Road to the Sun Ch. 03: Arrival

This is a work of fiction. All characters are 18 or older.

Comments and votes are welcome. Thank you.

I would like to thank GrandTeton for his editing and guidance and time spent.

Thank You

*************

James stood looking at the gate. It was a single pipe that spanned the dirt drive, with a support pipe that branched off a larger pipe. James could recognize a national park gate just by the color. The sign made it clear.

Claire, his oldest sister, who was 20, fumbled with the large key ring. She was trying every key in the padlock.

James had time to reflect. Their parents died. They were broke, had lost the only home they ever knew, and on top of all that, had to move from southern Georgia to northern Montana.

James then looked at the large rental truck. He smiled at the thought of not having to drive that beast after tomorrow. But he did have a few fond memories.

A movement out of the corner of his eye brought his attention to the twins. His nineteen year old sisters were jumping up and down hugging each other. They had stopped long enough to do a few back flips, then back to hugging.

He looked back over at his sister Claire.

Claire had given him a fantastic hand job around Atlanta, and he had gotten to finger fuck her just an hour ago. Now, bent over and still trying every key, Claire turned towards James, and smiled as the lock popped open.

James walked up to the gate and pushed it open with his foot. With that done, the siblings joined hands. On the three-count they stepped into their new life.

The siblings had a difficult time trying to take in the panoramic view. A wide valley was splayed out in front, with several mountain peaks bordering. More pine trees than could be counted rose from the valley floor to the alpine tree line.

Several meadows and ponds in the distance brought their attention to the stream that meandered towards them. As they followed it with their eyes, they noticed that the road crossed it; they would have to ford the river.

The quartet, feeling the bite of the cool air, made their way back to the vehicles. They started down the gravel road towards their new home, still a mystery.

The stream crossing was not too bad after James had waded it and said it should be fine. James had been considering changing clothes but gave up on the idea when the second crossing came.

"James? There's no more directions. I have no clue which way to go, but I think it would make sense to follow the road most traveled," Claire said as she looked at the gravel road's intersection with a two-track dirt road.

"OK, gravel it is."

Melody was having a blast driving James's pickup truck. The creek crossings thrilled her although they did make her a bit nervous. She enjoyed the winding road, the pine trees and the crisp fresh air. She got annoyed when James just stopped the truck and got out.

They were on the upward grade of a small hill, among the trees. Melody's leg got tired from holding the brake pedal. She put the vehicle in park and went to see what the holdup was. Cindy had joined her by the time she got to the front of the rental truck.

"Well, it does have a fireplace," Cindy said bemusedly

"Yeah, it's pretty," Claire added with a hint of sarcasm.

"It's cute. With a bit of work, it will be just fine," Melody added.

James looked at their new home, chewed his bottom lip, then said: "I'm Jeremiah fucking Johnson."

James's comment got a giggle from all his sisters.

"For a log cabin it is in fairly good shape. But it is a bit on the small side," James added.

The log cabin was perched right in the middle of a small glade. One story tall and just about as long as it was wide. Green moss covered most of the logs as well as the entire roof. A small porch decorated the front with a window on both sides of the heavy looking door.

The siblings decided to have a look inside. Claire surprised herself by getting the correct key on the first try.

The inside was a single room. At one end was the fireplace, made of river rocks and rather large. On the other side of the room, there was a counter with a sink, and a hand water pump. Next to the sink stood an old Liberty wood stove that had a crazy straw configuration of pipes. And covering everything, dust with dried pine needles on the floor.

"There is no bathroom," Claire said dismally.

"Cause it's out back," Cindy sadly stated.

That statement brought groans from them all.

James also noted the lack of outlets and no lights. No breaker box, and no power meter. 'For joy,' James lamented.

"Too bad we don't have the money to rent an apartment or a house," Claire stated.

"Nobody wants to rent to a bunch of teenagers, if you had the money or not," Melody said melodramatically.

"Not sure if we will be able to find work around here, either," Cindy added.

"The newspaper we got didn't have anything," James stated.

James checked the water pump and found that it still worked. The brown water flowed for almost a minute before it cleared. The water cascading from the pump felt like ice.

