Wildflowers in the Meadow

Autumn Writer

This story is a work of fiction. That said, the universe is an expanding continuum in which time equals space. Probability dissolves. Possibility is reality. In that sense, it is a true story, of the past or future in the infinity of unknown time-space.

Chapter 1

Jane stared through the blinking of the wipers fending off the early morning drizzle. They were on the interstate, escaping the confines of the city, and the coziness of her apartment in Amherst. They had just passed Orchard Park, on their way to the Westfield exit. From there, they would drive along Chautauqua Lake on Route 430, and then on Route 17 to the Park. She knew that they had a good two hours of driving left.

“Good!” she confided to herself. “Maybe the sun will come out.” That would take one thing off her mind.

Jane stole a glance at her fiancé, watching the road ahead as he drove. The camping trip had been at his insistence. David had been so determined to do it. For Jane’s part, a nice Bed and Breakfast tour through the Amish Country of Pennsylvania would have been her choice. They could have searched for antiques for the new house. It would have been a romantic time in the rural setting; just the two of them, their final venture out of town together as an engaged couple. Soon the details and demands of the wedding would overtake them, making trips impossible until the honeymoon on Cape Cod. The wedding was slated for mid-August. For this trip they squeezed together their last unspoken-for days of vacation and wrapped them around the Independence Day holiday to create a five day interval for their trip.

David had that resolute look in his eyes. He enjoyed the out of doors more than Jane. She protested that she didn’t know anything about camping.

“Just leave it to me!” he had told her. “We’re both in good shape. I’m experienced in the woods. Summer is an easy time to camp. The weather will be with us.”

David had set about the task of gathering and buying just the right equipment. He packed both backpacks and fastened them to the frames. He made sure that they had the proper clothes and boots. He dug his tent and sleeping bags out of his parents’ attic in Rochester. David told her they were ‘set’. Jane half-thought that he took on the project to evade shopping for silver and china patterns, and helping her plan wedding details, like the choice of cocktail napkins for the reception. The details were annoying to Jane, too, but had to be taken care of.

“Where are we going to stop and buy food, David?” asked Jane, as she broke the silence.

David broke into laughter. When he calmed down he looked at her in mock disbelief, shaking his head.

“We’re not!” he declared. “This is real camping. We’ll live off the land if we can. There are streams and brooks all over in the Park. I’ve got my collapsible fishing pole.”

Jane looked at him, her eyes wide in un-mocked disbelief, wanting to speak, but unable.

“Relax, Jane. I packed some dried food in case things don’t work out.” He explained. “It’s not the tastiest, but is more than enough to keep us going. I even ‘cheated’ and slipped in a few cans of tuna.”

Jane rolled her eyes and slouched back into the seat. She didn’t really fear for her safety. She knew that David could take care of that. One thing that she loved about him was that he wasn’t afraid to make big plans, and then carry them out. She enjoyed watching him tackle them. Riding next to him, it dawned on her that in their fast-approaching married life, she wouldn’t be just watching any more. The camping trip wasn’t her idea of the best way to ‘get away and be romantic’, but Jane was not going to pout. She reached over and patted David on the thigh as he drove the Explorer.

“Just get me home in one piece and I’ll still marry you.” She joked to him.

David laughed at her joke. “Don’t worry; you’re going to love it.”

****************

At twenty-nine, Jane and David were a little older than most engaged couples. Although they both went to UB, they never met until four years later when they were both running in a 5K race. Eighteen months ago they became engaged. Jane was from Buffalo and worked as a pharmacist in a hospital. David was from Rochester, but stayed in Buffalo after college and became a CPA. Both had good careers started. They decided to keep separate apartments until after the wedding, in deference to Jane’s traditional-minded family who still lived in the area; they had keys to each others’ abode. They were somewhat traditional, themselves, so the arrangement suited everyone.

David was tall and dark-haired, with broad shoulders and a trim physique. He had a handsome look that women liked, although he never let on that he knew it. He was usually serious, but at the right time his broad smile would set people at ease. He was courteous all times. Jane’s family liked him. David was a modest young man, although he had accomplished much. He always found time and patience for Jane’s elderly grandparents and her many young nieces and nephews.

Jane was a good match for David. She was intelligent, as he was, and her personality was a lot like his. She was good looking, too, in a different way. She was average in height with light hair and skin. She usually wore glasses, especially when working, that made a few mistake her for ‘bookish’. Her toned body, with natural feminine curves had many men’s head swiveling when they were lucky enough to see her without her white lab coat.

The Explorer was carrying them along Chautauqua Lake. The rain had grudgingly let up and the sun was imposing itself through the clouds. On the forested hillsides surrounding the lake it made a mottling of shadows and brightness. The trees were in full leaf as spring had surrendered to summer. A deep green blanket ahead stretched as far as Jane could see with the lake alongside and below in contrast. As her eyes drank in the view, Jane realized that it was a work of art beyond the capacity of a mortal being.

“David, I can see why you love it out here.” She said.

She looked over when he didn’t answer. When he saw her searching he gave his reply.

