Below is the transcript for Season 1, Episode 150 of Freely Written, a podcast by author Susan Quilty:
Welcome to Freely Written, where a simple prompt leads to a little unplanned fiction.
[Light piano music]
Hi, friends! I’m Susan Quilty, and today’s prompt is Cabin in the Woods.
I just returned from a long weekend with some friends, where we stayed in… wait for it… a cabin in the woods. This was a charming cabin with a cozy interior and lovely outdoor seating areas. Still… we brought the hatchet from the wood pile inside with us. No need to leave a weapon by the back door when we’re in a secluded cabin in the woods!
It really was a wonderful weekend, filled with wine and games, fall scenery, and roasted marshmallows. We also took a drive to Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic house built over a waterfall. That was a fantastic tour. It’s hard to capture the feel of being in a home that’s one with nature, but the vibe was memorable. I’d love to go back sometime, and I highly recommend visiting.
On our last night at the cabin, I mentioned that I’d be writing a podcast story when I got home, and the prompt was obvious. I created today’s story with my usual Freely Written process, where I sit down with the prompt and write whatever might come to mind, with no planning and very little editing.
So, Wendy and Jen, thanks for a magical birthday weekend. This story is for you!
Cabin in the Woods
The fire crackled inside its brick enclosure, smoke trailing toward the nearby trees and flames leaping toward skewered marshmallows.
“Try it with a strawberry!” Dina called from the picnic table. She had sandwiched a roasted marshmallow between a slice of strawberry and a block of chocolate before popping the whole concoction into her mouth.
“Yes, fire!” Kat cackled before blowing the flames off of her blackened marshmallow.
Tess smiled as she shook her head and patiently turned her stick, watching the marshmallow puff up and turn golden brown.
It was their first full day at the cabin, having arrived the night before. The long weekend stretched pleasantly before them with plenty of time to relax, play card games, and explore the wooded trails.
After a few marshmallows, they were content to let the fire burn as they set up a game at the adjacent picnic table. From the edge of the woods, stone gnomes peeked through long grass, and metal birds flew from decorative spikes. The chirps and warbles of woodland creatures drifted in through the trees, while the occasional chipmunk darted across the yard.
A cabin in the woods was a perfect retreat from their busy lives. A place to get back to nature, leaving their work and family responsibilities behind.
“Time is slower here,” Kat said as she dealt a round of cards.
“You think?” Tess asked while uncorking a bottle of wine.
“It’s only 12:30!” Dina laughed, drawing a show of surprise.
“It can’t be!” the others argued, glancing at their own watches. They’d woken up early, sipped coffee or tea, eaten a leisurely breakfast, taken a walk in the surrounding woods, had a light lunch, and made a fire to roast marshmallows. It didn’t seem possible that they’d done all of that before 12:30.
Without an obvious answer, they shrugged it off and continued their game, sipping wine and laughing as the sun slowly moved across the sky.
The day unfolded at a leisurely pace. The friends snacked when they were hungry, took pictures together in front of the cabin, played a board game, and told stories around a second round of roasted marshmallows.
Before opening a second bottle of wine, they decided to run to the nearby market to pick up a few things for dinner. The clock in the car said it was 3 pm, and they again commented on how much they’d been able to do in such a short amount of time.
The market was 10 minutes away. They chatted the whole way there, browsed the aisles for provisions, and pulled back into the cabin’s gravel driveway at 3:40.
“It took us 40 minutes to pick up some groceries at a store 10 minutes away,” Dina said while putting some produce in the fridge.
“That sounds about right,” Tess agreed. “Twenty minutes for driving there and back, and we wandered the store awhile… that could have been another 20 minutes.”
“Yeah, but… look how much we’ve done here today. And it’s not even 4 o’clock.”
Tess set a bag of chips on the counter and considered Dina’s statement. They had done a lot, despite moving at a very leisurely pace.
With a sharp inhale, Kat set the bottle of wine she was opening on the counter. The corkscrew was still in place with the cork only half removed. She hurried out of the small kitchen toward a sign above the dining table that said, “Relax! You’re on cabin time.”
Dina and Tess followed and stood beside Kat, staring at the sign with skeptical but wondering eyes.
“It’s just a sign…” Tess said with a nervous laugh. “It’s an expression.”
“Yeah,” Dina echoed, but with less conviction.
“I mean, obviously,” Kat agreed. Though the truth was less obvious with every passing moment.
“What time is it now?” Tess asked, then immediately checked her watch.
They all looked and saw that it was 3:42.
“That can’t be,” Tess said slowly. “Maybe the clock in the car was fast.”
“It’s set by GPS,” Kat reminded. “So are our watches.”
They were quiet for a long moment, still staring at the phrase “on cabin time.”
“More wine?” Kat asked, breaking the silence, and they all quickly agreed.
“I guess we have time before dinner,” Dina said with a laugh. They were standing in the kitchen with fresh glasses of wine and a lingering sense of unreality.
“Another game?” Kat suggested. And they went to look through the stash of card games and board games they’d all brought from home.
One game turned into two before they noticed the sun moving lower in the sky. They were sitting at another outdoor table, one surrounded by a string of patio lights that would come on when the sun went down.
Tess and Dina went into the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Kat began building another fire to enjoy after dark.
“You don’t really think time moves slower here?” Tess asked as she put a tray of broccoli in the oven to roast.
Dina turned down the burner under the pot of rice and reached for another sip of wine.
“I mean… not really?” She answered in a tone that sounded more like a question. “It’s just a vacation… we’re more relaxed… not watching the clock.”
“Yeah, sure.”
They didn’t talk about it the rest of the weekend, as if afraid that noticing the passage of time might break whatever spell was on this little cabin in the woods.
On the last morning, they enjoyed another relaxed breakfast before noting that there was only an hour until check-out. They packed their bags, stripped the beds, emptied the trash, and left a thankful note for the cabin’s owners.
Standing by their loaded cars, the friends looked back at the cabin, grateful for their weekend in the woods.
“Well…” Dina said wistfully.
“Yeah…” Tess echoed.
“We should come back here,” Kat suggested, and they quickly agreed.
They climbed into their cars and slowly drove down the long gravel driveway. They each felt a bittersweet twinge when they turned onto the main road. The sadness of goodbye mixed with the glow of a joyful weekend.
It was time to get back to the real world, fueled by their happy memories and the anticipation of their next visit to this magical cabin in the woods.
The End
Thanks for listening. Free writing without a plan often taps into subconscious ideas, though the meaning behind this story is pretty clear. Time away can be so relaxing. How wonderful would it be if we could actually slow down time during vacations? We all need time to unplug, and it’s especially nice when you can get time away with close friends.
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with your friends. Freely Written is a fun side project, and I hope you’ll also check out my novels and other books. To learn more, visit my website, SusanQuilty.com, or search for “Susan Quilty” wherever you buy books. There are also links in the show notes.
Until next time, try a little free writing of your own. Let go of any planning and see where your imagination takes you.
[Light piano music]