The river rock fireplace was the largest one he had ever encountered. It stood in the center of the side wall just opposite the sink. The mantel was one large flat stone. The hearth was another flat stone that came out about four feet in all directions.

The fire chamber was huge. It could easily have held all three of James's sisters. Inside the chamber, besides the grate, were two iron stands that had arms at the top. The ash pan needed to be cleaned. When he looked up the chimney, it was clear.

"I believe that we can use the fireplace. I'll go collect some wood. Once we have a fire, it'll get warmer and give us some light." With that James walked out.

*******

Cindy and her sisters had retrieved cleaning supplies from James's pickup truck and cleaning was well under way when he came back.

"Damn it James! I just swept there," admonished Claire.

"Sorry, but this shit just slips out. Once I have the fire going, I will unload the truck into the barn I found. Since this place won't hold everything, and the barn is close, I figured it would be the best place."

"Will our stuff be alright in there?" Claire asked.

"It's dry and built well, so...everything should be fine."

"That's good, be sure to keep the stuff easy to get to. I don't want to have to move everything just to get something we might need," Claire added.

"The barn is huge, so that should not be a problem."

Cindy noticed the side glances that Claire was giving James. Something was going on or something happened in the rental truck. Definitely something happened in the truck. She knew that from the smell that smacked her in the face when she gave Claire some clothes.

Cindy decided that she would ask Claire about it when they were alone. Cindy would have to be direct with her questions. Otherwise, Claire, would just beat around the bush and avoid answering.

The smell of smoke broke Cindy's chain of thought. She watched the smoke turn to flame.

"Melody, looks like you at least got the fireplace right."

"Yay...but wish it was the bathrooms," Melody somberly replied.

"We have a roof over our heads and a way to stay warm. It may not seem like much, but it is better than living on the streets," Claire stated.

A long silence then took hold of the siblings, as each thought back to better days. The sisters continued to clean and James brought in a few more arm loads of wood, then he left to deal with the rental truck.

The girls had been busy and time flew by quickly. They had finally finished the cleaning and unloaded the SUV and James's pickup truck.

"Wish we had something hot to drink and eat," Melody said.

"Oh! Hold on," Claire said.

Cindy watched her sister Claire rummage around her handbag and fish out several chocolate bars. Then she grabbed a pot, from a box, and filled it with water. She placed the pot next to the fire and dropped the candy into it.

"How 'bout hot chocolate?" Claire asked, with a smile.

"I was thinking more along the line of coffee, but hot cocoa will do just fine," Melody said.

"What are we going to do about dinner?" Cindy asked.

Boom! The door flew open and James dashed inside and slammed the door closed behind him.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" James yelled.

"What the hell is wrong?" Melody asked.

James took a deep breath, then said: "A BEAR IS OUTSIDE! Next to the SUV."

They all ran to look out the window, and sure enough, there was a bear. A big bear. A brown bear. A grisly looking grizzly bear.

Cindy's eyes grew wide as she watched the bear. It was sniffing the vehicles. It smelled the cabin's porch and the front door. Cindy watched in awe as the grizzly left the porch. The bear then wandered over to a pine tree, and started to rub its head against the tree. The bear stood up on its back legs and scratched itself with the tree.

James started to sing: "Look for the bear necessities, so a simple bear can rest at ease."

"Is that how that song really goes?" Cindy asked.

"Not sure, but it is all I can remember," James laughed.

"That thing has got to be at least eight-feet tall," Melody softly said.

"I don't know, but it's a big fucker," James answered.

The bear scratched his back on the tree, wiggling like a fish on a hook. It then picked up a small limb and carried it to the porch, dropped it, then wandered off.

"Oh my god! I can't believe that just happened. That was the coolest thing I've ever seen," Melody said.

"Fuck! I should have gotten a picture," Cindy lamented.

"If that beast is using that tree for a back scratcher, I can almost guarantee that you will have another chance," Claire stated.

"Sweet."

"I was on my way back to get warm, when...that monster started to follow me."

"Are you cold now?" Cindy asked.

"No, I think that whole ordeal warmed me up quite well, thank you," James laughed.