“Yes, it’s an awesome sight. It’s not why I brought you out here. I wanted it because it will be our last chance before the wedding to be completely alone together, without any possibility of distraction or interruption; a retreat to ‘get connected’ in a beautiful place like this.”

Jane contemplated the layers of meaning in David’s words. She had dreamt of ‘getting connected’ in a nice fluffy bed at a romantic inn. She knew that David meant something else. She wondered if he had a need for more from her, a connection of spirits that Jane didn’t realize was missing. The statement thrust an unpleasant stab into her consciousness.

“I thought that we were connected, David. I love you. We’re going to be married. You love me. What do you mean?”

“We are; I know you do; and I do, too.” He answered each point in succession. “I only wanted to say that it’s not possible to be ‘connected’ enough.”

Jane silently analyzed the contents of the answer. Finally, she decided to accept it. David glanced over and Jane made her body language tell him that she was happy again.

“You know,” he resumed in a more playful tone, “’getting connected’ can take on a lot of meanings.” As he said it he ran hand gently from her knee to just short of her juncture and let his hand rest on the khaki pants that covered her thigh.

“Just relax and concentrate on your driving.” She chuckled. To herself she thought “Relax now, but we’ll see about later.” She let his hand remain resting on her thigh and closed her hand over it. She decided to tease him.

“How do you propose to get ‘connected’ in a public park?” she asked in her most demure voice.

“Where we’re going, Jane, it’s a wilderness. I wouldn’t worry about anyone seeing us do anything.”

“Like Adam and Eve, I suppose.” Jane was starting to become intrigued by the possibilities.

David didn’t respond to her musing because they were entering Allegany State Park, their destination. He pulled into a parking space and disappeared into the office to register.

******************

“Let’s mount up!” Jane heard David call out to her.

“He must be kidding!” Jane said to herself. “I thought that we would drive in a ways first.”

At the back of the vehicle David helped Jane mount her backpack on the shoulders. He had kept hers lighter than his and the frame that he bought helped. David adjusted the straps and she stood testing it.

“It’s not too bad.” Jane said.

“You’re carrying about thirty pounds.” He said. “Don’t worry, you’ll be tired enough when we reach our first campsite.”

“How much is yours?” she asked.

“You don’t want to know” he replied. Jane judged David’s pack to be about fifty pounds, comparing its size to her own.

As they began walking, David passed on more information to her.

“This is part of the Allegany National Forest. The park is a plateau, one hundred square miles, covered by a forest. There’s an area with man-made amenities that we’ll pass through first. We’ll head due south. Before we get on top of the plateau we’ll have to trek up to it.”

“David,” Said Jane, “There a lot of people here. I thought that this place was isolated.”

“Don’t worry!” he answered, “As we get farther in, we’ll see fewer and fewer, then there will be no one around-just us.”

They left off conversation for a time as they worked to get on top of the plateau and out of the populated area. The ground and vegetation was still wet from the early morning rain. As they walked along the trail Jane saw her new boots getting dirty already, and water was slipping off the vegetation onto her as she passed it. She still felt strong, defying her heavy load. The sun was still out but the clouds would not burn completely away. The half-sun, half-shade lent mystery to their journey. They soon fell out of sight from other hikers.

The struggling patches of sunshine reminded Jane of the earlier view of the verdant hills that she had enjoyed so much during their drive along the lake. It had been a distant vision then, a daunting blanket in pureness of green, daring and beckoning them at the same time. As she looked about her, she realized that what had been the idyll of the mind’s eye a few hours ago formed her surroundings.

Treading along, following David’s lead, she glanced upward to the canopy of trees over the narrow path. Green surrounded her. Leaves, vines and fronds closed over and surrounded them. As quickly as David would break through them, they closed behind as Jane went through the opening. Although no words passed between Jane and David, there was no silence. Unseen birds sang out in claim to their unfenced territories. Droplets of the earlier rain spattered as they fell from the high tops to the ground. The four boots of the pair brushed the ground underneath them in a ceaseless marching-forward, upward, forward, upward. Here and there was a quick hustle through the underbrush as a rabbit or chipmunk sprang to avoid them. The smell of the wet forest, a musty, musky scent, peeked out from every corner.

Every half-minute or so a quiet breeze would shake the trees and Jane felt a cold spent raindrop strike her face. When the hike first started it felt like a tiny stab. With the onset of fatigue in the uphill trudge, it became a caress. As it ran down her face it mixed with her sweat, giving a salty taste as it seeped between her lips. The air on the forested hillside was surprisingly cool. The overarching trees drank up the warmth of the sunlight before it could descend to earth. She was tiring, but felt good.

The universe inside the canopy enveloped her. Her every sense was invested in the forest. She strove to digest the totality; what had appeared to be a blanket in the distance was, in truth, a menagerie of a trillion tiny pieces. In the midst of the non-silent silence, there she and David existed in the flesh, finding harmony with all that was around them. She wondered if they were guests in the infinity or if they had been engulfed by it: two of those trillion bits. She knew that they could be removed at once, and the deep forest would remain as before, never missing them, or even with knowledge of their fleeting presence.

