6 Maple Leaf Hunter by Maddie Cochere

hurt a human, and I tried to convince myself he knew what he was talking about.
    The trees eventually thinned, and I came to a clearing with a fork in the path. There were no signs, and both paths appeared to be traveled equally. I had no idea which way to go. I chose the path on the left.
    It didn’t take long to realize this wasn’t the right way. The ground became rocky, and there were enough weeds to signify the path hadn’t been used regularly for some time. The scenery was lovely though, and I decided to look over the next hill before turning back.
    I crested the hill to find the abandoned rock quarry below me. It was stunning. The quarry was a blight on the earth with its scarred rock walls and black pool of water at the center, but there was something beautiful about the carved scene, too. Alex would definitely want to see this. I would have to warn Mick to be prepared to spend several hours when they came here.
    I walked back to the fork and took off at a jog down the path on the right. I didn’t want to waste any more time.
    I rounded a long curve and found myself faced with even more beautiful scenery. The path was wider here and more like a dirt road. Flat, emerald green, mossy foliage grew on both sides. At the end of the road were hills covered with tall yellow grasses. The blue of the sky was intense and the clouds pure white. The colors were so spectacular, I felt like I was jogging into a painting.
    A dead end on the other side of the hill extinguished my joy. Instead of the main road, there was a small cabin at the end of the path. Weeds had overtaken the property, so I assumed the cabin was unoccupied. I approached the building with only a little trepidation.
    I peeked through the nearest window and could easily see no one was inside. Dust was thick on the windowsill. I walked to the front door and pushed the handle down. The door was unlocked and opened easily.
    There was nothing special here. The main furnishings were a table with two chairs, a broken down sofa, and an overabundance of dust. There were small items on the floor - a pair of boots, a broom, and some sticks. A mug and a newspaper were sticking out from under the sofa. I turned to leave, but something made me pause. I turned back and visually swept the room one more time. I finally noticed the table and chairs didn’t have dust on them. I assumed that meant someone had been in here recently. I’d have to ask Dan about the cabin later.
    I closed the door behind me. I was completely stumped as to the location of the general store. I headed back to the lodge to ask directions again.
    I wasn’t as concerned when I came to the heavily wooded part of the path again, and I laughed when I saw the small sign. I had been so worried about the Sasquatch the first time I came through, I completely missed the sign with an arrow pointing to a narrower trail. The sign was worn, but the words could still be read - Walt’s General Store.
    Now that I knew I was in the right place, I made good time, and it wasn’t long before the path delivered me to the main road. Another small sign indicated the store was a quarter of a mile to my left.
    It only took about five minutes before the small store came into view. The exterior was weathered with chipped paint. The words on the side of the building faded into obscurity. I could make out the word Groceries , but the cola logos on either side had become ghostly shadows. The brightest words on the building were Cold Beer . I didn’t see the name of the store anywhere.
    The wooden screen door announced my entrance by squeaking when it opened. I stepped inside and smiled. It was as though I had traveled back in time.
    The floor was made of wood planks, but they were old, gray, and dull. All of the bins and shelves were made of wood, but they, too, were unattractive. The high wooden counter supporting jars of old-fashioned stick candy, pickles, a roll of white wrapping paper, and an ancient cash register was also