39 Years and Holding

September 3, 2025

One thing that they don’t tell you about living at a beach-side resort is that you can never get a good night of sleep. I woke up to a flash of electric blue that illuminated my room and a crash of thunder that rattled my bed. Another storm was blowing in over Lake Erie. After finally falling back to sleep, the seagulls started screaming and calling to each other just as the sun was about to rise. I walked over to the window and yelled at them through the dirty glass but they just looked at me and then started talking again.

I guess it was time to start my day. I finished most of my chores yesterday so I could relax on my birthday but there are just some that have to be done every day. I was going to be 39 again. I think it will be my 5th year at this age but who is even around to count anymore? I pulled on an old tee shirt and shorts, grateful that today I can get a new outfit. I tied up my shoes, grabbed my fillet knife and headed out to walk my morning perimeter check. The ground was still damp from the rain last night but I was grateful that there wasn’t any flooding. That black mold is so hard to clean and I really needed to conserve the few containers of bleach I still have.

All of the doors and windows were still intact. The barricades behind the doors hadn't been touched so yet another day of being alone but safe. I grabbed my red plastic bucket and small net to get the mayflies off the top of the water in my rain barrels. After making the rounds and having a good half bucket of bugs, I went to the backs of the toilets that still had water in the tanks to feed the fish.

A while back, I noticed that the fish I caught from the lake were making me sick. There was still an unhealthy amount of pollution in Lake Erie; especially now with all of the dead bodies decomposing in the water. Although Cleveland was far away, the water sometimes swelled in from Toledo and Detroit, bringing garbage and refuse with it. Those days I usually stayed inside to hide from the stench. I found that if I caught my fish with a net and then put them in the clean water in the toilet tanks of the unused hotel rooms, I could feed them fresh bugs and they would be better to eat after they detoxed.

I still can’t believe that it has been almost five years now since the plague. It started with a little flu that swept through the world back in 2019. By 2021, we as a human race thought that it was almost over. There was a vaccine and people were starting to get their lives back to normal. The problem was the variants. The virus just mutated faster than the scientists could keep up with. Soon, more people were dying than our society could handle and people just gave up. They went into hiding and were afraid to leave their homes.

Those who didn’t die from the virus mainly passed away from starvation or suicide. There was nothing we could do about those who couldn’t fend for themselves. I remember having one last tank of gas in my car. I packed as much stuff into my silver Nissan Xterra as I could and drove around to check on my family one last time. My dad had already passed along with my one brother and his family. My other brother had been missing for about a month at that point but I drove to his house anyway and left him a note in hopes of him one day returning. My mother and her boyfriend were not answering the door and when I peeked inside the window, it looked as if they hadn’t been there for quite some time. I left another note and drove north towards the lake.

I felt that being by a large body of water would be the best plan of action. I would always have fresh water to drink and there would always be food available with the fish. Others thought the same though. There were small clusters of people camping out in buildings and tents by the shores. I didn’t want to be anywhere near those groups so I kept driving along the shoreline. As I got closer to Sandusky, Ohio I noticed the crowds thinning out and people just dead along the highway. It looks like the plague really swept through this area.

As I got closer to Cedar Point Amusement Park, I made my way to the one resort that I knew was directly on the water to check out the situation there. Aside from a few bodies on the beach, there wasn’t a soul in sight. I camped out in my car for a few days in the parking lot just to see if there were others hiding or anywhere in the area. I spent hours looking for signs of life at the resort and what I could see of the amusement park. The only things that even moved were the birds flying over the roller coasters and water slides.

I finally decided to just go and explore what was inside. I have to admit I was scared that first day. Like, really scared. The resort was silent and the hallways were completely dark. I did have a working flashlight but that just made me even more on edge. What was lurking just outside that beam of light?

My overactive imagination gave me a few mini heart attacks. My own shadow made me jump when it was reflected on the chrome of the elevators. I literally screamed when a bird flew down from the ceiling beams of the large lobby. It was nerve racking to explore this place alone.

Finally after a couple days, I settled into the penthouse upstairs where I had a 360 degree view of the property. I could see if anyone was coming or trying to brake in through the barriers I set up at all of the doorways. I did see a boat go by about a year ago but that was the last time I saw any signs of human life. Honestly, I don’t know if there were any people on the boat or if it was just floating away from the marina.

Perimeter checks are still important though. You never know who is still out there. After I completed the daily check, I treated myself to a shopping trip. I only shop on special days like my birthday and Christmas. I walked into the gift shop and picked out a new pink tee shirt and a bright blue hoodie. It was strange fitting into a medium size shirt. I’ve been an extra-large for as long as I can remember but I guess when you stop eating processed foods all the time, the extra weight just melts off.

I walked to the kitchen to put my old clothes in the rag bucket. They would be perfect for cleaning next time the water floods through the back door. I went to the locked snack cabinet and picked out a treat. There were a lot of vending machines around the resort property so I cleaned them all out and put them in a secret hiding place in case anyone tried to break in to steal them. Picking out a pack of Ho-Hos for my birthday treat, I locked the cabinet back up and headed out back to the pool.

I raised the umbrella to shade myself from the sun and stripped out of my new clothes. I jumped into the cold water and swam some laps, feeling the dirt and sweat from the past few days wash away. I scrubbed my hair and just floated on my back in the warm sunshine. After about an hour, I felt my skin starting to prune so I got out and started to dry off. Looking out at the beach, I noticed that there was a boat that washed up on the shore. Was there anyone on it?

My senses went on high alert. I didn’t see or hear any signs that I wasn’t alone but who knows what was on that Sea Ray Sundancer. Cautiously, I put my new clothes back on and went to explore the wreckage. I called out to see if anyone was inside the cabin but got no response. Carefully, I stepped on the stern and looked around. The cabin below was dark but some sunlight was shining through the front hatch. I peeked in but didn’t see anyone. There were a few items that caught my attention though. It looked like there was a small family that had been staying there. I saw a cute little teddy bear that had a heart shaped locket around its neck. I picked it up and hugged it. I haven’t had a stuffed animal in years. I loved my bonus birthday present so much!

It was getting late so I decided to go back up to my penthouse and get ready for bed with my new friend. I grabbed my Ho-Hos and climbed the ten floors to the top of the staircase. I settled into my rocking chair looking out at the sun setting behind the rusting roller coasters of Cedar Point and snacked on my treat. As the room got darker, I felt my forehead get warmer. At first I thought it was just a bit of sunburn but then my stomach started feeling strange. Was it the cake I just ate? It couldn’t be. Those things last forever. My vision was starting to blur as I watched the sun set to a vibrant red so I decided to take my bear and just lay down for a bit. I wrapped him under my arm with the cool locket touching my chin and breathed in the scent of his fur as I drifted off to sleep.

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