In her state of mind Jane had consciousness of the present only. Her job and apartment were left behind. The yearning for antiquing in Pennsylvania escaped her. Wedding concerns had been hypnotized out of her soul. The weight of her pack seemed not present. She could not feel the clothing covering her body. Only Jane remained, with her man breaking trail in front of her, naked to the forest.

“Does David feel this, too?” She wondered silently. “Would he ‘connect’ to me over this strange reality? Is it this that he is seeking? Would he understand me, if I tried to explain it? What is the force that pulls me into the forest, away from my private existence, longing to be inside ever more deeply? Why can I not resist it; why don’t I want to resist?”

“Let’s stop for some water” called out David from in front. His voice shook her from her reverie, but the ethereal questions remained. How could she express them to David without him thinking her gone mad?

They stepped off the trail into the woods to where they heard a brook coursing over the stones in its path. David dipped his canteen in and filled it, then put in a white tablet and shook it. The couple found a large rock to sit on. They eased off their packs and set down on it while they waited for the tablet to dissolve.

Jane was silent, searching for a way to ask David her questions. It wasn’t easy. Jane and David were down to earth people. There was reticence to delve into the mystic and spiritual. She was afraid to portray superstition or silliness. Worse yet, David might think that she was patronizing him after his ‘connecting’ speech during the drive over.

“It really feels different here in the forest, doesn’t it?” David spoke up without warning. “You feel isolated from all your cares and worries. They can’t get to you - or you to them, if you wanted to. You keep walking; every patch looks just like the one before it, but the forest just draws you in deeper and deeper. You can’t stop going on; the forest won’t let you; you don’t want to. A line dissolves, that separates being ‘in it’ and ‘part of it’.” David paused in his speaking and looked at Jane. They sat silent for long seconds, gazing at the other.

“After you’re out here a little while longer, you’ll feel it too.” He finished and looked at her again. Jane thought it was a look that said he understood.

Jane was stunned by David’s revelation. As she had struggled to reveal herself to him, he had defined the words. She felt herself being drawn into him, like the pull of the forest. A chill coursed through her as she adapted to the new feelings. They were neither thoughts nor emotions, but reality on a higher plane. Retreat from them was impossible. They aroused and challenged her soul. She had to understand them. She would patiently watch and wait for more revelations.

“Yes.” she finally answered softly. In her state it was all that she could say.

After a short rest, they were back on the trail. Jane followed her guide through the forest as he blazed ahead of her.

***************

By two-thirty the couple had been hiking for more than six hours.

“Time to set up camp!” David called out.

Jane let out a sigh of relief. She had never been so tired. She, nevertheless, had that good feeling that comes with the completion of hard toil. David found a good place for the campsite. It was off the forest path, in an opening in the trees on flat ground, where nearby the terrain descended to a creek. They put up the tent. Then they worked to haul in enough firewood to serve them through the night.

“There were some raspberries back that way.” He pointed. “I’ll see if I can catch some fish.”

David disappeared into the tent and emerged with his pole and a small kettle of five inches, which he handed to her. They went separate directions to provision the end-of day meal.

Jane returned to the camp first. She had filled the little kettle with ripened berries. She set it aside and started to arrange their things neatly in the tent. She unrolled the sleeping bags atop the insulating foam pads and zipped them together. She shook her head as she contemplated the logistics of them making love to David in the fluffy cocoon

The afternoon sun was hot and the work was done for the time being, so she remained in the tent, away from the heat and glare. She removed her boots and stretched out on the unrolled sleeping bags. Only then did Jane start counting off the aching and tired muscles from neck to ankle. She debated with herself to relax and rest them, or to keep moving to prevent them from stiffening. She decided on the first, since she had little to do, and her muscles were bound to stiffen up sooner or later, anyway.

Her brain was not tired. It was aching for exercise. In her relaxed state of body, her mind was free to wander. Which item on the rich menu would she select for meditation: the inspiring view of the hills and lake as they drove by Chautauqua; the mystery of the forest’s infinity that had enveloped her on the hike to the campsite; her plans for ravishment at the hands of her beloved David this night after they consumed their meal?

In the background of her consciousness she heard the song of the brook. It was so relaxing. She felt weight on her eyelids. She thought of David fishing a ways upstream. It reminded her of her eagerness to make love to him. In her mind’s eye she painted him, erect, nude as she was, kneeling above, smiling, preparing to take her. She was below him, spreading her legs, opening herself. She was panting, eagerly awaiting his entry. She reached out her bare arms in welcome. He lowered himself, bending his face down to her chest, taking nipples between lips. The instant sensation signaled pleasure to her center. He rose up and kissed her. She grasped his hips, pulling him forward to where his penis hovered over her waiting lips. Her tongue caught his dripping fluid and tasted it. He lowered himself into her hungry mouth below him. Then he withdrew and eased himself back down until they were face to face. She felt his hardness pressing and searching. She reached below and helped guide him to his destination. As he inserted himself into her she rose her hips up to meet him until he was fully within her. She …

“Hey, wake up in there!” It was David calling to her. “We’ll eat well tonight; I caught some fish.

