Destiny's End

Encounter In The Dark

         Lanae woke up again, to sounds outside the tent. This time it wasn't animals it was Heather. As Lanae came out of the tent, Heather looked up from her spot at the picnic table. She was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, and her hair was wet.
         "Good morning sleepy. I was just thinking about waking you. I'm starved and it's lunch time."
         Lanae was surprised, she wasn't used to sleeping in late anymore. "Lunch time? How long have you been up? Did you go swimming alone?"
         Heather smiled at her, "Do you always wake up with so many questions? No I didn't go swimming, I took a shower. I got up about an hour ago, I guess I was a sleepyhead, too. Yes, it's almost noon, Lanae. I thought we could heat up some soup or that stew."
         Lanae rubbed her eyes. The fire was burning nice and some of the stuff from the car was set out. "Stew sounds good, maybe with some chips. I'm starved. Do I have time to take a shower, or do you want me to wait till after we eat?"
         "Go shower, I can make the stew, I got the fire going this morning and everything. It should be hot when you get back."
         Lanae headed for the shower with a bag of stuff in her hand. She still hadn't got dressed, and the warm sun felt good on her exposed skin. She had put on her shoes, and imagined she looked pretty funny walking in a skimpy little cotton nighty and tennis shoes. "Oh well, I'm camping anything goes." She said to herself.
         She was soon dressed and back at the camp site. The little kettle of stew was starting to simmer on some coals, and Heather and Mike were sitting at the picnic table talking. "That was quick. Mike stopped to see how we fared last night."
         "Yeah, it got pretty cold. Colder than it was supposed to."
         "I told him we fared pretty good, but did get chilled on the way to the bathroom."
         "I'm glad you did well. I told Heather to get some disposable hand warmers just in case. You just activate them and can put them in the sleeping bag to generate some heat. Well, it was nice visiting, Heather, but I better get going. Enjoy your day."
         He walked past Lanae, "Bye Lanae, have a fun day."
         "Bye Mike." Heather was up getting the stew, so Lanae dug out some bowls and spoons. Soon they were enjoying a nice lunch under the canopy of trees.
         Heather looked at Lanae, "I don't know about you, but I'd much rather put Mike in my sleeping bag for heat then a hand warmer. Not that I minded sharing with you last night, and I slept great. But that's the problem, if it was Mike, I don't think I'd get much sleep."
         Lanae smiled, "I don't think so. I think he likes you, he's always smiling at you and I see how you look at him. Maybe I'm the extra person on this camping trip."
         They talked, they laughed, and they ate. After they walked some of the hiking trails, checked out some different attractions around the park, and by late afternoon, were back at the tent. They built the fire up and prepared a little bigger dinner tonight. By the time they ate, cleaned things up, and sat back by the fire, it was dark out.
         Heather had gotten a bottle of wine out. She poured them each a Styrofoam glass of wine and watched as Lanae took a sip. "Hey, I like this." She took another drink.
         "It's good, huh? This is one of my favorites, but they are all good. I just like the strawberry the best."
         They talked about their lives, being lonely, and drank the bottle of wine. By the time it was empty, the fire was dying, it was getting chill, and they were ready for sleep. Tonight they went to the bathroom first, then changed into their nightgowns, and with the sleeping bags still joined together, snuggled down for the night.
         Lanae was drifting off almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Heather had snuggle up to her back side and was sleeping just as fast. They both woke earlier the next morning and had another full day of hiking and sightseeing. Mike stopped by a couple of times and visited. He was nice enough, but Lanae felt he was more attracted to Heather, but didn't advance because Lanae was along.
         She wondered if she went off someplace and left them two alone, how long it would be before the sparks really ignited. She smiled, "They wouldn't even need any kindling."
         It was Saturday way too fast, and the campground was busier. It wasn't full, but there were people all around. The weather had warmed back up, and it was temping to go down to the beach for a swim. By midday, they decided to do just that, and after changing into their swimwear, walked to the swimming area. They had not seen much of Mike since Friday afternoon, when many of the campers began to arrive/
         "I bet he's pretty busy this weekend, there's a lot of new campers arriving." Heather nodded.
         "Yeah, but I bet he doesn't have to teach them how to build a fire or cook on one." She added.
         They enjoyed the water, even if it was a bit cool yet. After swimming a while, they stretched out on their towels and enjoyed the hot sun warming their damp bodies. More and more little kids where showing up, and soon it was joyfully noisy. Heather looked at Lanae, "I think it's about time to surrender the beach to the kids."
         "I think so, it's getting terribly noisy, and it's only a matter of time before we're either getting wet again, or full of sand."
         They picked up their stuff and began the walk to the tent. As they passed the shower area, Mike called to them. He was just coming down the path from the showers. "Hey you two. I'm all cleaned up and hopefully have some free time for a while. I haven't had time to eat anything, and was thinking about cooking up a big mess of barbecue ribs. I have some store-bought, deli style, potato-salad, and some bakery fresh cinnamon rolls. The truth is, my buddy was supposed to come out this weekend, but he had to work, so I have all this food ready and I can't eat it all. So please, tell me you're hungry and will come over for dinner.
