Places to Chat
A Ski Lodge~
Chatterbox: Pudding's Place
A Ski Lodge~
A Ski Lodge
~~~
It's the middle of summer, and you're draped languorously on your couch, a thick book in your hands and a cool glass of lemonade within reach. A small fan whirs, a pathetic rival to the unrelenting heat. Your window is open, although it doesn't make much difference, for the air outside is still and humid.
Suddenly, you hear the symphonious tinkling of wind chimes. You couldn't remember ever hearing wind chimes around your house before, but this isn't a huge source of concern. The biggest thing interesting you is the cream-colored envelope that has fluttered in from the window and onto your living room floor.
You set your book down, and pick up the envelope, turning it over in your hands. On the front, in neat black ink, it spelled out your name. Odd. You slit the top of the envelope, and withdraw two pieces of parchment and a small, pressed purple flower - you recognize its delicate floral scent as lavender. You pick up the first piece of parchment and read,
Dear CBer,
You are invited on an all-expenses paid vacation at Lockaria House, located within the Osorthe Forest. While there, you will experience a fortnight of fun, adventure, excitement, and, quite possibly, danger. Sign up quickly, only fifteen guests are allowed. This includes any AE companions you may choose to bring. We will begin when spots are filled.
Your hostess,
Ms. Socie Grishelm
- Please note that the popcorn is not free.
- CAPTCHAs and CAPTCHAEs are not allowed.
- I advise you to pack warmly, the Osorthe Forest is trapped in an eternal autumn.
- Lockaria House is not responsible for any damage or loss of property or person during your time here.
- Please fill out the forms for both yourself and any AE you wish to attend.
The second piece of parchment, you soon discover, contains said forms.
Name:
Gender/Pronouns:
Appearance:
Personality:
Aura (Basically, what color embodies your personality?):
Biggest Strength:
Biggest Weakness:
Favorite Flower:
Luggage:
Other:
Something about this letter makes you wary, but those thoughts are quickly banished to the back of your mind. It's so hot here, and an all-expenses-paid autumnal vacation is just the thing you need. You grab the writing utensil of your choice and in careful print, fill out the forms.
Besides, what could possibly go wrong in fourteen days?
~~~
Yep, I’m rebooting my ski lodge from several months ago! I don’t know if anyone remembers it, but I think I got fairly far in it, and it was fun, so I’m rebooting it! I promise this time it will not die! I was guessed last time, but still feel free to guess who I am. ;)
submitted by Socie G, age ski lodge!, Lockaria House
(January 18, 2023 - 5:32 pm)
(January 18, 2023 - 5:32 pm)
(February 9, 2024 - 8:24 am)
I was wondering if this lodge was still around! :) it was the first ski lodge I ever read. It made me fall in love with ski lodges
(February 14, 2024 - 10:19 am)
*spooky ghost noises*
hello, dear readers! ‘tis i, pangolin!
i’m so sorry i haven’t updated this ski lodge in, like, over half a year... yikes :0
thank you all so so much for all your kind comments (both on this ski lodge, and on my leaving post <3333). i’ve finally gotten around to (mostly) finishing up planning the rest of this ski lodge, and writing the next part! hopefully the wait for the next part won’t be quite so long :]
also, i’m sorry, but it’s been a while since you all signed up, so that info might not be entirely up to date — if there are ever any changes to pronouns, or anything else, please let me know :D
anyway, without further ado, i present:
Day 10, Part 1
Firelily trudged about the grounds, a frosty wind whipping her hair and snapping at her burgundy scarf. Her hair had grown out a bit since she’d gotten here; the red dye had faded, and the blonde roots were much more visible now. It really did seem like forever since she’d first arrived at Lockaria House.
Even the forest surrounding Lockaria House seemed a washed-out version of its former glory. The last of the golden and crimson leaves had fallen, and the trees and ground were a nondescript brown. The spidery tree branches ran cracks across the gray sky, and the world smelled like dying plant matter.
Firelily shoved her hands deeper into the pockets of her long coat as the wind picked up, and she hurried over to the garden shed for shelter. Of course, she could turn back and return to Lockaria House, but after last night, when they failed to save Echo, everyone’s spirits were so low, and she couldn’t bear another second of being surrounded by all that negativity. Usually, she took it upon herself to lift everyone’s spirits—cracking a joke, inventing a game, bringing a little bit of color to counter the bleak grayness—but at a certain point, she was in danger of breaking down, too. One more second in that house and she feared she’d be doomed to that misery as well. So she’d much rather be out here, even if the wind turned her cheeks pink and raw.