Jane poked her head out from the tent. The sun was much lower than when she had seen it the last time. David already had a campfire started. Nearby lay eight fish, cleaned, scaled, with heads removed (thank goodness!).

“Are they trout?” she asked.

David chuckled, “No, just some perch and rock bass, but they’ll make good eating. There’s a bag of rice in my pack; we’ll have some of that, and the berries that you picked, too.”

Jane emerged with the rice. “I saw that you have some oatmeal in your pack. We can have it in the morning and I’ll pick some more berries and we can put them on top.”

David gave a nod of approval. She watched him intertwining some green sticks into a sort of grate with two long sticks serving as handles.

“How are you going to cook the fish?” she asked.

“We’ll just fix them between the splines on this frame and roast them over the fire. We’ll do four pieces first, and then roast the second round while eating the first.”

Night had fallen by the time they started eating. The only light came from the hot coals of the fire; David had banked it down to make cooking easier. The fire gave out plenty of warmth, but away from it the air had taken on a chill. They sat on the ground side by side eating. They used their packs as ‘chair backs’. Jane had forgotten how hungry she had been. The food tasted good. Part of it was the way that Nature had deposited it in their hands as they reached out for it. They had earned their nourishment after the long, hard day’s labor.

David piled some wood on the fire after the cooking was done. The fire brightened and flames danced once again. As they finished all the food they had made, David turned to Jane.

“Take off your boots and socks. Let me see your feet.” He said. “I want to check them.”

“They’re alright, David.” She assured him, but after spotting the insistence in his eye she obeyed and bared her feet. She swung around to face him and deposited them in his lap. She adjusted her pack so that she was comfortable. Her feet felt good to be exposed to the open air. David was inspecting them, and his hands on her felt good, too.

“See, they are okay, David.” He was holding one foot, then the other, the bottom cradled in a palm, his hand stroking over the top of it. It was sensuous and soothing.

“Why did I tell him they’re okay; he might let go of them.” She chided herself.

“I’m not sure yet, I have to inspect them some more.” He answered sternly. Jane put her hands in front of her face to hide the smile that his false discipline brought on, but David saw her eyes dancing out of the corner of his eye. Jane allowed herself a deeper relaxation as she enjoyed his ministrations. David said nothing, just kept working and massaging her feet, each taking its turn. “Please don’t stop, it feels so good.” Jane whispered to herself.

David slid his hands under Jane’s pant legs and up her calves toward her knees. He passed his hands over the smooth flesh and began kneading the muscles underneath. Jane opened herself to the pleasure, and opened her soul to him at the same time.

“David,” she began, “today while we were walking in the forest I felt something strange come over me. I felt that we were separated from the world, surrounded by a new universe. It was a strange, but good feeling; I wanted to be part of it. I felt it so strongly, but I didn’t know how to tell you. Then you spoke to me and said exactly what I was thinking. It wasn’t natural; it was better. I couldn’t say anything then. I was too stunned. I thought about it for the rest of the day.”

She he gazed intently into David’s eyes, searching for a reaction. He kept up the massage on her lower legs but yielded no change of expression.

“I know.” He said softly.

The fire flickered brightly, throwing brightness and darkness over them as it consumed the wood. The forest was like the fire. It cast shadows in regions that clarity had been assumed and illuminated corners of bygone darkness.

“I was not ready for this when we came here, David. I don’t know if I’m ready now.”

“A person is never ready, but may be called at any moment.” David answered.

“I’m traveling inside my soul. I’m afraid to go on, but I cannot stop. A force pulls me in deeper each time I try to escape.” Jane continued.

“Don’t stop; don’t be afraid.” He calmly said. “I have seen inside your soul. You’ll find no ugliness there.”

His words drove deep; the blow forced the air from her. She covered her gaping mouth, too late to block the escape. Tears formed and ran down her face. His words were ringing in her ears. The chords awoke her spirit and it flew out of her, searching out David’s own to join with it. She looked upwards to the heavens; it formed the apse of their cathedral. The trees of the forest were their angels’ wings stretching to join the tips together in the holy space.

Chapter 2

After the session of catharsis by the fire Jane went into the tent to prepare to make love to David. He was back tending the fire, shoveling earth over it for safety while they slept. Inside the tent, Jane removed her clothing. She tipped the flashlight upwards to illuminate the space, and hoped that David would view her silhouette undressing as he spaded the dying fire in the darkness. He had seen her many times, but on this occasion it was important for her to bare all to him. She knelt, nude, on the sleeping bags for many seconds, giving him ample time to trace all her curves: from the line of her head and jaw, downward to her shoulders, her breasts hanging firmly from her chest, would-be receptors of his touch, ending with the feminine curves of her buttocks and thighs. As the chill air of the night closed in on her, she slipped into the cocoon, waiting.

Jane would remember precious few details of what followed. She recalled how she lay motionless on her side listening to him work. The earlier words by the campfire played over again in her mind. Her eyes felt droopy; she was determined not to sleep. He entered the tent, slipped into the sleeping bag along with her, nude, as she was. They embraced, holding each other for the warmth of skin and spirit, a connection. It was pure and sweet, sensuous and sublime. Jane purged analysis from her thinking and allowed herself to be absorbed into the world of it. She longed for it to never end.

