Cabin Fever

Ann Arbor is a wonderful place to live. It does have long winters but the short springs, summers, and autumns are delightful. It's the home to the University of Michigan, a top ten university that I graduated from two years ago. The university also spawns a large number of intellectual institutions such art museums, natural history museums, concert halls and theaters.

I live in a one room, studio apartment near the city center. It's small, but usually enough for me. I free lance as a graphic artist and web designer. I have enough work to pay the bills and squirrel enough away to hopefully buy a place of my own for cash in a couple of years.

Whenever I feel that I need some space, I go to my parent's house. Its about twenty minutes away and they have more space than they need since I graduated and my older sister got married three years ago. Everything I need is on my laptop and as long as I have an internet connection I can communicate with my clients and get the assignments done.

My sister, Evelyn, and her husband live near Lansing. Roger is a manager in an Amazon Hub Locker near Lansing and Evelyn works part time at the local library.

As much as mom and dad, that's Georgia and Ralph to their friends, like Ann Arbor they like to get away and "go native" sometimes as dad refers to it. His description over states the reality. Dad would be shocked at what "going native" means to most people today. They own a two bedroom, log cabin near Marquette in the Upper Peninsula. They go there on long weekends and we, mom, dad, Evelyn, Roger and me, Adam, generally gather there for a week or more twice a year. During the winter, we snowshoe, cross-country ski, ice fish and sit around the large, native stone fireplace to keep warm.

In the summer, we swim in the nearby lake, fish, hike and sit around the bonfire in the evening to drink iced tea. We've never "gone native" to my knowledge, at least not while my sister or I have been present.

This year we had some problems coordinating our schedules so our annual winter excursion to the cabin had been delayed. We were still trying to find an appropriate date as March approached. We were still uncoordinated when our Governor dropped the State of Emergency declaration on Tuesday, March tenth.

Dad is a news junkie and he divined that things were going to get worse before they got better and if we were going to get to the cabin it had to be soon. Mom and dad decided to head north on Saturday for a week. Dad calculated that they'd be back before the worse happened. They phoned me and told me about their plans and they also told Evelyn and Roger. If we wanted to join them we were welcome and if not, that was okay too.

It was an easy decision for me. Work was slow at the moment and all I needed was my laptop and a week's worth of clothing and I was set. The cabin had a satellite internet link so I could even work it I had to.

Evelyn and Roger had a more difficult time getting free, but by Thursday, Roger had arranged for time off and Evelyn just told folks she was unavailable for the next two weeks.

The plan came together quickly. I planned to drive up to the cabin with a load of food and other necessities on Friday and get the cabin aired out and ready for the rest of the family to arrive on Saturday.

I left very early Friday morning. The drive was between six and a half and eight hours, depending on traffic and the number of stops for gas other necessities. The trip was fairly scenic especially over the Mackinac Bridge connecting lower Michigan to upper Michigan. I managed the trip in less than seven hours and arrived at the cabin by a little after noon. There was snow on the ground everywhere but there were signs of it slowly melting in the mid thirties daily temperatures. The last five hundred yards from the paved two-lane road to the cabin was unpaved but still mostly frozen making the trip less difficult than I anticipated.

The cabin was in pretty good condition. I turned on the electricity, opened windows to air it out and brought in the week's worth of food from the car and stored it appropriately. I brought in the bed clothing and made the beds in the two bedrooms. Mom and dad would sleep in one bedroom, Evie and Roger in the other. I would sleep on the oversized leather sofa in front of the also oversized fireplace.

Outside, I knocked the frozen snow off the woodpile and brought in enough wood for the fireplace to last several days. I was done with the immediate tasks by four and, after closing the windows and starting a nice fire in the fireplace, I settled down to get the wifi network up and running and confirming we still had satellite internet service and television. We didn't have cell phone service so I sent mom and dad a brief "alls well" email and set up wifi calling on my cell phone so I would have voice communications.

With everything set up and working, I made a sandwich for dinner and settled in to read in front of the fire.

