on baby sister!" June yelled at the tent. Mel was still chuckling.
"I thought I was supposed to be the mean one?" she asked.
"I have to pick on her once in awhile too," June said. "I suppose we should go to bed too." Mel nodded in agreement, stood, and stretched. They doused the fire and ducked into the tent to find Ella already curled up in the middle of their sleeping bags, her blanket covering her head.
"Night," they said in unison as Mel clicked off her flashlight.
Diluted morning sunlight filtered through the mesh tent windows pulling Mel from her sleep. She took a moment to just lay and listen to the world waking up around her. Birds chirped and fluttered from branch to branch overhead, a woodpecker tapped at a tree in hopes for breakfast. A loon's hollow call sounded off on the lake adding an extra bit of ambiance to the early morning. June and Ella were still sleeping, their breathing deep and steady, like a metronome, almost lulling her back to sleep. She opened her eyes instead and propped herself up on one elbow.
They had a long hike ahead and they needed to get an early start if they wanted to be back before nightfall. As quietly as she could she got up and exited the tent. She quickly threw on her hiking boots and a sweater, found the outhouse, and made her way back to camp. June was up now, she must have woken her leaving the tent. She already had their bags lined up, breakfast bars and bottles of water in hand. She was grateful for June, she wasn't nearly as chaotic as Ella but not as serious as Mel and she kept the balance between them. Most of the time.
"Morning."
"Good morning, there's a semi-coffee like substance in the thermos." June pointed to a battered green thermos that sat nestled into the lingering coals from last night's fire.
"Thanks." Mel settled onto a log and helped herself to the coffee. "Ella still sleeping?"
"Like a log as usual." June said. She pulled her dark hair into a ponytail, keeping it away from her face.
"We need to leave soon if we don't want to hike in the dark." They planned on hiking the entire circumference of the lake which would take the entire day with Ella and June. Mel could have probably done it in half a day if she wanted to. She had to remind herself this was about sisterly bonding, not who could hike the quickest.
"Be my guest and try to wake her," June laughed. Mel rolled her eyes and stood up. She took one last big gulp of coffee and went to the tent. She unzipped the flap and ducked inside. Ella was still wrapped in the blanket and sleeping bags. Her hair was a mass of wild tendrils spilled about her head. Mel almost hated to wake her up, she was peaceful, innocent, best of all quiet. She sighed in defeat and squatted down to poke Ella's cheek.
"Ella, wake up," she said.
"Mmummit," Ella swatted Mel's hand away and rolled over.
"Oh no, no. We gotta go, little girl!" Mel tore the blanket away from Ella's body.
"Mel, what the hell," Ella grumbled, reaching for the blanket.
"Let's go!" Mel quickly dodged Ella's flailing hands and slipped out of the tent, blanket in hand. Ella followed, slower and less graceful. Her eyes were half shut, her shoulders slumped and her feet dragging. June placed a cup of coffee into her hands. She took a deep swig of the coffee, stumbled over to the fire pit and sat down.
"You are the devil," She mumbled, half glaring in Mel's general direction.
"Proudly," Mel said tossing the blanket over Ella's head as she walked by. They all knew Ella wouldn't wake up fully until halfway through the hike. June made her put a sweater on and helped her get her pack on her shoulders. Ella sipped at her coffee and complied with zero fuss.
"Alright, let's go," Mel said slinging her own pack over her shoulders and heading for the trail. Ella gave an unintelligible reply but got to her feet, her eyes still half closed. They made their way through the quiet campgrounds, no other people seemed to camp this far North and the empty sites were haunting.
The trail head was easily spotted among the thick underbrush. It was the only gap in the twisting brambles and prickly blackberry bushes. Tall trees grew on either side of the path creating an arching tunnel. A sign stood just outside the trail, it's faded letters reminding hikers to "Take only photos and leave only footprints." Underneath it read "Lake Wobegon Trail Access, 15.2 miles." Too familiar with the trail and the lake the sisters didn't even pause at the sign. They marched into the welcoming shade of the woods.
Not a quarter of the way around the lake the trail took a sudden western turn and inclined sharply. The path lead them up to a breathtaking vista, a rough outcropping of rocks, jutting from the side of the tall hill overlooked the entirety of Lake Wobegon. Sweat pricked at June's face as she pushed her burning calves to overcome the steep hill. When they reached the top they all stood on the precipice and soaked in the sights.
The lake sprawled below like a puddle of spilled juice. Its inky blue surface a testament to its depths. The sun reflected in dazzling flashes off its wind-ruffled surface. Overhead a hawk wheeled and dipped on the wind, searching for unsuspecting fish. Along the lakes outer edges tourists and snowbirds were emerging from their campers and lake houses to enjoy the beautiful morning. The shouts and laughs of children echoed off the trees that surrounded the lake. It was gloriously beautiful. Peaceful.
Mel breathed in the smell of water and pine trees, a scent that she would always find comfort in. The silent but warm presence of her sisters beside her calmed her. She hadn't felt this relaxed in years. A northern wind tore through the valley of trees suddenly, pulling at the sister's hair and clothes, making the ridge they stood on seem unstable. The once cloudless sky roiled with dark oily clouds, it was like something from a time-lapse video, the clouds moved too quickly and with a dangerous fervor. Lightning flashed across the sky from north to south followed shortly by a ground shaking crack of thunder.
"What the fuck?" Ella exclaimed gripping onto June's arm. The wind was tearing at the trees, tossing them back and forth like stalks of summer grass. Lightning flashed again. "What is going on?"
