Home By the Sun

Vanished

The sun was just starting to peek over the mountains, gently lighting up the sky over the small town of Oakdale. Morning songbirds were just beginning to stir awake, their song familiar alongside the crisp morning air in the town surrounded by trees.

The gentle poetic nature of the morning was lost on Archie however, who had no intention of waking anytime soon. He wasn\'t a morning person. The blackout curtains, empty midnight-snack boxes, and Redbull cans littered across his bedroom floor would attest to that.

He wasn\'t against the idea of being a morning person. Some of his fondest (and at times, darkest) memories usually ended in the realization that he managed to put off sleep long enough to see the sun. He would often remember feeling oddly at peace witnessing day break, breathing in the fresh morning air, only to wish he could experience it the way it was meant to be experienced; without a veil of shame due to the lack of control over his life.

No, Archie wasn\'t a morning person because he couldn\'t for the life of him drag his body out of bed in the morning. It was kind of a problem, to be honest. This is why as soon as his door creaked open and a familiar voice said his name, he rolled over and buried his head in his pillow, stifling a groan.

\"Archie, I told you we were leaving early this morning.\"

She in fact did, but as previously stated, Archie had a problem. \"Seriously,\" her voice was edging towards agitation. \"You\'re going to make us late, and if we\'re late we\'ll miss the tour.\"

Archie rolled onto his back and sighed. His eyes peeled open, sore and tired, as he attempted to focus on the popcorn textured ceiling above him. He couldn\'t recall feeling anything close to the amount of passion his roommate felt about...well anything really. He understood that though; he knew his friend was passionate and excitable. This particular venture, in which he was being dragged along against his will, felt especially ridiculous however.

\"I\'m awake.\" He attempted to reassure her, his broken voice betraying him.

\"We have to pick up the car before my parents go to work. Be downstairs in ten minutes... or else,\" she said before flipping the overhead light on and closing the door. Through the closed door, Archie could hear the faint hum of a hair dryer start up.

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The road ahead of them was dark. Frankie gripped the steering wheel, maneuvering the old car around the tight turns and bends that hugged dense ferns and old growth redwood trees, some of which just barely survived the vast deforestation of the early California settlers. These same trees were so densely packed onto this mountainside that they created a canopy that prevented almost any light from peeking through the greenery and illuminating the narrow mountain road beneath them.

These roads weren\'t too unfamiliar to them, as they were only a couple hours out from where they both grew up. They still required concentration to maneuver however, mostly due to wildlife crossing... but also because of the occasional thrill seeker that considered accelerating through 20 MPH turns in a lifted Chevy a pastime.

Archie firmly kept his gaze outside the passenger side window, hoping to fend off motion sickness, but also so he could brood.

\"Don\'t look so glum. We\'re almost there.\" Frankie said playfully from the driver\'s seat, slightly hunched over the steering wheel in an attempt to see the road better.

As if on cue, the few sun rays poking through the green canopy vanished. The sky darkened as the sun hid behind dense clouds.

Archie sighed. \"I just don\'t understand why you\'re insisting on this place of all places. We could literally do anything else.\"

\"Open up your mind a little,\" she said. \"I\'ve heard it\'s cool, and you could use a change in scenery. Also my cousin went last month and she swears she saw Bigfoot.\"

\"Your cousin is also on meth.\"

Frankie scoffed. \"Those allegations were never proven. They let her out of jail after like, three days.\" She tried to look offended, but an amused smile inched its way onto her face.

Archie also cracked a smile. Frankie was relieved.

\"Look,\" she began, \"I know you\'ve been struggling lately. I just wanted to get you out of the house for a bit and distract you. Even if you hate it, it\'s better than sitting around in our depressing apartment all day.\" Her tone was sincere, though her eyes were focused on the road.

The trees had opened up a little, but it started raining. Any trace of the morning sun they left with was now gone. It was the first rain of the season, which meant the roads were slick. Perhaps her timing on this trip wasn\'t the best.

\"You\'re right. I\'m sorry, Frankie. I appreciate what you\'re doing... and I\'ll try.\" He paused. \"I won\'t guarantee that I\'m not going to hate a cheesy tourist trap however.\"

She sighed. \"Forever the skeptic.\" Francisca glanced at him with a smirk on her face that communicated she was teasing.

Archie glanced out the window again as they happened to be driving by a big makeshift billboard that was tucked into the side of the hill, partially hidden by ferns. It was faded, yellow, and covered with question marks. The wacky font spelled out \"Confusion Hill\" in bold black letters. The phrase \"Seeing is Believing--15 miles \" was written underneath it. He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

Suddenly, Archie\'s attention was drawn to the windshield, where heavy drops of rain began pounding against the glass. Anxiety crept into his chest.

\"Franks...Maybe you should slow down a little.\" He suggested, his voice low and stifled by anxiety.

\"I\'m already going ten below the speed limit.\" she explained, leaning further over the steering wheel in an attempt to see more clearly. The raindrops were hitting the windshield at an accelerating pace. She let off the gas a little more anyway. Her moms twenty year old Honda Accord wasn\'t really built for these conditions.

Archie noted that the canopy of trees they had been driving through for the last 40 minutes broke open, and the road straightened out. It was a bit of a relief until he realized why the road had straightened out.

Archie glanced out the driver\'s side window and noted the steep ledge that led straight down to the bottom of the canyon. There was just a small guard rail separating the road from the sharp decline. Out of the passenger side window the ledge continued upward in an equally sharp incline that was peppered with trees.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and listened to the rain hit the roof of the car.

Frankie gasped, Archie opened his eyes, and everything else felt like it happened in slow motion. What Archie saw was a large blacktail buck standing in the middle of the road. The deer\'s head was turned towards the car, watching them. He had no intention of moving. It seemed impossible, given how quickly everything happened, but Archie felt as if the deer was looking through him.

Frankie slammed on the brakes, and the car\'s tires lost traction. The road was slick with all the oil and dirt that had been washed up by the season\'s first rain. The car swerved and she couldn\'t gain control. Suddenly the car was sliding sideways with enough inertia to send the old Honda flipping over the guardrail.

That was the last thing either one of them remembered before everything went black.