ISAAC PATTON''S POV


    I''m in the middle of fucking nowhere and that''s fine, I know where I''m headed to and that is the Palomino Village. I didn''t care about the weather, I was too excited to reconsider. The cloud was building up when I was on the way, not to mention the drizzle coming from the rain.


    All that matters to me is to get into Palomino ASAP, but then I had to make a stop to take a break from such a long drive. The adrenaline was too much, and this is the first time excitement gets me since I lost interest in everything I come across. I felt so alive, the momentum just makes me feel that way.


    I have crossed three bridges already, yet I still haven''t reached the village. Exhaustion? It''s not on my vocabulary this time. All I thought about is how enthusiastic I am when it comes to that place. And finally, there''s the valley near the intriguing locale.


    The valley was such a sight already, I could stop there and stare at it for hours. What did I do? Bring my phone out and take a picture of it. I''m not the best out there when it comes to photography, but the quality looks decent enough to gaze at.


    Soon as I reach the village itself, a parking lot welcomes my path. Man, what a relief. I thought I''d waste fuel by just securing a spot for my car. Again, there''s a bridge to cross and I had to walk this time. Well, I''m not skipping leg day so I went for it.


    After I passed the bridge, a shack was on the side of the way. Inside the hut, there was a petite woman who welcomed me. She seemed too pure and jolly upon seeing a new face within the village. I was too shy to ask for directions, so I stood there and waited for her to come out of the wooden counter.


    Her smile was so welcoming that I am attached to the place already. She then asked what I came for and of course, I answered accordingly. The Palomino Village is what I came for, after all. My response made her chuckle lightly, showing how proud she is to live in it.


    The patriotism in this lady is something admirable, so I listened to her thoroughly. She was rather giving directions around the whole village until she made an offer, asking me how long I''m going to stay. Two weeks would suffice my curiosity, to say the least.


    She then handed out a booklet about the cabins-for-rent, and I must say they put on a hell of a promo with how cheap yet convenient it is. Yep, I came prepared with my wallet. I could tell that tourists barely visit the town, though. They are totally missing out.


    It wasn''t long until her husband came out of the hut looking all grumpy and left unsatisfied. He was absolutely the opposite of his wife from the behavior he was showing. My eyes enlarged when he starts to pressure her, complaining why they do not have any income for the month.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Usually, I do not intervene in one''s relationship. But oh, how hypocritical I am. I could say that I''m great at defending others but myself? Forget about it. I just gave the payment for my whole trip to this village, why would he protest about not getting sufficient revenue?


    Now I''m worried because the woman''s jolly demeanor just disappeared. Does he have to ruin her mood like that? Once again, I needed answers. But I won''t get it unless I ask so I left it that way. I began walking away from them, and the chance to ask about their names was just a missed opportunity I failed to go after.


    Heading back to my car, I opened the trunk to retrieve my belongings including my laptop. Of course, I''m not gonna leave that thing behind. And finally, I get to lay low after such a tiring ride. Once the villagers gave me directions about the cabin I''ll stay in, I knew where to go.


    I was worrying that they would inspect my bag or something but nah, I''m good to go. I just waited for them to leave before I bring the goodies out. But first, a little tour wouldn''t hurt. Great, the door isn''t doing any creaking noises. The place is so neat... It''s perfect. The view is just- Oh, so sweet!


    There she is... Cattle Lake. I brought my mobile phone out again to take pictures of the stillness of the pond. I''m definitely putting this on my social media accounts because why the fuck not? Ugh, why do I brag about everything? Seriously? Eh, never mind.


    The bathroom''s nice and all, especially with their toilet being glossy like the flooring. If I could buy this cabin, I will. I have enough money, what else could I ask for? Right, some performance-enhancement stuff. No, I''m not talking about steroids. Who do you think I am, some jacked combat sports guy? Fuck, no.


    I''m talking about weed, that''s it. Helps me write better than drinking beer. Ever heard of drunk writing? Well, fuck that. I do high writing, literally. One puff and I''m the best writer alive. But when it wears off, I''m just your average joe.


    Do you want to know what surprises me the most? This small town has an internet connection in it. It ain''t much, but at least it''s decent. The photos I took would make a good cover, I''ll just put on some filters and effects in it, download a free font and use it for the title. I don''t know much about editing, so feel free to judge.


    After saving the edit I just made, I browsed the content of my flash drive to review some of my works. Yes, it''s erotic and steamy. After opening the organized drafts, I scanned for an unnamed folder with pictures in it. Didn''t even know the files were there, and my nosiness got me so good this time.


    Hey, look. It''s Jenny and Jessie. My lovely daughters. How I miss them. It''s been years since the- Oh... Right. Several years have passed since I lost them. I didn''t even grant my promise to bring them here. But hey, at least they''re safe from above, watching over me.


    I took a glimpse at the lake and saw an unusual movement. Wait a minute, why is the current getting so strong? Oh, it''s the wind. Huh? The wind? I thought we''ll get hot weather today? The weather forecast is full of bullshit again.


    They''re not gonna make a fool out of me again... I won''t let myself repeat the same mistake. Damn it, my momentum''s ruined again. Gotta go out and switch the kush to my e-cigarette so the police won''t come knocking for smoke complaints.


    Might as well go for a walk, and now I''m taking the leg day way too seriously. The waves on the lake just vanished after the transitional gust, and I think I went too hard on the weatherman. I followed the trail towards the Cattle Lake, noticing a silhouette near the trees.


    I could tell that I''m not the only visitor here, but it''s too early to judge. Actually, no. I am judging now. How the hell did they find this place? It''s not like I''m gatekeeping it, I just want to know the reason why they''re here to wonder around.


    To be continued...