Prince of Gold and Pine

Chapter 5 - Homebound

Marceline never thought time could pass so fast. All too quickly, the two-hour drive from the ashes of her apartment to her father's house in the deep Oregon forest was over.

The taxi bumped and jolted over the forest road. The pathway was bumpy from the gnarled tree roots that dipped into and out of the ground, lifting slabs of road.

Letting her eyes follow the roots, she looked upwards towards the source. The sunlight shone through the canopy of trees shading the road, which they drove on, creating speckles of golden light. Her gaze traveled up trees that towered above her and disappeared into the cloudy sky.

The taxi skid to a stop a few yards away from her childhood home. Its rustic appeal had not aged well. The once brilliant white paint was beginning to peel, and the front porch steps looked like broken brown teeth.

As she stepped out, the smell of pine trees mixed with the distinct aroma of wet Oregon earth filled her nose. She couldn't help but take a long drag of the nostalgic scents.

The rustling sounds of small animals scurrying under the thick ferns and over the thousands of brittle branches and twigs pulled her unwillingly out of her memories of better days.

She walked towards the door, the steady crunch of dried leaves on the ground almost overpowering the soft chirps of distant birds. They were a faded reminder of autumn.

She walked up the rustic wooden stairs. They groaned and squeaked from her careful footsteps. The clack of her suitcase hitting each stair as she dragged it behind her.

She reached the top and approached the rustic oak door. Giving a soft knock on the large wooden surface, she gave a silent prayer that the old slab wouldn't fall over. 

She heard footsteps approach from the other side and waited with bated breath as the sound approached. With a loud creak, the door swung open.