She awoke to a blast of light into the door of the tent. She searched for David in her arms, but heard him chopping wood outside. “Oh, no! She had fallen asleep before they could make love.” She reached into her pack and threw on her clothes. She had to join him as quickly as she could. She glanced at her watch. It was seven in the morning. She stepped out of the tent.

“Good morning, sleepy-head!” He called out to her. He had a fire started. All of the cooking and eating utensils from the meal the previous night had been scoured perfectly clean. In the little kettle some water was boiling. He handed her a metal cup filled with black coffee.

“It’s just ‘instant’, but it tastes good in the morning, just the same.” He looked at her smiling.

“David,” she began, “I’m so sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to …”

“Sorry about what?” David interrupted her. “It was a long day yesterday and it will be long one today, too. I’m glad that you got some sleep.”

“Yes, but…” Jane started, but he interrupted her again.

“We were together, side-by-side. It was a great way to sleep. It was very nice for me.” He stood and gently put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her lips gently. Jane had no doubt that what he said was true.

Through the taste of coffee, she could tell that he had already brushed his teeth and she saw that he had shaved. She wondered how long he had been up, and wanted to clean up, too.

As she made her way to the brook he called after her, “You might pick some more raspberries and I’ll start the oatmeal cooking. We’ll eat, then strike the camp.”

************

The sun rose high by midmorning as they hiked en route to the next campsite. The temperature was rising. The rain of the previous day, combined with the heat made the forest floor humid as well as hot. The air was not moving. Their shirts started soaking through, but they trudged on. Every once in a while they stopped to drink water from David’s canteen.

Few words passed between them as they labored. Many thoughts circulated in Jane’s head. The experiences of the previous day gave her a heightened pensiveness. Closer to earth, she regretted the lost chance for lovemaking with David the night before, regardless of his assurances. The natural setting unleashed instincts, submerging the concerns of civilization. A lingering unanswered question, “Why was David’s ardor not more insistent?” He had never held himself back from desire. That question, however, faded to secondary importance. She was more intent on finding an opportunity to press the action. She wanted to chase him until he could run from her no longer. She would ravish him and force him inside her. She would then imprison him deep inside her until, crying out in ecstasy, he poured himself out deep inside her.

“Poor David,” she chuckled to herself, “when I’m done he’ll beg me to let HIM sleep … after he begs me for more.” David didn’t see Jane’s eyes sparkling as she imagined all the ways that she would wear him out. Jane surprised herself with her primitive urges. “What use is convention,” she mused, “here in the forest?”

They trudged on through the forest trail. The wet heat pressed down on them. Slowly, Jane’s designs of sexual exploit gave way to a desire for rest and comfort.

“How much longer to lunch?” she called ahead to him. The sun was directly overhead. Sweat drenched them.

“Not much longer.” He called back. They kept on pushing forward.

Soon, a faint whispering insinuated itself into the mix of forest sounds. At each step it became a little stronger. After a time it was clear to Jane that they were approaching flowing water. It quickened their steps. Without warning, the shroud of foliage gave way to a clearing. Through it rolled a creek, running briskly. The rocks around it were bare of vegetation; they were grey-almost white. They set their packs down on the banks of the creek.

“A good place for lunch!” David declared.

Jane went closer to the edge of the flow. The water was clear, like crystal; there were no weeds or gravel on the bottom. The depth was about two feet. It flowed over a bed of solid rock that the ages had honed smooth.

“Taste it! Go ahead.” David called to her.

Jane scooped a handful and brought it to her mouth. It was cold and refreshing. The taste was so sweet. She took some more and savored it-the second sample was as good as the first.

“It’s limestone.” David explained. “The creek is spring-fed, and then flows to a pond down below. The limestone makes it taste so good. The underground makes it cold.”

It was such a welcome relief from the thirst and heat of the trail.

“Let’s wash off some of this grime.” David called out. He was already disrobing. He was already naked before Jane had her boots off.

She watched as he lowered his body into the flowing water. His lean frame appeared so natural and strong. The water embraced him and he gave himself over to it. David lowered himself further and the flow washed over his face and head. He remained submerged for long seconds. Suddenly, he rose up from the water, standing in the midst of it.

“I feel like a new man!” he avowed. “Get in-you’ll feel better.”

Jane finally shed her clothing. She stepped into the water. The coldness shocked her. She tried to ease down. The iciness bit her. She tried again to no avail. She looked over to David who was rolling his eyes laughing at her. Water was still dripping from him as he stood; from his hair and face, down his hairy chest and legs. It dripped from his penis, reminding her of her desires.

All at once she plunged herself in, sitting waist deep facing the current. The water was freezing, but the sensation was energizing. She decided to match David and submerged herself, head and all. The water rinsed away any dirt or stain. She felt renewed by the cleansing and refreshment. She rose her head up to breathe and spread her legs apart to allow the chilling limestone water to flow against her center. Jane spread her lips apart with two fingers and allowed the babbling current to caress her. The intoxicating impulses overtook her consciousness, so that she was entirely enveloped in the essence of the cold cleansing water, the cooling of her body that had been so hot and tired, and the gentle pounding of the current on her clitoris. It was hard to leave the entrancing flow.

