I was travelling in my mom's van. The back trunk was packed with sports gear, banquet

utensils and kitchenware. I was trailing 80km down an unfinished road, though the speed limit

was set higher. I had always felt uneasy travelling in places I'd never been, because

I had a tendency to miss a turn and get lost. The drive from the small town to the condo

is only supposed to be 30 minutes, but I've been driving for 45 already, and still hadn't

yet reached it, nor had I seen any signs. It was a clear day in the road with a few clouds

in the sky. The air was crazy hot and my face was sweltering. I was already blasting the

AC on the dash to its highest setting and set all the vents pointing to my face and my

pits. I don't do well in the heat. It was not my decision to go out there at the time.

My name is Western. My family calls me Wes, or Wesie, if they want to get in my nerves.

And a family reunion was the very reason for my long drive. Eventually, me, my family,

my grandparents on both sides, a wide range of my cousins, aunts and uncles would all congregate

to a large and busy new condo being built out in the middle of the wilderness. One of my

uncles had snatched it up right away as soon as he was being marked for sale. The turnover

will be massive, with something along the lines of what he said.

They were only building a few of these properties out here, as the place was previously

a protected national park. Due to budget cuts, the conserved property line of the land was cut

back, and lying for the sale of new infrastructure to be built around the deeper parts of the park.

And, who wouldn't want a beautiful, small, secluded mansion in the middle of the forest?

I'd been allowed to show up a few days earlier, before the rest of the family arrived,

in order to prepare the house for them. I'd most of the amenities, while my cousin,

Reese, had shown up the previous day with a truckload of food. So, together, we could just unpack

...