         Heather nodded, then stopped. Turning to Lanae, she asked, "Well, what do you think, should we help this bum out or make him go it alone. He did give us a hand when we were in need. I say we take him up on the offer."
         Lanae smiled, "That sounds really good. I agree, he can do all the cooking work, then we'll pillage his food. Do you think we can bring along a bottle of wine?"
         Heather smiled and nodded. Turning to Mike she said, "It's a deal, we'll help you out, and bring the wine. I do have to change and get ready, how much time do we have?"
         Mike smiled, and it was so big it took up most of his face, I have the ribs cooking right now, they will be ready in, oh - half an hour or so. I'm cheating and using a gas grill so I can turn them down if you need more time. You two are my guests, what time do you want to eat?"
         Lanae and Heather talked for a minute. "Give us a half hour to forty-five minutes to get changed and ready." Lanae answered.
         Heather winked, "That means we will show up in about an hour."
         They both giggled like young girls.
         "An hour it is then. I'll have everything set and ready."
         They left and rushed to the tent. Lanae watched as Heather dressed. She was trying to find just the right cloths, but since they were camping, there wasn't much selection. "I don't know what to put on, all I have is t-shirts and jeans."
         Lanae dug in her bag and pulled out a pretty blouse and skirt. "I have these." She offered.
         "Nice. Why did you bring such nice cloths camping?"
         "I packed yesterday and put some nice cloths in because I had planned on working and going to the Learning Center. I thought I was going to be staying in a motel. I didn't repack when we decided to camp, I just tossed some jeans and stuff in with them."
         Heather took the cloths and stripped off her jeans. "You don't mind?"
         "Not at all. I'm glad I didn't repack and have them. It's like a friend told me, everything works out."
         Soon, they were over at Mikes enjoying a nice dinner. The conversation was nice, but it was soon clear that Lanae was getting in the way. By the time the bottle of wine was gone, Mike and Heather were sitting next to each other.
         "I'm thinking of going back to the tent, I'm kind of tired after all this food."
         Heather looked disappointed, but smiled, "Ok, but maybe we should help with cleaning up a little first, if you don't mind."
         "Oh no, that would be fine." Lanae smiled as a thought flashed into her mind. She had not intended for Heather to join her right away. "Or, if you don't mind, Heather, you can stay and help put things away. I'll help if you want, but I'm awful tired." She forced a yawn.
         Mike answered before Heather could. "You don't have to clean up, I'm the host and will take care of it. But," He added as he looked at Heather, "If you want to keep me company while I clean up, I'd be grateful." He turned to Lanae, "You don't have to stick around, if your tired. I'll keep an eye on Heather and make sure she gets back to the tent safe and sound. You let me know what time and I'll have her there."
         "I'm sure she will be fine, and thanks." Lanae spoke to Heather. "If you don't mind me leaving, you can come back to the site when you're ready."
         Heather took her a little to the side and softly asked, "Are you sure, Lanae. I mean we are camping together and I don't need to stay here. I don't want you to feel left out or anything."
         "No, if you are enjoying yourself, stay. I'm going to go back to the tent and build up the fire, drink one your bottles of wine and then more than likely go to sleep. I really would like to take some time to think about everything you said. You know, about just working for the summer and then your plans on going to college. You got me thinking about some ideas, and I could use the time to sort things out."
         "Thanks, Lanae. Ok, you win, I'll stay for a while. Have a nice time and if you get bored or something, come get me."
         Lanae gave her a hug, "You make sure she stays safe, Mike." She playfully scolded.
         He nodded and she headed back to their campsite. She stopped at the car and took out a couple of bottles of wine. She didn't plan on drinking more than a glass or two, but she had a feeling Heather would be back late and they may need to have something to drink while she filled her in on the details of her stay at Mike's.
         Lanae got the fire going in no time. She was catching on to this camping stuff and loving every minute. She couldn't believe how fast the time was passing and wanted to just stay here forever. She knew it would change, but right now she wanted to stay here. Only, she was lonesome.
         Not for Heather, she missed her, too. No, she was lonesome for passion. She knew she was, and it was why she wanted to give Heather and Mike some time. They had some kind of sparks going, and she was happy for them, but she wanted some sparks of her own. She had been sipping on wine as she thought about this. She hadn't bothered with a glass, just right out of the bottle. She tipped it up to take another drink, empty.
         That had gone down fast and easy. She got up to get another and felt the ground shift just a bit. She sat back down. "Silly, you're getting drunk." She spoke to the fire.
         She didn't want to be drunk, she wanted to think about her life, and what direction she wanted it to go. She felt cobwebs in her head as she tried to plan out her future and shook her head. It didn't clear the cobwebs, but it did give her a wave of dizziness. She stood up, and when the ground didn't move, walked down by the water.