Claire giggled about that and gave everyone a cup of hot chocolate, which was way too hot to drink due to their bear encounter.

As the siblings waited for their drinks to cool, they discussed what they would and wouldn't need in the cabin, along with where it would go.

James told them that he needed some help with the larger stuff, but that he was too tired to finish tonight. He would throw the king-sized mattress in his pickup along with bedding, and anything else that they would need for the night.

They all went to the barn. The twins kept watch while James and Claire grabbed whatever they needed.

Forty minutes later they were all sitting on the mattress, drinking cold chocolate water, and watching the flames flicker in the fireplace. The hypnotic effect of the flames, burning deep reds and yellows, the dancing of the light on the floor and walls, put the siblings to sleep where they sat.

That night, Cindy's dreams seemed all too real. Her knight had laid her down in the tall grass of a secluded glen. He began to kiss his way up from her foot to the inside of her ankle. Up her calf to her knee, her knight then added little licks between his kisses as he moved up her inner thigh.

When he came to her treasure trove, he moved up and over her mound. Her knight continued to alternate between kisses and light licks as he moved to her lower abdomen. At her belly button, he twirled his tongue around and into the small dip.

Her knight continued his upward journey to her lower rib. He followed the rib to the center of her chest. Up and up between her breasts leaving a wet trail in his wake. To her chest and neck; where he paused to chew tenderly. He moved to her jaw line then across her cheek to her waiting lips. Cindy was excited and a shiver ran up her spine.

Cindy awoke from the cold on her back. She pulled a blanket over her as best she could, but it did little to help.

"James? James?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm cold."

"Turn up the thermostat."

"James, the fire needs fixing."

"OK...I'll turn up the furnace."

James finally sat up and looked around, scratched his head, rubbed his eyes, then crawled over to the fireplace. Though Cindy was still sleepy, she watched James poke and prod the burnt remains.

Red embers came back to life as James blew on the charred scraps of wood. Cindy smiled briefly and then closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.

*******

James had put the last of the wood on the fire. He was rubbing his eyes from the smoke. What was burning would not last long; he would have to forage for more wood.

James was not looking forward to going out. It was still dark and he wasn't sure if his flashlight would work. He bundled up and stepped out.

'Fuck it's cold!' he thought, as he searched for wood. He had found a good bit, but it was too large to break over his knee. Stomping on the wood only reminded him of the fact that he was no Jackie Chan.

James looked up just in time to see another old cabin. It was on the other side of the fence. What caught his eye was the stack of wood.

James was sitting back on the mattress feeling bad for what he did. He glanced at the stack of wood, and dropped his head. Even though he left money behind, he swore to himself that he would replace what he took plus some.

James tended to the fire as his sisters slept. He thought about what the future held for the remnants of their family. Claire still had a few years of college ahead of her. Melody and Cindy were undecided, or were the last time he had asked.

James wanted to work with his hands so he took carpentry. He enjoyed working with wood and other natural resources. He had hopes of joining a construction company, and maybe do side work for a contractor. Whatever it was that he would do, his sisters would come first. Just like what he did with the wood for the fire. Tonight, or rather this morning, they would be warm. James added another log to the fire, then went to look for the coffee.

James's sisters awoke one by one. He gave them each a cup of coffee before they wandered off to the outhouse. His sisters usually took a great deal of time when it came to using the bathroom, but not this time. They were back in five minutes.

"James, this isn't going to work," Claire announced.

"What's not going to work?"

"The outhouse," Claire said.

"You broke the outhouse?"

"No! It's too cold! Our assholes drew a puckering string when we tried to use it," Cindy chimed.

"And just exactly what am I supposed to do about it?"

"I don't know, but we need someplace warmer," Claire stated.

"Right. How about I build a fireplace for the outhouse?" James sarcastically replied.

"Would that really work?" Cindy asked.

"No! He's being a smart ass," came from Melody.

"James, please get serious," implored Claire.

"I'll see what I can do."

The siblings made short work of unloading the rest of the rental truck. Most of their stuff was put in the barn, and some they put in the cabin.

They cleaned themselves as best they could, and soon afterwards the small convoy was back on the road to turn in the rental truck. Cindy was in the SUV with Claire and would do grocery shopping. Melody took the pickup truck; she would follow James to drop off the rental truck and then they both would go after other supplies.