"It's just a storm, we have to get back to camp!" Mel shouted over the roaring winds. She pushed her sisters backward down the trail they had just struggled to get up. It grew darker still in the boughs of the woods if it were possible. So dark, Mel had to pull her flashlight from her pack to light they way down the hill. Another flash of lightning, this one too close for comfort. They hair on Mel's arms stood up. Ella gave a short scream, still clinging to June, as another resounding crack filled the air. This time it wasn't from a roll of thunder though. The path in front of them was blocked as a great trees fell, vibrating the ground they stood on as it made contact. Ella screamed again and Mel pushed them back up the hill.
June tried to concentrate on the bouncing flashlight beam instead of Ella's nails digging into her skin. She followed Mel closely, trusting her younger sister to lead them in the right direction. The ground beneath her feet suddenly felt wobbly, her head spun, or was it the earth spinning, she wasn't sure. Ella was screaming again and June was vaguely aware that they had fallen to met the ground at some point. She felt upside down, like the earth itself had flipped axises. She opened her eyes, when had she closed them? Mel was a few feet away, still standing but on shaky legs. The storm was gone.
"Everyone okay?" June asked, her voice unnaturally low.
"Yeah," Mel's reply was short, bewildered.
"No." Ella sounded close to tears.
June pushed herself up from the ground. Something wasn't right. It was still dark. Mel was turning in slow circles not far from her, flashlight catching on stones and shrubs that shouldn't have been growing there. Curiously she looked to the dark sky, expecting to see a grey wall of clouds, instead, an infinite sea of dancing stars stretched across the canopy of tree tops.
"June," Mel couldn't speak above a whisper, her face twisted in confused horror. She tore her gaze away from the endless stars to her elder sister who was trying to get Ella to her feet. "June!"
"What?" June asked defeatedly.
"Look up," Mel pointed to the sky and June followed her direction, tilting her head back. Her mouth fell open.
"How?" She whispered. "It wasn't even noon yet, how, did we..." Her voice failed her as she gaped at the jeweled sky above.
"I don't know," Mel said, a look of determination on her face. "But we need to get back to camp." June nodded and turned to where Ella still sat on the ground. The trail should have been directly behind her, a sudden drop to where the hill descended into the valley. However, that wasn't the case. Large boulders stood there instead, effectively blocking the way.
"That might be easier said than done." June turned back to Mel and pointed look on her face.
"What in the world?" Mel gasped. "This is impossible." June was already to the other side of the hill looking for a roundabout trail. The world did drop away here, only it seemed to never stop.
"Mel," June called to her. "Mel were stuck." Mel jogged over, flashlight in hand. She shined the light into the dark, it caught on craggy cliffs as it went down then faded to black.
"Okay," Mel shook her head. "I guess we wait for sunrise."
"If it comes," June muttered to no one but herself.
"We should make camp, a fire at the least." Mel said wandering back to Ella.
The sisters huddled together, the boulders to their backs, the measly fire they had created in front of them, casting their faces in jumping shadows. None of them were particularly tired so they resorted to theories about the storm.
"Maybe we all got hit by that tree and were in a coma." Ella suggested, nestled between the two elder sisters.
"A collective coma?" Mel asked incredulously.
"For all I know you're a figment of my imagination." Ella snorted.
"Can a figment do this?" Mel reached over and pinched Ella hard on the arm.
"Ow!" Ella retorted with a smack.
"Good lord, stop, you're both grown women!" June interjected. "It doesn't matter how it matters that we get through it. When the sun comes up we will find a way off this hill and back to camp."
Ella and Mel sulked, staring into the fire. Eventually, Ella dozed off, she could sleep in the strangest places. June was next, her head settled on Ella's who had tucked into her side. Mel struggled to keep her eyes open, the fire had long dimmed and it seemed like the world was getting lighter. Maybe that was wishful thinking. She heard the mocking call of a bird in the distance just before her eyes slid shut and sleep took her.
When the first rays of light crept over the boulders and shined onto the ridge Ella woke up. She blinked as she took in her surroundings, dread filling her like a cold lead. She had hoped it had all been a dream.
"Oh my god," She whispered, untangling herself from her sisters. What they hadn't seen in the night's blackness was the outcropping of rocks they had stood upon in the storm. It was still there, the ground before them ran for only a brief few feet, inclining slightly before dropping into nothing. Carefully Ella crept towards the edge, breath held her in her throat. The lake was gone. Below lay a stretch of prairie grass, vast and unyielding, the golden stalks shimmering and waving in the breeze. To the south, a long line of jagged peaks, frosted with white snow, cut the horizon as far as she could see. Panic rose in her chest sending her backward, away from the new sight. She closed her eyes, squeezing them together as if that would change what she saw.
"This can't be real," She repeated the phrase several times before opening her eyes again. She scrambled over to her sisters.
"Mel, wake up!" She shook Mel, her hands on her shoulders.
"Huh?" Mel shot up like someone had electrocuted her.
"We are on a mountain," Ella said pointing to the cliff.
"What?" Mel groggily looked in the directing of the drop-off. "June." She slapped her older sister lightly. She jerked awake, looking disgruntled.
"We are on a friggin' mountain!" Ella screeched, she pulled Mel to her feet and dragged her to the edge of the cliff. June slowly followed after, sleep still in her eyes. As soon as she reached the edge to stand with her sisters her eyes grew wide.
"There are no mountains in Minnesota," Mel rasped.
"No, no there's not." June confirmed taking in the very different scenery.
The three sisters stood there for a long time, staring out at prairie and mountains that stretched below. The golden morning sun bathed them in warm light, yet they all felt indescribably chilled.