I fell asleep on the sofa and woke up as the sun was rising over the lake and streaming through the bare trees. I ate a lingering breakfast while continuing to read and settled in to wait for the rest of the crew to arrive.

Mom and dad arrived mid afternoon and Evie and Roger about an hour later. After checking everything out and moving into their respective bedrooms, we took a walk down to the lake. It was peaceful and very quiet. You could hear the birdcalls over the frozen water and the sounds of ice falling off the trees as it melted and lost purchase.

The week together went exactly as expected. We had nothing to do except kick back and relax. I kept in touch with my email but I found nothing pressing that couldn't wait. We walked every day, sometimes twice a day. Monday, dad dragged Roger and me out on the lake with his shed, to drill a hole in the ice and fish. We were moderately successful and we had fish for dinner that night. Our success encouraged dad enough that he dragged us out again on Thursday but without a single nibble.

On Friday afternoon, mom and dad made preparations to leave the next day. Evie and Roger had planned to stay for two weeks and I had no plans so I thought I'd stay with them. Mom and dad left Saturday morning and Roger and Evie went out to the general store to replenish our food supply for the next week. They returned with a case of beer as well as food. The beer was welcome as dad didn't believe beer and nature mixed and hadn't brought any. Their leaving also meant that I had a bedroom to sleep in instead of the sofa.

The weekend went well, especially with the addition of beer. The three of us sat outside Saturday and Sunday afternoon sipping cold beer and inside both evenings with more beer. We laughed as we reminisced about times past and related oft repeated stories about the foibles of the family and our friends. It promised to be a fun week without the "old folks" around to dampen our fun.

Things changed Monday morning. Roger got an email that required his immediate attention. I set up his phone over wifi so he could talk directly with his office. He couldn't resolve the issue over the phone and announced he needed to leave immediately to address the problem in person. It seemed his job was considered essential by the government and he had to be at work every day during the emergency.

We discussed the situation and Evie decided to stay behind and help me close up the cabin and come back with me early in the week. I'd drive her home with their stuff and then continue to mom and dad's to unload the rest before I headed home. Roger agreed although I think he had misgivings and left within a half hour. Evie talked with him that evening. She told him she missed him and he told her he had resolved everything at work and could come back up in the next day. She discussed it with him and told him we, Evie and I, were planning on leaving Tuesday or Wednesday and his trip seemed excessive for the potential benefit. Roger agreed to wait until Evie got home to see her.

Later that evening, Evie and I sat on the sofa in front of the fire. We sipped our beers and mused about our lives. At one point, Evie said, "Adam, this is really nice."

"It is isn't it?" I asked.

"It is. It's been years since we've had time with just the two of us and we've never been alone together up here in the cabin."

"True. Do you miss it?"

"I do. We were always close as kids and I often think about it and how much I miss your wit and sarcasm."

"I think that's a complement," I offered.

"It is. I'm glad we're here, alone, now. It brings back memories of our time together and I really like it."

I slouched back and rested my head on the back of the sofa. Evie did the same. Evie held my hand and we sat silently on the sofa watching the flickering fire and lost in our own thoughts. Occasionally, Evie would squeeze my hand, bounce our hands on the leather sofa seat or rub my palm with her fingers.

Well into the evening and long past our usual bed times, Evie looked at me and said, "I hate to let you go but I'm really tired and I have to sleep. We stood, Evie squeezed my hand once more, kissed me on my cheek and headed for her bedroom. I tended the fire and headed for the other bedroom.

I woke the next morning, pulled on a pair of jeans and a denim shirt and headed for the kitchen. Evie was already awake and preparing breakfast. "Good morning, sleepyhead. I thought I was going to have to wake you up."

"Good morning to you too. We don't have much to do before we leave so I slept in. You know, lingering before we have to leave this wonderful place."

"I do know and I agree with you but leave we must although I'd like to find a way to get back here with just you in the future."

"Hold that thought. Something will come up and we'll find a way."

We sat at the table and ate our breakfast. We pushed the dishes aside and sat facing each other, holding our mugs of coffee and lost in our own thoughts again.

"Adam," Evie said, "Thank you for last night."