The garden shed, too, was a drab brown, bordering on gray. It was almost crudely constructed, with slats of wood held together by nails now tarnished with rust. Splotches of white and green lichen crept up its sides, and the shingled roof was spotted with patches of fuzzy green moss. She pulled at the handle, which had also become rusted, and the door came creaking open. She dipped her head under the slightly-too-low door frame as she entered the shed, her boots thudding on the warped floorboards. There was no light switch inside, but if she left the door open, enough light filtered in to clearly illuminate the shed.
She hadn’t really expected anything particularly impressive: the shed was large enough, smelled of mulch and must and old wood, and had a normal enough selection of gardening tools—hedge shears, a rake, a shovel, a wheelbarrow pushed into the corner, gardening gloves hanging on the wall. Though, of course, given recent events, all those sharp blades and heavy tools made it look more like a murderer’s arsenal. She shuddered, and was about to exit the shed, but a lumpy tarp on the other end of the shed caught her eye. She crossed over to it, and lifted up a corner—
~~~
Hex and Ronin sat in the arts and crafts room at a wooden table with a clear vinyl covering. Ronin was twisting a length of steel wire into some sort of three-dimensional stick figure, while Hex was painting a clay cactus she’d fired in the kiln the day before. After she’d given it normal cactus colors, she impulsively painted a face on it, complete with a moustache and monocle. She had no regrets.
“Guys!” Firelily burst into the room, and Hex looked up, afraid there’d been another death, but Firelily’s face was glowing. “Guys, I found some bikes in the garden shed! There’s enough for all of us! Wanna go for a ride?”
“Ew, exercise,” said Ronin.
“I’ve already asked Writing, Reuby, and Silver, and they’re all in. C’mon, it’ll be fun!”
Hex shrugged. “I mean, I’ve gotta wait for this paint to dry before I can put on the varnish anyway. Might as well get out of the house.”
“Fiiiiine,” grumbled Ronin. “But only because I don’t want to be stuck in the house with Socie. She’s kind of creepy.”
“Don’t be mean, Ronin,” Firelily replied, and then turned around and practically skipped down the hallway.
~~~
Socie Grishelm sat at her mahogany clawfoot desk, wearing a cardigan the color of toast over a pale yellow dress. Her hair was pulled back in a hastily-assembled braid with a myriad of auburn flyaways haloing around her head in the light from the ceiling fixture. She stared off into space, her mind somewhere else, or maybe nowhere at all.
Wraith sat curled in an armchair before the fireplace, though it contained nothing but limp gray ashes. The steady ticking of the grandfather clock was deafening, challenged by only the occasional scraping of trees against the windowpane and banging of the heating pipes in the walls.
Then, all of a sudden, everything else went silent as an unearthly voice reverberated through the very air. It sounded like charcoal and wet leaves and television static, and it was very, very wrong. A chill went down Socie’s spine as Wraith’s mouth opened, forming the words, though they seemed to come not only from him but from all around her, suffocating her, embedding themselves in her very soul.
“Hello, Hedera. It’s been a while.”
~~~
Alive: 6 (Silver Crystal, Firelily, Writing, Ronin, Reuby, Hex)
Dead: 9 (Pangolin, Oliver, Daisy, Eclipse, Kyanite, Artemis, Sterling, Echo)
(April 30, 2024 - 5:55 pm)
IT'S BACK FOLKS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL IT'S BACK!!!!! Oh my gosh I was so worried that this would remain unfinished due to your leaving, I'm so glad that you've decided to stick with it for a bit longer! Seriously one of my favorite lodges ever. I also can't believe I'm still alive! I'm pretty good at bike riding so hopefully nothing too dangerous will happen there. The details like Firelily's hair growing out really shows the passage of time there- I got really worried when she went into that shed alone, thankfully she wasn't murdered tho. The smash cut from "Don't call Socie creepy" to Socie being the absolute creepiest she's ever been was so funny. Also I love the catus with the little face on it :) Thank you again for revisiting this masterpeice, I hope you continue to find motivation <333
(April 30, 2024 - 9:33 pm)
:D i love it! i've been following along a bit. it was such a big inspiration for me when i wrote my first ski lodge
(April 30, 2024 - 11:20 pm)
Hi, it's me GloomyBear! I was origanally Reuby Moonnight. Do you think you could change my name to Gloomy?
