{3} Astoria Krane- Curiosity Killed the Cat

 I know. It's been a while...

I may or may not have been a little.... grounded.

I will try not to make this into a novel, but no promises. A lot happened.

After the noises started happening, the weirdness with the neighbors, and my dad not believing me, I took matters into my own hands.  

I know... I know, but I couldn't just sit on my butt and do nothing.  I'm a huge fan of those crime/investigation documentaries! Call me... Detective Krane.

I weighed my options and just went with my gut. Seriously, what could happen?  According to the neighbors, the noises were just coyotes and maybe at worst a bear (I will bring bear spray).  Then there was the whole issue of getting caught by a patrol officer and dealing with the consequences of my father.  What was he going to do? Lock me in this house? I mean that is pretty much what is happening right now.  

So. It. Was. Settled.

I waited until my dad left for work, grabbed my pack (prepacked all the necessities), and snuck out.  I made my way to the base of one hill and started walking trying to blend into the trees and brush. This was the most exciting thing I had done since my dad and I moved here!  I have to say, it was a pretty easy trek up the hill, although I could tell I wasn't in the best shape for this, and the late summer heat was trying to warn me to turn back.  I wasn't giving in, so I kept going.  I had been walking uphill for about 30 minutes I believe and I found a perfect place to take a break.  

Part of what makes this place so amazing is the fact that you can be in a densely wooded area one moment, then turn around and find yourself right in front of an oasis of boulders, caverns, streams, waterfalls, and patches of wildflowers.  That is exactly what I found, and I thought, why in the world hadn't I gotten out of the house before now.  I sat on one of the bigger rocks that overlooked the crystal-clear stream below. I took my thermos of water out of my pack, and a little packet of crackers.  I breathed in the fresh air and just took in this place.  I thought if this area was just a small speck of the beauty that this place held, what else was there to see?  I started dreaming of adventures I could have.  I would bring my journal and start my investigation.  I was absolutely in love with this thought, but it didn't last long.

I heard it.

It wasn't a growl or a high-pitched squeal.  It wasn't the rustling of trees or the sound of footsteps.

It was the faint whispering of...

my name.

"Aasttorrriaaaa..."

The coldest chill went up my spine which was bizarre because it was reaching the upper 80s, maybe a little lower now that I was in the shade, but I was completely frozen to the rock that I was sitting on.

My mind was racing, trying to make sense of why I just heard my name.  

I thought... you are just hot, you got overheated.  I could hear my dad's voice in my head telling me once again that I was just a "dramatic teenager", and I needed to get my head out of the clouds.

...but I heard it again, and there was no mistaking where it came from.  It was right above me... in the trees, but this time the sound was heartbreakingly familiar. 

It sounded like my mom's voice.

I didn't dare look up. Frozen. I felt my heart stop. I could now hear movement on the branches, It was quiet, but I could hear it.

I just stared straight ahead. I was too afraid to move because I honestly wanted to cry from hearing her voice. I kept trying to tell myself that it was all in my head, I wasn't hearing my mom.

The movement seemed to be edging closer.

And I heard my name again... 

"Assstoriaaaa..."

Something snapped me from my trance and I remembered my bear spray on the side of my pack and yanked it off as quick as I could.

Although I know how stupid it is to think Smokey the Bear is in these wooded hills whispering my name in my mom's voice. Yet, I had no other option to consider but to defend myself with something. I sprayed it behind me and above me, and closed my eyes tight.

I heard a gasp and something breathing heavily. I bolted, I wasn't staying around to find out what that was, and I didn't want to see what it was. I ran as fast as I have ever run in my life!

Until I came into what looked like a row of trees and brush, but really ended up being a huge wall, that somehow I missed and ran smack into it.  This, of course, knocked me out.

I thought I was dead.

I freaked out when I woke up thinking that -evil whispering Smokey the Bear that sounded like my mom- took me to its lair.

Nope. I was laying on a flowery quilted queen-sized bed, looking up at what I could only describe as "my grandmother's bedroom" wall décor.  

Is this what heaven looks like? It had a wonderful aroma of food being cooked and a sweet lavender scent that made you feel quite at ease. I suddenly pictured myself in a weird version of Little Red Riding Hood. 

On the side of me was a dresser full of monitors hooked up to wires and an IV protruding from my arm.  On the other side, was my dad holding his head in his hands snoring, until I jolted awake.  

Oh, this should be fun.

He about fell out of his chair. "Stori! You're awake! Thank God!.... You are so in trouble, missy..." he spat at me with mixed emotions. Before he could finish, the sweetest older lady came into the room with a bowl of soup and the biggest smile.

"Oh, she's awake! Perfect timing, I made my famous chicken and dumplings for lunch. Sweetie, we were all very worried about you!" She placed the bowl down and came over to me and touched my forehead, looked over at the machines beeping, and then smiled at me. "I'm Dr. Haze, but people around here just call me just Grams. Can you tell me how you are feeling?"

I suddenly just wanted to stay here forever and for her to take care of me. I looked up here, smiled, and asked, "I'm okay, but What happened exactly?"

Before she could even open her mouth, my father's wrath came down on me. "Oh, I will tell you what happened..." dad started yelling. "Did you just get so bored that you decided to disobey everything I asked of you? Astoria Krane, I have told you again and again not to go up the mountain or anywhere near it... it is dangerous! What on earth made you think that this would be a good day to just go for a hike?"  The veins in his neck were quite prominent, so I knew just how pissed off he was at me.