"You're welcome but I'm not sure what I did."

"That's the point. You didn't do anything. You just gave me space. Time with myself that I rarely get anymore with my work, volunteer groups and Roger. You were there without imposing yourself on me. I was a wonderful evening and I really appreciate it."

"Roger?" I asked.

"I know Roger loves me and I think I love him, but he worries about me all the time and is constantly asking if I'm okay and checking up on me to see for himself. Sometimes I need times like last night and I rarely get them."

"Glad to be of service. Maybe we can find some way for you spend time at my place. I'll leave you alone for a long as you need. Meanwhile, duty calls. We have to get out of here soon."

I got up from the table, gathered our plates and took them to the sink to wash. Evie came up behind me, put her arms around me, he head on my back and said, "You're the best brother a girl could have."

I turned around, kissed her on the forehead and said, "Sis, you're the best sister I can imagine."

We worked together getting things in order for us to leave. When I opened the cabin door, preparing to load the car, the sky looked threatening and the wind was blowing fiercely. "Things don't look promising out there," I said and I turned on the television for a weather report.

The news reported a severe ice and windstorm was approaching and they strongly suggested no one attempt to drive for the next twenty-four hours. That prompted a call home. I explained to dad weather issues. He suggested that we postpone leaving for a day until the storm blew over and then reevaluate driving home. Evie called Roger to explain the storm problem and he grudgingly agreed, expressing his worry for her safety. She told him she loved him and missed him and would be home as soon as possible.

The storm hit soon after as fierce as any I could remember. Evie evaluated the situation and told me she believed we were stuck her for at least another two days opining that, even after the storm, the dirt road to the highway would be impassable until it dried for a day or longer. The problem, she said, was a lack of clean clothing. We had nothing to do except listen to the storm so she decided, with a determination that only women had, to do the laundry.

Laundry was a manual job. She used the only sink, filled it with soapy water and while I gathered the laundry from the bedrooms, she washed each piece by hand and put it on the table. When she got to the last available piece, she looked at me and said, "Look, I think we should do all the laundry," and she began to take off her shirt.

I stood nearby and watched astounded. Before she removed her shirt, she turned to me and asked, "Do you have a problem?"

I did but I didn't know how to put it in words. She removed her shirt, put it in the sink and added her jeans. She looked at me, frozen in place. "Give me you shirt and jeans, "she ordered.

She studied me for a second and followed up with, "Wait. Did you think I was going further?"

I forced myself to answer her. "I didn't know."

"Were you hopeful?" she laughed.

"I don't know," I repeated.

"This is as far as I go brother," she said, "and it's as far as you go. Give me your shirt and jeans."

I did and stood aside watching my sister in her bra and panties washing the remainder of our clothing. She drained the sink, refilled it and began to rinse the clothing in clean water. We needed to hand the clothing up to dry and outside was out of the question. I rooted around in the closets and found a length of rope long enough for the job. I stretched the rope across the living room several times and it was soon filled with wet clothing.

The storm strengthened and the wind cooled the cabin in spite of the fire. I added wood to the fire and Evie got blankets from the bedrooms for us to keep warm while our clothing dried. We managed a simple supper and then curled up on the sofa in front of the fire like the previous evening. "You have no idea how tired I am," Evie told me.

We sat close together, holding hands, with the blankets covering both of us. Our conversation was minimal as we sat in each other's space watching the fire and listening to it crackle. I think Evie drifted off to sleep. Once, when the wind intensified and the shutters rattled in response, Evie curled up tighter to me, put her head on my shoulder and her arm across my stomach. My arm left arm was across her shoulders under the blanket and hanging down in front of her, just inches from her bra-covered breast.

We cuddled like that for some time before I tried to slouch down again to put my head on the back of the sofa. Evie moved with me and her hand slid down to my crotch and my hand landed on her breast. I cupped her breast in my hand and then didn't move, not even a finger. I waited to discover her reaction to my holding her breast in my hand.

Evie turned in my lap until she was on her back looking up at me. "Adam," she asked, "do you like holding my breast?"

