I gathered my belongings from the trunk as Mom helped Will, Emma, and Staci unstrap their luggage from the roof.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Mom asked after she got the last suitcase down.

"Yeah, I think we'll be okay. Aunt Ellie should be out here any minute." I said, slamming the trunk door shut.

We walked out in front of the car and took a look at our summer home. It was this two story cabin house, but if you pictured a big and beautiful log home with bright windows and a front yard, you'd better think again. This house was built long ago, before Aunt Ellie or Mom were even born. Long story short, it was passed down through my family until my Aunt Ellie adopted it. She described it over the phone to be way better than it actually looked, but I might as well get used to it because I am going to be spending the rest of my summer here.

Aunt Ellie came out in tacky overalls, paint splattered all over them.  Her blondish-grayish hair was in a messy bun, as girls call it, but I see why. She was wearing a pair of rain boots that were an ugly dark greenish-black color, and they also had paint on them.

"Oh, Kyle! Look how much you've grown!" Aunt Ellie gave me a hug, and then Mom. "And I see your friends were able to come. That's terrific!" She shook hands with them. "It's so nice to meet you! What are your names?"

"I'm Emma, nice to meet you too."

"I'm Staci, and yes, nice meeting you."

"And I'm Will, cool meeting you."

"Awesome!  Do you kids have everything?"  Aunt Ellie asked.

"I believe so." I replied to Aunt Ellie. "Bye Mom." I gave my mother a hug and she returned, to me, a kiss.

"Well, I hope you guys have a great summer. Call me if you need anything." She said after releasing me. Then she looked at Aunt Ellie. "Take care of them, Elliot."

"Don't worry, they're in good hands Barbara," Aunt Ellie said as Mom was getting in the car. "See you."

"Bye! Be safe!" Mom called out the window as she drove. And like that, she was gone.

"Now," said Aunt Ellie. "Let me give you the tour."

~~

First she showed us the inside of the house, which was pretty old-fashioned. The wallpaper was peeling off around the edges, the carpet was covered in lint and dust, and the whole place reeked like expired milk.

"Eww," Staci whispered to Emma, plugging her nose. "It smells awful in here."

Emma also plugged her nose and nodded her head in agreement. 

Aunt Ellie showed us to the kitchen.  Will and I opened the door to what she told us was the pantry, but it only had an empty box of Corn Flakes and some wrinkled coffee filters.

     "I didn't have time to go grocery shopping, but don't worry," She said.  "We have a garden which I have been taking care of for the past few weeks to prepare for your visitation. That should be enough for what we're having tonight, and I'll go buy some store-food later."

Will and I both looked doubtfully at each other. We were pigs when it came to eating.

Next, we were each lead into our rooms. There were two, and she said, "Boys in one room, girls in the other."

The boys' room wasn't too bad, after you got all of the insects out. It had two bunk beds, and I chose the one on the left. They both had beige sheeting. There were two medium-sized dressers, thank God, so Will and I both got our own. I set my suitcase down and unpacked quicker than expected. The bathroom in our room was tiny, but I managed to find a place to store my toiletries.

Aunt Ellie was waiting patiently in the hall. Will and I joined her, waiting for Emma and Staci.  Nobody said anything.  About five minutes later, they came out, and we continued the tour.

There wasn't really anything too exciting, just your average house, except take it down about a decade or two. But something I thought was kind of cool is that we had a library. When we got to the outside, she showed us the garden and then the lake, which had four canoes on the shore near the dock. Life jackets and a life saver hung from a wooden board stoked into the ground.

"Woah." We all gasped at the breathtaking view. In the distance, somewhat far, was a mountain with lots of cave entrances and such. But what we really were taken by surprise by was the beautiful waterfall that glided down on the far right side. I was not expecting that. I'm sure none of us were.