“You better come on out before you freeze.” She heard David calling, bringing her back to reality. He was sunning himself on the bare, hot rocks, almost dry. Jane grudgingly emerged from the cold bath. Jane lay down next to him to do the same. The sun became her friend as it warmed and dried her. Bare skin rested on the warm stones. Her thoughts turned to her naked lover lying nearby and her earlier plans of sex. Jane rolled onto her side to survey his body and was reminded why he excited her. He was silent, but she knew that he was not sleeping.

“I’ll tease him first”, she thought.

She arose and walked slowly back to the creek. She looked back and saw him avert his eyes too late. Jane lined herself up so that the back of her was directly in David’s line of sight. She could feel his eyes all over her heart-shaped cheeks. She slowly bent to her knees, and then thrust her hands to the bed of the creek to brace herself. Jane’s face was nearly touching the surface of the water, and her backside was high in the air. She remained there on display to David, casually drinking from the creek, until she was certain that he drank his fill of the alluring display.

Jane stood, turned and walked slowly to David. She knelt beside him, bent and kissed his mouth. He hadn’t erected yet, she wondered why, but she would be sure to change that soon. She leaned over him so that her breasts rested on his chest. Still David did not move. She bent her head lower so that her lips brushed his earlobe.

“I want you.” She whispered into his ear in a husky voice. “I can’t wait any more.”

Jane straddled him. Their warm skin, just cleaned from the bath in the creek pressed each other’s. David reached his arms over her and kissed her. Jane’s excitement grew.

“You’ll have to wait a little longer.” He told her. “We have to get dressed and get moving again.”

“What?” Jane was startled and confused. “No, I need you now!” She he pressed herself down at him again and she could feel him hardening beneath her, in spite of his words.

David pushed her gently back.

“Those clouds gathering up there mean rain soon. We’ve got to get moving to make it to our campsite and set up. If we don’t get moving now, we’ll get caught in the open.” He explained to her.

“Ohhh! I don’t believe it. I thought that you were the horny one.” She protested.

“Sorry, Jane, that’s the way it is. Nice view, though.” David was laughing as Jane let out some angry sounds in protest. “Give me a raincheck for later, alright?” He kissed her and she was calming as she got dressed.

David refilled his canteen and then handed her a granola bar and an energy bar from his backpack. It was their lunch. They walked and ate. Jane was sure that they could have ‘fit in’ a lovemaking session before starting out. What could she do? He was her guide.

Chapter 3

After several miles of walking it was mid afternoon and the sky was definitely turning grey. David was hurrying along. A breeze picked up, signaling a faster movement of the weather.

“Let’s set up the tent over there.” He pointed to a space among the trees where the tent would fit. When the tent was up David took his camp shovel and started trenching around the tent. He dug deep, especially on the upslope side.

“Put the packs inside the tent. Then take some jerky out of my pack and soak it in some water. We won’t be able to cook tonight. Take a couple boxes of raisins out, too. Don’t use all the water. It’s all we’ve got. I don’t think there is a stream close by, and we won’t have time to search before the rain starts.”

Jane bent to the task as David continued his trenching. After a while he had a moat constructed that would drain any runoff away from the tent. Jane was waiting for him inside. The backpacks were stowed and the sleeping bags rolled out for them to sit on. As David got situated, a rumble of thunder sounded ominous in the distance as the rain started to pelt the side of the tent.

“I guess you knew what you were talking about when you said it was going to rain.” Jane said sheepishly. “Will we be alright in here?”

“I think so”, said David. The tent is anchored well and the trenching should take care of whatever rain falls. The trees will help block the wind. I’ll check on things later, just in case. Don’t worry.”

What about the lightning?” she asked

“The trees are a lot taller than we are. They’ll take care of it.”

“What if a tree gets hit and falls on us?” Jane was a little scared and covering her bases.

“You worry too much. Let’s eat.”

They shared the strips of jerky. Jane had never eaten it. It wasn’t her first choice, but it wasn’t bad considering how hungry she was. Outside, the storm raged harder. The tent billowed as the wind blew, but it stayed in place and the occupants were dry.

“We’re going to have to eat better tomorrow.” David said. We’ve been spending many more calories than we’ve been taking in. There’s a small town not far from here, Irvine Mills. They must have a general store. We’ll walk down there tomorrow and buy supplies.”

“I could take more weight in my pack than you started me out with.” Jane volunteered. David nodded approval.

We’ll bring it back to this campsite and stay tomorrow night. Then we’ll start back. We’ll retrace our steps. Then, our five days will be over.”

“I wouldn’t mind another chance at you at the limestone creek.” Jane said, giving him a seductive look. “You won’t refuse me twice!”