"Evie, I didn't mean to, it just happened. I hope I didn't upset you."

"You didn't answer my question. Did you enjoy it?"

"I know you're my sister, but, yes, I liked holding your breast. I liked it very much," I confessed.

She smiled and twisted around until we were in our original positions. "I like this very much too," she said as she squeezed my semi erect penis through my boxer shorts. My hand returned to her breast and I squeezed it in response. She giggled and cuddled closer.

Evie fell asleep in my arms with me holding her breast and she holding my penis. She seemed more than just comfortable or content. Everything seemed perfect, even proper in spite of her being my sister.

I wondered just how far I could take our current situation. Very gently and very slowly, I moved her slightly away from my body trying to not wake her up. I reached over her with my right arm and used my fingers to unhook her bra. I moved the bra across her back and off her shoulder until it hung in front of us. I couldn't go further since it was pinned between our bodies. I relaxed with her back in place and my hand now on her bare breast.

I hefted her breast in my hand. It felt larger than it looked in her bra, about the size of a softball and slightly heavier. The feel of her warm naked breast in my hand was too much to resist and I began to massage her breast and run my fingers over her nipple that was noticeably more erect. When she moaned softly, I froze in fear that she would wake up and react angrily. Instead, she cuddled closer and stroked my burgeoning erection before squeezing it again. Her actions spurred my confidence and I intensified my efforts with her breast.

A short while later, Evie moved her head to look more directly at me. "I need to pee. Let me go and I'll be right back. She crawled out of the blankets and tiptoed quickly to the bathroom. Her bra dropped on the floor next to the sofa. She was back just as quickly. I noticed two things about her as she stood in front of me preparing to get back under the blankets. Her nipples were erect and she wasn't wearing panties.

She noticed me staring and said, "My panties were wet so I left them in the bathroom. Is that okay?"

She didn't wait for an answer before she was under the covers again, cuddled up. She placed my hand on her breast again and her hand on my erection. "Nice," she commented.

She put her hand on the waist of my boxers and asked, "Can you help me get these off?"

Asked and answered. Seconds later my boxers were on the floor around my ankles, her hand was slowly stroking my naked erection and she was asleep. I fell asleep with the storm raging around us, the fire warming us under the blankets and thoughts of how perfect it felt to be cuddled up to my sister naked.

I woke in the wee hours of the morning. It was still dark and the storm seemed to have abated a little. Evie felt my movement and said, "I think we need to go to bed now."

She sat on the sofa, holding the blankets while I tended the fire. She handed me my blanket and we started for the bedrooms. When I turned toward my room, she took my hand. "Stay with me tonight," she said.

We crawled into her bed and arranged the covers. She spooned against me with my arm over her body. She fell asleep almost instantly but not before she put my hand on her breast and held it there. I fell asleep, content with holding her breast.

I woke in the morning with Evie alongside of me. She was awake, facing me with her head on her arm. The blankets were draped over her waist and her round breasts with their light brown nipples were just inches from my face. "I'm up here," she said as she lifted my chin with her hand so I could look her in the eyes.

I couldn't tell if she was angry or just confused. "Can you explain to me what we're doing in my bed, naked?" she asked.

The only was she could know if I was naked was if she already knew the answer to her question or she had looked while I was asleep. Assuming her question was based on her confusion over our condition, I chose to be truthful. "Evie," I said, "We were on the sofa under the covers all snuggled up. Remember, we were in our underwear since you had insisted on doing all the laundry."

"I remember. How did we get naked?"

"We were very tired and the snuggling in front of the fire had a calming effect on us. At one point you left to pee and came back without your panties. You told me they were wet and you abandoned them before you crawled under the covers again with me."

"And my bra? What happened to my bra?"

"It fell off when you stood up."

"It fell off? In my experience, bras don't just fall off. The usually have help."

"Evie, I admit to assisting in you losing your bra. I was holding you and your breast through your bra, with your permission, and I got carried away. I unhooked your bra so I could hold your breast naked. It was not something a brother should do to his sister but in that moment I wasn't thinking about our relationship."