James was surprised that the park rangers had waved him through the park entrance. He almost wished they made him turn back.

'Going to the Sun road'

25 mph:

Logan Pass 18 miles

West Entrance 52 miles

Caution:

Animals may be on roadway.

Pedestrians may be on roadway.

Road Construction next 52 miles.

Watch for falling rock.

'Fucking Great!' James was also over-sized. Height limit 10 feet, width 10 feet, length 28 feet. But the ranger waved him through anyways. Didn't even charge him the park entrance fee. The ranger must have thought James was part of the construction crew.

James turned on his radio to the only station he could find, a country station, but that was fine, it was noise and helped him to relax. It wasn't until the second song that James regretted turning on the radio.

Radio:

"Me an' Earl was haulin' chickens on a flatbed out of Wiggins, and we'd spent all night on the uphill side of thirty-seven miles of hell called Wolf Creek Pass. Which is up on the Great Divide. We was settin' there suckin' toothpicks, drinkin' Nehis and onion soup mix, and I said, 'Earl, let's mail a card to Mother then send them chickens on down the other side. Yeah, let's give 'em a ride.' Wolf Creek Pass, way up on the Great Divide, Truckin' on down the other side."

James made sure he was in second-gear and put both hands on the steering wheel. His knuckles were white as his fists clenched tight; he was going down the hill from hell. He wished he had a VW micro-bus.

James was relieved the drive wasn't as bad as the song that played. He did worry as he dodged low rock overhangs, but he did well. He also thought: "Those poor chickens."

*******

Claire and Cindy had been worried about James. The road was a mess; construction and the water from the falls had turned the road to mud. The drive took a lot longer than any of them would have liked.

Cindy did manage to get several pictures of snow, mountains and even Big Horned Sheep. She had wanted to talk to Claire about what happened in the rental truck yesterday, but she decided that it was just a bad time.

Claire and Cindy made it back to the cabin in the late afternoon. They stacked all the foodstuffs in a corner by the sink and put a makeshift kitchen together. Claire was beginning to arrange the rest of the cabin when Cindy started her questions.

"Claire? Can I ask you some personal questions?"

"Hmm, sure, go right ahead."

"Um, did you fuck James yesterday?"

Claire dropped a box she was carrying. She hung her head and her shoulders fell.

"Oh my god! You did fuck James!"

"No! I didn't fuck James."

"Then what happened in the rental truck? When you opened the window it smelled like someone got fucked. And you were naked. So don't tell me that nothing happened."

Cindy could almost see the wheels turning in her sister's head. Claire had never lied to her before, but would she lie now? Cindy halfway expected Claire to.

"James and I haven't fucked."

"I sense a 'but' in there."

"Well, do you remember what I told you about the bottle of pee?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we were in the road construction outside of Atlanta, and I had to help James pee into the bottle. It excited me a bit that first time, cause James got a bit hard. The next time I tried to help him pee, I had trouble aiming his cock at the bottle. I tried to adjust him, but he just kept getting harder."

"You sucked his cock?"

"No! Stop interrupting or I'll not tell you."

"Go on then."

"He got really hard and I ended up jacking him off," Claire said with a bit of exasperation.

"OK, but that was days ago, not yesterday."

"Well...after I spilled the bottle on myself, and I was naked, I thought back to the day I jacked him off. It got me so...bothered, that I could hardly breath. I sorta forced James to finger me."

"You FORCED James to finger fuck you?"

"Yeah, but he didn't complain either."

"So... how was it?"

"I would have to say it was the best orgasm I have ever had."

"Really? The best, huh?"

"I had an on-going orgasm since I started to think about that hand job. When James had his hand in me, it took me to a level I had never even thought possible."

Cindy and Claire both turned their heads towards the door when they heard James' pickup truck pulling up to the cabin.

"We will have to finish this conversation later," Cindy said.

Melody came through the door with a bundle of wood, and told her sisters that James needed help unloading his pickup truck.

After everything was brought in, James left again, saying something that nobody understood. He returned a few minutes later with a large metal tub.