(HEDERA?! H-Hedera. I know I've heard that before. Tis cool)
(May 1, 2024 - 8:35 am)
:000 this was so good. Ofc. But still. Wow. So glad you've decided to stick around and finish this ski lodge!! It's one of the best!! :DDDDDDDD
(May 1, 2024 - 9:37 am)
I’m not actually in this ski lodge, but I’ve been reading through it and it’s super good! I’m so glad you’re continuing this, pangolin
(May 1, 2024 - 10:49 am)
(April 30, 2024 - 6:55 pm)
i’m back!
thank you all for your comments and for sticking with me this long, it means so much <3 school’s started up again so idk how much time i’ll have, but i’ll try to write as much as i can! i thought i’d have a ton of time to write over the summer, but between summer programs and mental/physical health issues and visiting relatives and whatnot, it just…didn’t happen :P
ooh speaking of visiting relatives and stuff—did i ever tell you guys that Lockaria House and Alaway Lake is vaguely based off of my great aunt’s lakehouse in the Adirondacks? and that in the basement of said lakehouse, there is a dusty antique popcorn machine that hasn’t been used in over a decade and just sits there ominously?
sPoOkY
but don’t worry! no one’s been murdered there
(as far as i’m aware)
aaalso, i missed this ski lodge’s one year anniversary! *confetti* i may or may not do something special to celebrate, depending on idk life and stuff. (maybe something along the lines of a Lockaria-House-themed playlist [if you ever think of any songs that fit the vibe, i’d love to hear them!! :D] or maybe a map or hypothetical cover if i can get my life together?)
anyway, rest assured, i plan to see this ski lodge to the end, no matter how long it takes (which hopefully won’t be too long :’))
but uh without further ado, here is day ten, part two:
(wow that rhymed)
Day 10, Part 2
It turned out to be a lovely day for biking. As the day wore on, the sun gradually peeked out from behind the ashen clouds, casting thin rays of warmth through the forest’s bare branches. Firelily and Hex had examined the map of the Osorthe Forest hanging on the entrance hall, and charted out a dirt trail around the lake for them to follow.
They crunched over small twigs and dry, dead leaves, around the occasional mossy rock, and through patches still muddy from last night’s rain. The air, laced with the scent of decaying leaves and fallen pine needles, had a bit of a nip to it, and fog wreathed the uppermost branches of the trees that lined the path.
Hex had to admit—there was nothing quite like the thrill of pedaling faster and faster, her muscles burning, and then rocketing down a hill, letting gravity do the work, leaving all their worries temporarily at the hilltop, with wind stinging their cheeks and rustling their hair. It felt like the closest they’d ever get to flying.
Wiccan ran alongside the group, his great bounding leaps impressively agile despite his large frame, giving the overall impression of a shadowy black phantom. He playfully nipped at the heels of the guests, until Gloomy told him off, and he settled on just running beside them, his pink tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted.
They stopped for a picnic on a cliff overlooking Alaway Lake, where the long browned grass swayed in a crisp breeze. They could see for miles: the Osorthe Forest, its forever-autumnal trees cast in fading crimson and brown; glimpses of the river sparkling as it meandered through the woods, churning white as it tumbled over rocks; smoke rising from the Lockaria House chimney, gray and gauzy as it stained the sky; the far-off mountains, covered in a rolling patchwork of russet and gold, fading to a lilac-blue in the distance, diluted by atmosphere, until the very farthest of them dissolved like smoke into the blue-gray sky. It conveyed a sort of vastness, a sort of reminder of how very small they were, that was at once breathtaking and suffocating.
Out on Alaway Lake, in the middle of the slate-gray water, mirrorlike except for the ripples the wind sent through it, sat Starr’s Island, and every now and then, Silver swore she could see Lucky’s face, peeking out at them from between the red and brown leaves and bare branches, but it always disappeared as quickly as it’d come. Maybe she was going crazy—it certainly seemed a possibility these days.
“Hey, Silver, think fast!” Ronin called, and Silver snapped out of it just in time to catch the white-paper-wrapped sandwich he’d lobbed at her head before it flew straight off the cliff.
“Thanks, Ronin,” Silver said, a slight sarcastic bite to her voice.
“The pleasure’s all mine.” With a raised eyebrow, Ronin took his seat next to Writing and began to unwrap his own sandwich.
