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A Tale from Strange Vacationland
Tropes & Content: Size difference, a heroine well-versed in monster romance, fated mates, consensual chase scene and primal play, scenting, breeding kink, knotting with mating bites, sweary dirty dialogue & naughty humor, a touch of medium-darkness with general weirdness.
Potential Triggers: Fear (both as a teenager and adult), isolated cabin in the dark woods, Nature, Stephen King creepy horror vibes, a legendary cryptid lovingly obsessed with (and slightly stalking) their human.
Note on regional language:
All tales in the Strange Vacationland universe take place in my home state of Maine (USA), so will occasionally feature phrases and language used regionally. Examples in this tale include “away people” (out-of-towners, aka anyone who isn’t 900th generation Mainer), “camp” (this is not a summer camp or a nice “away person” camp on the lake. This is a ramshackle hunting lodge in the middle of the woods, usually in your family for 900 generations, and often mentioned when one is going “upta camp.”), “back forty” (a remote location - the farthest 40 acres of a property); and even the title “You Can’t Get There from Here” (a petty phrase given to “away people” looking for directions, in the best Stephen King-esque Maine accent you can muster).
Introduction
My, what big teeth you have.
That was my first thought the night a mysterious creature chased me down in the forest surrounding my family’s remote Maine cabin.
My second thought was wondering how those fangs would feel on my skin.
For reasons I didn’t understand, I surrendered to him, but he allowed me to escape instead.
Years later, back at the cabin, I discover the creature is still haunting these woods.
And this time?
He has no intention of letting me go.
Chapter 1
Billie
I cursed as the arched insole of my Gucci Run sneakers caught on a tree root and sent me crashing to the ground.
For $900, I’d expect better traction.
An eerie howl echoing off the distant foothills gave me the strangest feeling of déjà vu, but also had me back on my feet and hurrying down the misty trail to my parents’ camp. Well, my camp—according to the will—but as soon as I could find a fellow out-of-towner “away person” to buy it, I was going to wipe my hands of this situation and return to Boston where there was nary a pine tree in sight.
Enough of this back-to-the-land foolishness.
Why my parents had held onto this dilapidated seasonal hut deep in the woods of Turner, Maine, was a mystery. There was no electricity or running water, and the only source of heat was an ancient wood stove that was definitely a fire hazard. To make things worse, I couldn’t remember where the outhouse was, but I refused to approach any of the sheds and outbuildings dotting the property.
The last thing I need is to be indicted for all the bodies buried out here.
Or become one of those bodies myself.
The only reason I was tromping around the back forty at all was to get some photos for the real estate listing. Unfortunately, the dirt “road” leading here—heavy on the air quotes—stopped about a half-mile back, with the remaining footpath so poorly marked, I almost wandered off the trail multiple times.
This logistical nightmare meant I couldn’t just send a random photographer out here on their own, so I’d made the executive decision to simply do it myself.
Story of my life.
Sourly brushing leaf litter off my designer leggings, I wondered if the only reason this stretch of uninhabited land had been left to me was that I was the only one of my siblings still unmarried and childless.
Obviously, the family spinster has nothing better to do than manage future crime scenes.
Trying not to think about how many unanswered emails were piling up in my work inbox while I was without Wi-Fi, I pulled my phone out of my chic backpack and attempted to snap a few shots of the exterior.
Squinting down at my screen, I swiped through my photos to see if I had captured what I needed before heading inside. Thanks to the quality of my phone camera, the shack miraculously looked less “murder barn” and more Little House in the Big Woods.
This location would actually be perfect for a corporate team-building retreat…
