Gabe gingerly lifted the lid of a plastic container in Brandon’s fridge. He made heaving sounds like he was in danger of losing his lunch. “What the hell is this? It’s actually furry like it has little green and black caterpillars crawling across the surface.”

“Just scoop it out in the garbage and wash the container. So what. I forget about that stuff in the back sometimes.”

“I’m a little worried you might try to eat this stuff when you run out of other food. I mean, look at your fridge. How old are those strawberry preserves? And there’s a crust of bread and one wrapped slice of American cheese. Are those eggs still good?”

Brandon grumbled and swallowed a mouthful of beer. “What’s your fridge look like? I’m busy. I have a life. Cleaning out the refrigerator isn’t the first thing on my list of priorities.”

“You’ve seen it. I keep it neat and tidy, like me. Everything is in its place. I run the Roomba every morning to do the floors, too. You could use one, you know.”

“Did you ever think about the phrase ‘neat freak?’”

Gabe flipped open the trash can and pitched the plastic container inside. “I’m not a freak. If I were, I’d use rubber gloves to dust the furniture.”

Brandon lunged toward the trash. “Hey! Those aren’t cheap! Wash it.”

“It’s full of disease. I’ll buy you a new set of containers if it’s that important. It should’ve been emptied and washed weeks ago before you started hosting a dozen species of bacteria and molds.”

“I think there are pork chops in the freezer. You wanna have those for dinner? It’ll get your mind off my fridge.”

“And they are from when?”

Brandon shrugged. “How am I supposed to know? I froze them so they wouldn’t go bad and get green and fuzzy. Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?”

“And you write the date on the container or the bag. Damn, I should have married you before we broke up. You need somebody to protect you from yourself.”

“Grab a beer and relax. I’m healthy. You saw the proof when we slept together.”

Gabe said, “Yeah, don’t remind me. It’s hard enough for me to forget it without you bringing it all up again.” He grabbed a beer bottle and closed the fridge. “Okay, fine, I’m done with that, and I’m not eating frozen meat that could have been there for two years. We’ll order pizza.”

“Did Elle see much interest in our trips at the Fest? I haven’t gotten to talk to her since. I’ll see her tomorrow morning, but she likes to put a bright shine on things. You can tell me the truth.”

“Let’s go sit on the couch. I’m a little worried something in that fridge might learn how to open the door and escape. I thought the Fest was okay. A couple of guys flirted with Elle. I thought she was going to sock one in the jaw, but he got away.”

Brandon settled himself on one end of the heavy wood-framed couch. The furnishings were still somewhat sparse in his cabin, but he made sure it all looked like it belonged in the Northwoods. He couldn’t imagine a cabin filled with glass and metal.

“How was Haunted Lake? At least you came back in one piece. I’m glad you sent that text. I would have been worried sick otherwise when you didn’t come back last night.”

“Well, I waited to tell you any details until you got here. It was on purpose. I’ve got quite a bit to tell.”

“Oh, fuck, you didn’t see something, did you? I’m gonna get the creeps if you did. Surely, I’ve told you the dark freaks me out sometimes.”

Brandon chuckled. “Five times at least. You told me about your mean older sister who used to take you into the dark basement just to scare you.”

“Yeah, she’s a great sister now, but then, ugh. I had nightmares. She got in trouble for telling all the neighborhood kids ghost stories. They would run home to their parents and have nightmares.” Gabe closed his eyes. “Okay, lay it on me. What scary thing did you see up there?”

“Open your stupid eyes. I didn’t see anything scary, but I met a guy.”

“The sniper?”

“If Levi is the sniper, he killed his grandfather when he was about 15.”

Gabe’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “He’s got a name? And you said his grandfather? Okay, go back to the beginning. Were you hallucinating? Too much heat? It was hot yesterday.”

“Levi is our age, and he lives in a cabin up there on the lake with his grandmother, and their last name is Daley. Wasn’t that the name of the guy that died?”

Gabe mouthed the name three times. “Yeah, I guess so. That story is too crazy to be true, Brandon. The old woman’s either dead or she moved away. That’s what everybody says.”

“She’s very much alive, and she made lemonade for me.”

Gabe swallowed a mouthful of the beer. “You haven’t had enough to be drunk. Did you listen to yourself? An old woman lives on a haunted lake with her grandson, and they said hi to you, and she gave you lemonade. It sounds like the perfect opening for a ghost story. Did you have dinner, too? Didn’t you worry they might be fattening you up like poor little Hansel? You are damn cute, Brandon. You’ve got to watch out for strangers.”

“And you’re being ridiculous. Yep, Levi takes care of her. He’s cute, too.”

“Dagger to the heart. You didn’t have to tell me that part. And what the hell do they eat up there? Do they scrape the lichen off the rocks, or do they have fish three times a day?”

“Levi takes his canoe and goes out the other end of the lake and portages down to Iron Crossing. They want to avoid people, so it makes sense that he doesn’t come this way. The cabin is amazing. There’s this amazing flower garden and art. There’s lots of art on the walls. His grandmother is a painter. I remembered reading that when the old guy died.”

Gabe kicked his sneakers off and pulled his feet up onto the couch. He said, “Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s say you really did meet a lost Northwoods boy. Let’s call him Tarzan of Minnesota. Does that work? Anyway, when can I meet him? Can you lure him down here to Arrowhead Falls? I’m not sure I want to see the lake. It’s creepy enough in your stories, but I’d like to meet this guy.”