Gram looked uncomfortable, but she continued to look over the monitor, and check my blood pressure. I was actually glad she was in the room because I wasn't sure I was going to live with dad so fired up.

I quietly admitted, "I was just curious, and I was tired of being stuck in the house all day. I thought it wouldn't hurt to just go for a walk.  I wasn't going to go far."  I may have lied a little, but I also knew this wasn't going to end well.  If I was being truthful, I probably would have kept journeying on.

Soooo...I will skip over this back-and-forth yelling match I had with my dad.  Poor sweet Gram stepped out of the room and said she would be back later with something to eat for my father too.  It was rough, especially when he brought mom's name into it. This was something we had agreed to never bring up unless absolutely necessary. He knew he messed up, and he walked out of the room for well.... a while.

Then silence. I needed some quiet to rack my brain and make sense of what happened. I was having trouble remembering a part of it.  I knew something weird had happened, but I couldn't remember.

A few minutes later, I had an unknown visitor.  He opened the door like he owned the place and said, "Hey! I see they caught a live one.  What do they call you? Crazed Teenager Girl? You were quite the talk in the diner this afternoon."

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I said, "My name is Stori. No, I'm not a crazed teenager.... just curious. Who are you?  Some random guy that just creeps into hospital rooms?! Please don't tell me you are another doctor of some sort, you look like your 16-17."

He scoffed and leaned on the metal footboard of the bed. "Ahhh, nice guess Sherlock Holmes. Well, my name is Cree, and thank you for guessing my age right 16! I live here with my grandparents. You've already met the infamous Dr. Genevieve Haze.  She is actually retired with my grandpa and they actually run the small diner downstairs now." He sounded a bit like a tour guide suddenly. "You are actually in one of the make-shift guest rooms for situations such as what happened to you out there.  Luckily, you weren't too far from our place, and we took you in. Grams fixed you right up."

He was pretty cute (not that it has anything to do with my experience), plus he had more answers, so I asked him what had happened. "Nice to meet someone my age for once. So I don't remember a whole lot, only that I hiked up the hill closest to my house, and I found a perfect spot to sit and then blank. I don't know why I can't remember anything from that point on.

"Oh, I see... you wanted a little excitement in your life.  Has anyone ever told you what happens to a curious cat?

He smirked and said, "I guess you set off a proximity alarm when you ran smack into the east wall. Fortunately, Danica and Grey, a couple of patrol officers, were within a mile of that area.  They opened the gate, found you unconscious, and brought you here.  I guess your dad was at headquarters watching surveillance and hurried over when he recognized you."

I tried to process all of it, but really what did I expect to just waltz up the mountain and not get caught? Uggg. I was in so much trouble. "So you are saying that I'm officially inside the walls of Rivyn Rock?" My eyebrow arched a bit.

"Yes... Why? Do you want a tour? I would love to take you on a tour... like seriously.  However, I don't know if your dad would go for that since ya know, the screaming and yelling. I think he got into a little trouble for this too, or at least that is what Danica and Grey were saying."

I looked at him with a frown, "Thank you TMZ for your update. I'm sure you will never see me after this because my dad will probably kill me.  You might as well call Dateline." I should have thought this through more.

"That is a shame. I thought we were destined to be together. Cree and Stori, Romeo and Juliet, Harry and Sally, Homer and Marge." He laughed.

"Ummmm... okay." I was wide-eyed and snorted at him.  He was pretty funny, and it was nice to throw some snarky banter back and forth.  

Just then, Grams came in, gave Cree a smile and a wink, checked over a few things, unplugged most of the wires, and handed me the soup that had been sitting on the table right next to the bed. "Stori, I sure hope that my grandson is behaving himself around you.  He tends to be a bit ornery at times, so you watch out for him.

I started slurping the soup and laughed, "Wow. Getting called out by your grandma... that's got to hurt." I sip more of the chicken and dumplings and realize how amazing it is. The dumplings just melt into your mouth and the warm broth has a cozy feeling. A hint of garlic, onion, and basil danced on my tastebuds. "This is delicious! I've had chicken and dumplings before, but nothing compared to this." I had a sudden memory of my mom attempting to make it, and it not going so well, and never trying it again.  She tended to do that with a lot of things... just abandoning what wasn't working. I held my breath for a moment.

"That is because it's her secret recipe. Grams and Pop's food... is fantastic!" Cree says in an embellished Italian accent.

I took in a deep breath. Just then I saw my dad's head pop in with his own bowl of chicken and dumplings. Suddenly thankful for him despite his "protective" ways. I could tell he had calmed down a lot.  I guess if I was honest, so had I. He gave a quick glance at me, and he mouthed, "Sorry." I could see he was being sincere about it in the way he was looking at me. I almost wonder if Gram hadn't put a little something extra in his bowl. She winks at me as if she can tell what I was thinking.

              __________________________________________________________

That's really about it. The rest of it was just boring stuff. Dad and I had a long talk, but we compromised.  I now get to come to work with him three-four days a week! And it's not like I get to REALLY do what he does (or sees), but he takes me to Gram's and Pop's and I have a JOB! It was actually their idea. They said they could use some young legs around the place. It's super exciting!! Since I'm actually pretty good at school, I also get to tutor a few kids that are also homeschooled in the village. You have no clue how excited I am!  I will update you as soon as I get this crazy thing started! 

Until next time! Signing off!

-Stori