They sat in the tent listening to the storm raging outside. It was hypnotizing. Although the tent seemed to shudder with each gust of wind, they became accustomed to it and the tent gained their confidence as time passed. After a while the thunder and lightning faded away. The storm slowed to a steady rain. David checked the flow of rainwater around the tent in the channels that he dug and judged it in good shape. By that time, darkness had fallen.

The two sat huddled in the tent. The temperature had fallen and the dampness in the air brought a chill. The dinner of jerky and the raisin desert had been consumed. It wasn’t satisfying like the fish and rice of the previous night, but enough to provide minimum nourishment. They decided to enclose themselves within the sleeping bags, fully clothed.

“This isn’t very good for love making.” Jane observed. She wasn’t usually so blunt, but in the new environment old rules seemed to not matter. David said nothing. Jane turned on her stomach; David silently rubbed her back through her clothing.

“I really wanted you this afternoon at the creek.” She told him. “Being there, naked with you in the sun and the water, sex seemed so natural. It was so hard not to carry through with it. I know now that we had to get the camp set up in time. Back there, it all was good: the heat of the sun and rocks, the coldness of the water, the taste of it when I drank it. Making love with you fit so easily with those good things.”

“I’ve never seen you more beautiful than you were at the creek.” David said to her. “You could have been anything and everything: temptress, seductress, lover, mistress or mother. I watched you coming to give yourself and take from me. It was all that I could do to refuse you. I don’t believe that I would be strong enough to refuse you again.”

In the darkness Jane savored David’s words, his attestation of desire. She would preserve her smoldering fire, storing its energy for future explosive release.

“I don’t know if I can be any of those things you said, David. I am no seductress; I am to be your wife, not your mistress. I am certainly not your mother. I don’t know what I am, except a person meant to be here with you.”

“Maybe,” he answered, “a wife is all those things rolled into one person.”

“Maybe so,” she sighed languidly, as David’s continued massage on her back put her into a dreamy state. “I may possess the power to be all those things, but not to choose which of them I am. In the storm I felt like a speck of dust, blown by the wind with other specks, destination unknown, except by the Power that makes the wind blow. The creek, the water, and the sun all gave me a sense of power. The forest, the wind and rain, the thunder and lightning took it away. I’m not sure who I am, but more sure that I belong.”

It was an outpouring of wisdom from Jane that told of newness, begot of what her life had grown inside her for all her years, sprung to life by the forest. David, as he had the night before, captured her with words of his own.

“I think that we are wildflowers in a meadow.” He said. “We are sewn in the grass by a Being higher than us. We spend our time seeking out purpose, fulfilling it by being what we are; we find another flower like ourselves to join with, to make our presence larger.”

The two fell silent. They had emitted all that the deepest recesses of their spirits had to offer. Further words could neither improve nor explain further. David nestled down next to Jane, his arm around her. They slept the peaceful, deep sleep of those who know.

*************

In the early morning the birds woke them. David poked his head out first. The sun was fighting its way through the leaves. All was wet from the night rain, but the air was beginning to warm.

Jane followed David. They brushed their teeth in the remaining water, and that which they collected in their cups and little kettle that the set outside their tent during the night. They set about to collect some firewood. David split it with his ax to expose the dry wood. Soon he had a blaze going. Jane tended the fire while David scouted for a source of more water.

While David was away from the campsite Jane stood near the fire, staring into it, thinking about what had happened to her in the past three days. She felt enlightened and confused at the same time.

“Perhaps confusion is enlightenment” she thought to herself.

Her thought surprised her. This is something that David would have said to her, but she had produced the wisdom on her own. She was ascending to a higher level.

The forest had succeeded in drawing her into it. At first, she found herself unable to preserve the sheath of circumspection that could have blocked her opening to the mysteries that the forest presented to her. She wondered why she ever wished to preserve the barrier. Each mystery resolved opened an even deeper one. With the barrier dissolved, she found her resistance shrinking, giving way to the enlargement of what was inside her. This, she knew: never again would she pass over the obligation to know and discover truth that was in her and around her, and make the two the same.

She had not actually had sex with David since they started on the trip. She, however, felt satisfied in her intercourse with him, in their sharing of all that which passed through and sharpened their senses, and between them in spoken disclosures. The physical act of love would be the finale of their primal joining. She desired it for completion as much as for the sensation of release.

David returned with the water. She heard him treading though the forest before she saw him. She took the water from him and set it on the fire to boil, then got the rest of the oatmeal and raisins out of his pack, along with the coffee.

“You’re becoming an old hand at this.” He teased her.

“Speak for yourself” she teased back. “You’re just as old as I am.”

“We’re both young.” He said softly.

They sipped their coffee as they waited for the food to cook. Neither spoke, content to be a happy couple, alone together early in the morning.

When the oatmeal was ready to eat, they dug into it greedily. They forgot how hungry they were. David ate faster and when he was done he abruptly stood and said,

“You finish up. Eat all you can. I’m going to give myself a shave.”

Jane looked at him surprised, but David made no explanation. He ducked into the tent, emerging with a bar of soap, his knife and a sharpening stone. He took some of the water in his cup and retreated to the far side of the tent, staying there for some minutes. Jane cleaned up the dishes and let the fire slowly die out. It was mid-morning.