“So, the murders,” said Hex, which was certainly one way to start a conversation. “Are we going to do anything about them, or are we just going to wait out the rest of our days and be miserable?” They took a bite of their sandwich.
“Well, we know for a fact it’s one of us,” said Gloomy, hardly disguising the way their eyes flitted warily over each guest’s face. “The note left with Kya said as much.”
“Or,” Firelily cut in, “Socie or someone else could’ve left the note to purposefully mislead us. To try and, I dunno, pit us against each other, or something. But it didn’t work, did it? We’re here, we’re gonna figure this out. Together.” As soon as the words left their mouth, they realized it wasn’t the inspirational, rallying speech they had intended. It just sounded like the naive, far-fetched ideals of a child, who believed everything could be solved through the power of friendship.
But friendship bracelets couldn’t patch up stab wounds, no matter how carefully you knotted the brightly colored yarn.
“I still think Socie’s suspicious,” said Ronin around a mouthful of sandwich. “And I don’t like that cat of hers, either. Have you seen those creepy yellow eyes? I swear, he’s some sort of a demon.”
“Riiiight,” said Gloomy. “That’s just what cats look like.”
“Well, excuse me for actually speculating.” Having finished his sandwich, Ronin brushed the crumbs off his hands, then crossed his arms and glared at everyone else. “Back to your ‘the-murderer-is-one-of-us’ theory?”
“Well, going by your theory, Gloomy,” Silver cut in, “how do we know you’re not the murderer?”
“Well—you don’t,” they said haltingly. “But...you could also very well be the murderer.”
“I…okay, sure, I could be,” Silver said, shrugging. “But accusing each other isn’t going get us anywhere. I think we should try to figure out a way to leave Lockaria House, leave the Osorthe Forest, and find our way back to civilization. Then we can, I don’t know, call the cops, or whatever it is responsible people do.”
That seemed to cause a stir among the guests. For a brief moment, an expression they weren’t accustomed to flickered on each of their faces—an expression that looked an awful lot like hope.
Well, all but one of their faces, anyway.
“I think that’s a terrible idea,” said Writing, staring pointedly at the ground.
“What?”
“It’s a bad idea,” Writing repeated, and while their voice was louder, it still had a slight tremble to it, as if they were afraid of what they were saying. “What, you’re just going to wander about in the woods until you stumble across civilization? Do you guys even remember what civilization looks like?”
Silver opened her mouth to object, to say that it was really a great idea, actually, but she fell silent, because she didn’t—she didn’t remember a thing before her arrival at Lockaria House.
Determined to prove Writing wrong, she strained her mind, tried desperately to think of something—anything—before Lockaria House—
Cream and crimson.
Size twelve Verdana font.
Forms and submit buttons and strengths and weaknesses and favorite flowers.
—but all the images that burst into her mind made no sense, and she figured she must’ve made them up.
~~~
“They’re gone,” Socie said impatiently, poking her head into the game room, which was, as she’d predicted, empty of guests. “I’ve checked everywhere, all right? They’re not here. Can you tell me what you want to talk to me about now?”
Wraith glanced disdainfully up at her. His tail flicked lazily. “And where, pray tell, might they be?”
Socie threw up her hands. “I don’t know. They probably went on a hike, or something. They’re out of the house for the moment, that’s what matters, right?”
“Don’t you think you ought to know where your guests are? You are the host, after all.”
Socie fell silent, any fight left in her extinguished. She looked at her hands—they looked paler, ashier than she remembered. She supposed the sun didn’t shine much in the Osorthe Forest. When she finally spoke, her voice was small. “But that’s the thing. I’m not the host—I shouldn’t even be here.”
Wraith laughed, a low, unnatural rumble. Socie swore the very earth shook with him. “Exactly. This is all your fault, and you’re going to help me fix it, before it gets worse.”
Socie hesitated. Common sense said she shouldn’t go around making deals with any ancient forces—especially ones that happened to be possessing her cat—but she also knew she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.
Still, as she haltingly nodded her head, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this felt awfully similar to another agreement she’d made, a long time ago.
~~~
Sunset came earlier and earlier now, and as the guests walked their bikes back into the shed in barely mid-afternoon, the sun had already dipped low enough in the sky to ignite the clouds with amber- and honey-hued flames. The dark silhouettes of bare tree branches marred the sunset like ugly scars, and the murderer looked away.