         She intended to just splash a little up on her face, to wake her up and wash away the cobwebs, but when she felt the warmth of the water, she wanted to feel it caress over her body. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the loneliness, maybe both. She looked around. Her fire was burning nice and the glow reached a little ways into the water. She walked over to the next site, the one with the sandy shore. It was darker here. The moon was just barely up and it gave just enough light to make it possible to walk. By the trees, however it was pitch black, the moonbeams didn't reach here.
         She could hear the waves splash and had she not drank that bottle of wine, she would have understood, with no wind, there would be no waves. But she had drank the wine, and she didn't think about the wind, the waves or anything other than the warm water and how good it would feel to slip into it.
         She was going to put on her suit, but she remembered hanging it from a tree branch because it was wet from swimming. She didn't want to put that cold wet suit on. She thought what else she could wear. Nothing came to mind. So, returning to the shadows of the trees, she stripped down to nothing and stepped gingerly into the water.
         She heard the waves again, and even though she could not see them, she felt them against her ankles. She took another cautious step, then another. The water was now up to her knees and getting deeper quickly. The waves had stopped, then she hear them again, splashing and then washing up against her legs.
In her mind something was not right with the sound, or the water movement, but she couldn't focus her thoughts. The wine had a lot to do with it, the warm water had some to do with it, and the excitement she felt of standing here, naked to the night had a lot to do with it. She felt exposed, though and wanted to feel the water cover her. She took another couple of steps, slowly wading out till the water was up to her thighs. She took a breath and then in one fluid movement she was under. She glided along under the surface and ran into something.
         She quickly came out of the water, but it was too dark to see what she had run into. It had moved when she hit it, nothing solid. She felt nothing beneath her feet as she tried to stand and the water rushed up over her head. She floundered for just a second, then someone had hold of her! She was beginning to panic from the water. Now she was grasped and panic took control. She couldn't scream the water was over her head. She kicked and flailed her arms. The grip around her grew tighter, and she felt herself lifted and pulled.
         Soon she was able to touch the sandy bottom, but the arms still held her tight against a firm body. In the darkness, she felt the body against hers, and it was apparent by the hardness she felt growing between them, this was a man.
         She opened her mouth to cry out for help, but nothing came out except a hushed groan. She pushed and felt him give loose a bit.
         "Are you alright?" A voice asked. It was a pleasant voice, filled with concern. "Here, hold on to my arm and I'll help you to shore. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you."
         She felt him release her and for a minute the panic returned as she realized she didn't know what direction shore was. Then a hand was on her back, she grasped it and he began to wade through the water. She followed and felt a flood of relief as the water began to get shallow. Soon they were on the shore, in the dark. The moon was high enough now to see a little, a shape.
         She spoke to the shape, "I'm camped here close, but I can't see the fire."
         He still held her hand, "I'm camped here, too. I wish I had lit a fire, I can't see anything. Wait, listen."
         She did but did not hear anything. "I hear some popping and crackling over there."
         She didn't know if he pointed, it was too dark to see anything. She did hear the faint pop and crack of a fire though. She also could smell the smoke, drifting in on the night breeze. It had been calm but now a chilly breeze blew over her wet skin. She felt herself begin to shiver.
         "This way, miss." He said. "The trees must be blocking the fire light. We'll have to wade out a little to get past them. He led her by the hand, back into the water. She stepped on a rock or a root and stumbled. He instantly pulled her closer and his arm shot around her waist. He prevented her from falling, and she put her arm around him, holding on tight.
         Soon, she could see the fire flickering though the branches and leaves, and then, they were a foot deep in water, with firelight glowing on their naked bodies. She hadn't realized he was also swimming naked. She shivered again, and felt him hold her tighter.
         "Your shivering, let me get you up by the fire. He held her around the waist as they walked. She still wasn't thinking clear. Maybe the wine, maybe the cold, it could have been both. He walked, she shivered and followed. Soon they were by the fire and she felt the warmth. She knelt down and held her hands to the flame, it felt so nice.
         She noticed he no longer had a hold of her and looked around. At first she thought he had gone back the way he had come. She wished she would have thanked him. Then she seen him coming out of her tent with a sleeping bag. He draped it over her shoulders. "Are you alright? Don't get too close and start on fire now."
         She looked up at him, standing there fully nude and seemingly unaware. He had genuine concern in his eyes. She tried to tell him she was fine, but she had another wave of shivering come over her. He instantly knelt beside her and she felt his hands rubbing her shoulders and back through the thick sleeping bag. She also heard his teeth chatter as he shivered in the cold night air.
         She didn't think, she just turned and opened the sleeping bag enough to engulf him in it with her. She also felt her balance give and they went right over backward. She pulled him right down on top of her. There in the flickering light, him now on top of her, both naked, their bodies pressed together under the sleeping bag, their hearts pounding as one, she parted her lips and kissed him; she felt him kiss her back.

***