The Forest Ranger – Part 2: Clearing

"I'm warm now," said Oliver, quietly.

"Yes?"

"Quite warm."

"Then I will ask." Matthias set down his spoon. "May I kiss you, Oliver?"

"Yes. Please."

The kiss was soft and tasted of woodsmoke and thyme. Matthias's hand came up to his cheek, rough from years in the cold, and Oliver laughed softly and kissed him back, sliding his fingers into the thick dark beard. The stove crackled. The fog pressed against the window like a white curtain.

"I do not do this," said Matthias. "I am a quiet man."

"I'm usually a very sensible one."

"We are both unusual today."

They did not leave the cabin for two days. They cooked, they talked, they played chess on a scratched old board. Matthias told him the names of the trees, the owls, the old paths. Oliver told him about glass towers and the strange hunger for silence. At night they sat by the stove under a thick wool blanket, shoulder to shoulder, watching the flames.

"Where do I sleep?" asked Oliver, on the second night, with exaggerated innocence.

"There is a very narrow bunk." Matthias's eyes crinkled. "And there is my bed, which is also narrow, but slightly less."

"I'd like the less narrow one."

"Then we are agreed."

The bed was a plain wooden frame beneath the sloping roof, with a thick feather quilt and a window onto the pines. They undressed slowly in the stove's glow, laughing at layers and tangled bootlaces, and under the quilt their love-making was gentle, unhurried and warm, full of low laughter and murmured German. Outside, the fog moved softly among the trees.

On the third morning the sun broke through. Oliver woke to dazzling light on the quilt and the sound of birdsong. Matthias stood in the doorway, coffee in hand, looking out at a world made new, every needle shining.

"The fog has gone," he said.

"So it has."

"Your train is at noon."

"It is." Oliver sat up, smiling. "I've been wondering if the ranger's cabin ever takes weekend guests."

"Only very special ones."

"I'll book a regular slot."

"I will keep the soup warm," said Matthias.

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