They had one hand reflexively on the hilt of their dagger, buried deep within their coat, and the other was holding the shed door open as the last people walked out. Polite, courteous people who did polite, courteous things were rarely suspected of murder, after all. Probably. It also served as an excuse, anyway, to bring up the rear of the group as they trudged back to Lockaria House across the clearing, now a muddy field with patches of sparse brown grass.
The murderer watched the guests in front of them, chatting animatedly amongst each other, until their gaze fell on Writing_in_the_Dark. Writing knew something, something he shouldn’t. Something that was going to tear their world all apart unless the murderer did something about it. Fear and obligation fought a bloody battle in the back of their mind.
They took a deep breath and threw the knife.
~~~
When Ronin and Sterling had fallen out of the canoe a few days ago, there’d been a split second beforehand, the moment where the canoe tipped a little too far to the side, the brief “oh no” as he realized what was happening. Then there was the sickening swoop of his stomach as he felt the canoe go out beneath him. There was a moment of shock as he was then thrown into the cold water, and then there was the struggle for some control over the situation as he kicked furiously to the surface of the water, the overwhelming urge to do something. That’s what he felt now, as a motion out of the corner of his eye caused him to turn and see a person—the murderer—holding a knife, focus on Writing’s back, and then release the blade, sending it spinning toward his CBer.
“WRITING!” he screamed, reflexively, diving to push his CBer out of the way of the knife. On some level, he must have known how it would end, because there was no surprise when the knife struck his side and he crumpled to the ground—there was only the creeping terror that he wouldn’t be able to protect Writing anymore.
“Wha—Ronin!” Writing was at their AE’s side in seconds, pressing on the knife wound to try and staunch the blood flow, to no avail; the ground was already stained crimson, and soon Writing’s hands were bathed in it, his ocean blue hoodie dyed purple. “No, no, no, no, no—it’s gonna be okay, Ronin! We’re so close to Lockaria House, just a few more yards and—” Their voice cracked as they choked back a sob.
Ronin responded with the meaningless, comforting words he’d so hated coming from other people’s mouths. “It’s okay, Writing, it’s gonna be okay. Just stay safe, just….” He glanced from Writing to the other guets, his gaze finally landing on Firelily, who’d laid a hand on Writing’s shoulder that was probably just as much to steady her as to comfort them. Firelily’s chin puckered like she, too, was holding back tears. “Make sure they don’t do anything stupid, alright?” And then the light in his eyes was extinguished.
~~~
i didn't edit this, but it took me like half a year to write it in the first place so there better not be any glaring issues!! :D
(September 23, 2024 - 6:10 pm)
THERE'S A NEW PART!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhh I love this smmmmm; UGH how do I describe this?!?? Whenever I read your writing, it feels like you KNOW your world, inside and out---you know your characters and you know your plot and you know your setting and you're just telling it all to us with wit and humor as you observe it all yourself. You never break character, I guess---you have all these little observations as if you're really there yourself that add so much and really transport the reader and wow. And there's so much beauty in your writing and I love that whole section where everyone's biking/picnicking because I feel like you really captured the essence of biking, of being in nature---that's exactly how I feel whenever I take a walk or look at the stars, and you took those feelings and put them into words and it's beautiful to read. Actually, that goes for all the parts. And everything is so clever and I love it!! But also nooo I loved Ronin ://
(September 24, 2024 - 9:08 pm)
OH WE'RE SO BACK!!!!! RIP Ronin, that was such a sad death scene :(( You can put so many emotions in your words!! It's actually incredible!! Ok so I definitely think something bad is going to happen to me soon-- Writing disagreeing with me on the whole leaving thing only for the murderer to attempt to kill them so the group would follow my idea.... hmm. I can't believe there's only five people left!! And I'm one of them! Wooo!! I never survive this long. ALSO the references to the CB are so creative and interesting, I wonder if that will be expanded on later. So so glad that you're committed to finishing this, I can't wait for the next installment :)) <3
(September 24, 2024 - 10:11 pm)
oh hey forgot this nifty thing:
Alive: 5 (Silver Crystal, Firelily, Writing, Reuby, Hex)
Dead: 10 (Pangolin, Oliver, Daisy, Eclipse, Kyanite, Artemis, Sterling, Echo, Ronin)
also, looking back, the previous part was kind of long - sorry about that, guys :P
(September 23, 2024 - 7:19 pm)