A gentle breeze rolled through the pine grove that stood along the edge of a rippling lake. Birds chirped in the late afternoon sky, calling out to their mates and warning off any other species that might not be welcome near the nest or food supply. Most of these birds would not naturally live in this type of wood, but they were attracted to the area by a handful of bird feeders placed strategically among the trees so that they could be seen from the large bay window of one certain large cottage that stood at the end of a long and winding gravel driveway.

This house, though built over a hundred years prior to serve as a family plantation, servicing the surrounding woods for lumber production, no longer stood as a symbol of family grit and hard work, but was the destination vacation spot for travelers with enough money to rent the spacious mansion for long weekends away from the bustling city. It sat empty now, the windows shut tight and shades drawn closed to preserve the furniture inside. The wildlife that lived free of the constraints of money and the 9 to 5 pace of life that supplied that money seemed to understand that the house stood empty, and was not the source of noise or danger - at the moment. A trio of deer ambled across the close-cropped grass lawn. They moved without purpose, letting their whims guide each step. A pause her for a quick nibble of grass, a few steps, then a quick stomp to shake off the flies that seemed to always cluster around the legs, a few more steps towards a small stand of blackberries.

One of the deer stopped suddenly and raised its head high. Ears twitching, it strained to zone into what had drawn its attention. It couldn't see anything yet, but there was a constant popping that came far down the gravel driveway. Without fully understanding what the danger was, but knowing that danger was coming, the deer huffed through its teeth and threw up its white tail as a warning sign before darting away from the vehicle. The other two deer following close behind, covering the grassy lawn in three long jumps before disappearing into the woods.

A moment later a green minivan crested a low hill far down the drive. It made its way over the winding drive, down and back up through the rolling valleys and hills, before coming to a stop in front of the house. In an instant both sides sliding doors were thrown open and a kid jumped out from either side, happy to be free from the constraints of booster seats and seatbelts. The older of the two, a spindly boy that looked to be just a couple years shy of his teens, stretched his hands as high in the sky as he could, letting out an involuntary yelp as he worked the kinks out of his appendages. His sister, younger by at least three years, hit the ground running, chattering on about the woods and the lake and the dock and, "oh look at that house! Is that where we're staying? I can't wait to see my room!"

Slowly, the father and mother pushed their doors open and worked themselves out of the confined space and into the refreshing forest air. He stepped to the back of the car to start unloading while she reached into the backseat of the van to unbuckle the six-month-old that was just waking up from a long car nap.

"Why don't you two go explore the yard while Mommy and I get everything in its place," the father suggested to the older kids, standing in the doorway with the baby propped against his side. They glanced at each other before squealing in excitement and sprinting out the door to exploring the expansive yard that spanned the distance between the house's back porch and the lake that lapped gently against a small dock.