We rented a cabin

Last summer, my girlfriend and I had booked a cottage with a couple of our friends over the weekend. In typical fashion, we booked very last minute so the only option that fit our budget was a cabin about 3 hours away from the city with no prior reviews or ratings. Summer was nearly over so we took the risk anyway, hoping it would pay off.

Me and my girlfriend were the first to arrive, which meant we had first dibs on our room and could freely explore all the nooks and crannies of the place. The inside of the cottage wasn’t very pleasant to say the least. All the furniture and amenities looked old and there was a funky smell lingering around when we first walked in. It didn’t really look like the owners cared enough to tidy up before we arrived; the kitchen in particular was a mess. Regardless, the cottage was on a very nice plot of land right by the lake and surrounded by woodland. After we had settled in, I was still full of energy from the long drive so I decided to take a hike; my trusty film camera by my side at all times. My girlfriend was tired so she decided to stay inside.

The surrounding forest wasn’t very big but it felt great being out in the wilderness after spending most of the summer cooped up in my office in the city.

When I got back to the cabin, my girlfriend was in the kitchen, but something felt off. She was just standing still, looking out the window. I startled her when I walked inside; she gave me a look as if I was a stranger walking into her home. I asked if she was alright. To that she just nodded and proceeded to sit on the chair in the living room. The lighting at that moment seemed perfect so I decided to snap a photo of her. She just stared at me, expressionless.

After I took the photo, I heard cars pull into the driveway; our friends had arrived. I went down to the front door to help them unload their belongings and bring them into their rooms. When we all went inside, my girlfriend seemed completely back to normal, greeting everyone as if nothing was wrong.

The rest of the weekend at the cottage was surprisingly great. All of us made the best out of what we had and with our excess partying, the conditions of the cabin didn’t seem so bad. We had an amazing 3 days and were all sad when we had to head back home to our normal lives.

On our drive back, my girlfriend asked if I had taken any good pictures while we were there. I told her I took some really nice photos of the wilderness and the lake amidst the sunset. I also mentioned that I hoped the photo I took of her on the chair would turn out good; to which she gave me a puzzled look.

“That dirty chair in the living room?” She replied. “I didn’t sit on that filthy thing the entire weekend, let alone let you take a photo of me on it.”

I returned the puzzled look she had just given me. “Um…yeah you did. I took it when I got back from my hike, right before everyone else showed up.” She gave me a concerned grin, as if I had lost my mind. “I was in the room taking a nap the whole time you were out. I only woke up when I heard the cars pull into the driveway.” She said.

My heart dropped. I could hardly focus on the road the entire drive home.

As soon as we got back to the city, I immediately went to get the roll of photos developed. I felt sick to my stomach when I got them back. I have attached the picture here in hopes that someone will be able understand it better than I do. Whatever that thing in the photo was, it wasn’t my girlfriend.

Ever since, my camera has been collecting dust in my drawer and I’ve been more contempt with just sitting in my office, in the comforts of the city.