Brandon shook his head. “No, I haven’t convinced him to come down here yet, and I can’t take you up there. I respect their privacy.”

“Because they aren’t real? Is that why you want them to be private?”

“You’ll have to give me some time. I do want him to come down to Arrowhead Falls. I’ve invited him, but it will take awhile. He’s nervous.”

Gabe held out his forearm. “Look, this whole story is giving me goosebumps. How do they keep from freezing to death in the winter? It gets cold out there, you know.”

“I asked Levi about that. He said they use the fireplace a lot. They have a kerosene heater, too. He told me the snow helps provide some insulation. I helped him chop some wood.”

Gabe’s eyes opened wider. “I do like that part. You out there in the wilderness chopping wood. Did you swing an ax? You should have taken a selfie. I like thinking of you as a lumberjack.”

“I did. It was fun once I got the hang of the ax.”

“I hope you left the ax up there on Haunted Lake. It is a bizarre story, but you definitely made up a whole lot of detail for it not to be real.”

Brandon sighed. “I wouldn’t screw you over about this.”

“Still, I don’t think you should go back. There’s something seriously weird about that lake. You’ve got thousands of others to choose from.”

“But Levi…”

“Maybe he should move, too. Did he tell you why they stay up there? Are they out of money? Maybe he could work for you.”

Brandon hadn’t thought about that idea. It didn’t sound like an awful one. Maybe Levi would be a good guide. He was soft-spoken, and he was a nice guy. He hadn’t thought about the money either, but it didn’t look like they needed any help. Levi’s grandfather might have left a nice nest egg behind.

Gabe said, “You look like you’re lost in thought. Why would they stay up there anyway?”

“It’s his grandmother. She doesn’t want to leave. I suspect it’s because it’s close to where Levi’s grandfather…” Brandon’s voice trailed off.

“Bit the dust?”

“Yeah, that. He’s a little worried about her. She’s getting frail.”

“And there are no doctors for a long way around. How long do you think it would take me to get up there if I had a call? Five or six hours?”

Brandon said, “At least. Unless you took a helicopter. I only got back here a couple of hours before you came over, and I left early this morning. I did do a little poking around.”

“A little…” Gabe laughed. “Do you know what you’re like when you’re out in the woods? I’ve gone with you a few times.”

Brandon smirked. He wanted to hear Gabe’s observation. It was likely a humorous one. “What am I like?”

Gabe said, “When I was a little kid, my Uncle Charlie and Aunt Liz had this ugly dog.”

“Well, that’s kind of rude.”

“I’m saying it in the most affectionate way possible. He was a good dog, but he was a mutt and a really ugly dog. Anyway, I always took him for a walk when we went to visit.”

“That’s nice of you.”

Gabe crossed his arms over his chest. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m a nice guy before you believe it?”

“I’ve never said you weren’t a nice guy. You’re a paragon of decency.”

Gabe threw his head back and laughed. “Damn, don’t let that get out! I’ll never have another date. I’ve worked hard to craft this edge-of-bad-boy reputation. They like to think they have to buckle their seatbelts for a rough night ahead.”

“Um, okay. So what is this observation about me in the woods.”

“Oh, right, right. You sidetracked me. Anyway, like Uncle Charlie’s dog. I think his name is Spike. When I visit and try to walk him, he constantly swings from side to side. He has no attention span for walking straight ahead. It’s like they say dogs are distracted by squirrels, but Spike can be distracted by a gum wrapper.”

“And I’m like that?”

Gabe grinned. “Yeah, kinda sorta. When we went hiking, you saw a wildflower here and a mushroom there. Then you had to show me deer tracks and picked up a little scrap of trash.”

“I try and be a good citizen.”

“You’re good, Brandon. You’re very good. I’ll leave it at that. Reach your own conclusions. Let’s order a pizza. I’m not eating anything that comes out of that refrigerator tonight.”

Brandon said, “That sounds good. You know me. I’ll eat anything but black olives and anchovies on it.”

“I have to choose?”

“You’re the guest.”

Gabe raised an eyebrow. “I don’t understand that reasoning, but okay, I’ll order the pizza.”

“You’re a great guy, Gabe. Maybe I don’t say it often enough. Thanks for being you.”

Gabe nodded in agreement while he placed the pizza order. After the call ended, he scooted on the couch toward Brandon and laid his head in his lap. He exhaled deeply and looked up. “If I feel anything hard on the back of my head…”

“Then what?”

Gabe smiled. “I’ll feel flattered.”

In the course of the evening, Brandon remembered all of the reasons he dated Gabe in the first place, and he remembered most of the reasons they broke up. Gabe’s feelings were easily hurt when he didn’t get his way, and he lusted after nearly every other male between the ages of 19 and 68, or at least it felt that way. He flirted with the pizza delivery guy before accepting the pizza. Still, he was the most devoted friend Brandon ever had.

Levi was the hard one to get out of the romantic corners of Brandon’s mind. Before the evening was over, Brandon decided to make another visit to Lone Cedar Lake. He didn’t tell Gabe, and he wasn’t going to let Elle know until Tuesday, the day before his trip. He didn’t want to push hard and decided that he would start at the crack of dawn to make it a day trip. He wished there was some way to contact Levi in advance.

After hugging Gabe goodnight, Brandon turned back toward the living room of his cabin and imagined what it would be like to have Levi there. A warm smile spread across his face.