The Legend of Youngs Corner XV

PART XV
The Locked Door

I shone my light to the left - Ben was right, there were the 2 other cabins. All three were situated around a large fire-pit, they formed a semi-circle. The other 2 cabins varied greatly in shape. The one to our left was situated on the slope of the hill. The front door was atop the hill, but as the land dipped downwards, stilts held up the back end of the house, maintaining the cabins long rectangular shape. Our group approached the door. In the center about eye’s height hung an ornament. From far away, the ornament looked like a random mass of squiggly lines, but upon closer examination one could definitely find hints of a pattern. It was made of black metal and formed an intricate design of thin, swirled lines that seemed to form the letter “S” yet the execution of the design was extremely complex- Could this be a family heirloom? The door, however, was locked. An old, rusted lock above the handle was prohibiting our entrance. Yet in just 6 months, that lock would be taken off. But at that time, I was angry as were the rest of us. We had come all this way only to be shut out. The few windows on the side did not allow us much of a view. Bobby peaked in, with much reluctance I might add. When he saw everything he could he told us of what was inside. All he could see, and this was the start of one of the most preposterous mysteries of that night, were pictures of horses. Posters and framed paintings, all depicting horses. The same question struck all of us- What on earth could horses be doing up here?

Instead of fiddling with the lock, we decided to examine the stilts that held up the back end of the house. We walked down the hill and reached the last of the long, wooded polls. Between the floor of the house and the slope of the hill lay a pile of firewood. It seems this was where the old woman kept her only source of heat. The pile was immense, extending all the way back to where the front end of the house touched the ground. But this wood looked rotten, wet, and decomposed. This pile had not been used for some time. Amongst the debris we found a long sign painted yellow with giant red font that read “Hot Dogs.” Eerie and yet laughable. Satisfied with our search, we headed for the last and largest cabin…