After a short time, David emerged from his hiding place and strode up to her.

“What do you think?” he demanded, jutting out his jaw at her.

“Smooth” she cooed, passing her palm over both sides.

“Good!” he declared, and then grabbed her hand as he pulled her along. “We have somewhere to go right now.”

Jane scurried through the trees to keep up with him. They had left their campsite as it was. They carried nothing with them. Soon they arrived at the edge of a precipice. The way down to the bottom would not be easy. It was impossible to travel further without accepting some uncertainty.

“We can climb down.” David told her. “It’s not too steep.”

When they arrived at the bottom Jane looked across and saw another wood about one hundred yards away, just like the one from which she had emerged. In between was a meadow. David took her hand and they ran to the center of it.

The meadow extended before them until it cascaded over a ridge. Beyond, they could see the hills of Pennsylvania as the forest traveled on. The meadow was twice again in length as it was wide. It wasn’t flat. They stood on a knoll and the terrain slowly descended down from where they stood. They surveyed the panorama spread before them.

The grass was thick and plush, and nearly knee deep. It was wet near the base, with the sun having died out the tops. It was deep green, even more so than the forest on either side of them. The sun played hide and seek with the clouds. The dappled light cast different shades around the meadow. They faced into a breeze that made the grass roll like waves on an emerald ocean.

The most prominent features were the bursts and dots of white strewn among the green of the grass, along with smaller clusters of yellow, sprinkled with blue.

“Wildflowers in the meadow!” Jane exclaimed in awe, trembling, as she turned to David, along side her. “You knew this place was here all along.”

David stepped behind her and clasped his arms around her waist. He bent lower and spoke softly and deeply into her ear. “Yes” he answered. “I was here years ago. It is the most beautiful place that I know. It hasn’t changed at all. I wanted you to see it; to be with you in it; to make love to you in it. I’ve held off the last two days. I’ve saved it for now.”

David started to unbutton Jane’s shirt as she eased back into him, relaxing her arms at her sides to give him access. The buttons undone, Jane leaned forward so that David could pull the shirt down her arms and set it aside. The bra followed quickly. David’s palms ascended to cup her breasts. Jane opened herself to the pleasure of the touch. It rippled from her breasts to her core, causing her vagina to moisten. Blood flowed to her vulva and her clitoris began to swell. Her breathe started to quicken.

“At last!” she sighed. She stood still, letting him touch her at will. His thumbs coursed over her nipples, fanning her flames.

In the distance they spied a black cloud moving slowly toward them. The sun behind it outlined the edge in shining silver, afire like Elijah’s chariot, a clarion in the sky. Behind it came another dark cloud, dropping rain like black dust. The wind freshened.

“Rain is coming.” Jane said.

“Quick, take off the rest of your clothes.” David called, bending to the task. “Turn your boots over so they don’t get water in them. Put your clothes over them for good measure.”

In a few seconds they were back together, this time naked. David held Jane again from behind, caressing her breasts. She leaned back and felt his erection pressing the small of her back. The cheeks of her buttocks rested against his thighs.

As they stood together, savoring the feeling of the other’s flesh resting on their own, they watched the rain moving toward them. The clouds moved steadily, slowly, inexorably in their direction. It should have excited or frightened them, but did not. They were mesmerized into a state of complete relaxation. They waited, motionless, together.

“God is here in this meadow. I feel His hands on me.” David whispered to Jane.

David’s words bade Jane to grant her final surrender. Somehow, she believed him. David had been right so many times over the past few days. Her belief was made of neither emotion nor logic. It was a decision to believe, born of courage and desire. She was naked; felt no shame, remorse or fear. She believed in God, her innocence and her love.

“I can feel it.” She whispered back to David.

The rain was closing in and they waited for it to come to them.

“I wish that we could be married right here in this meadow.” Jane called over the wind to David.

“We will, then, right now.” David declared. “God will be our witness.”

“What do I say?” she asked.

“God doesn’t need to hear words. What is in you is open to Him. Just pledge the marriage vows to yourself. He will know if you have meant it.”

Jane stood silently, lost in her thoughts of David and the promises she was making. As they finished, the rain began washing over them. It signified that they had become man and wife. They stood still and allowed the rain to continue pouring on them. It was neither cool nor hot; just soothing and refreshing.

Jane pivoted around to kiss David. They embraced as the rain poured down more strongly. It showered them as they kissed and seeped its way between them where their flesh pressed together. It drenched their hair and the excess ran down their bodies. They held the embrace. Jane felt her breasts and nipples crushing into David’s chest. His hardened penis pressed into her belly. Jane rose up on her toes and settled back down again, just to feel David’s erection rubbing on her rain-slick skin. She imagined him running through her slippery vagina.

Jane released the emotions that she had trapped within her. She refused to waste them or hold an ounce in reserve. Some were old feelings built and nurtured from her relationship with David, and before. They were of love, commitment and desire. Some were new, that she had acquired in her search for self in the forest. They drove her to deny control for its own sake; to accept an inner universe where she found freedom to understand, to give and receive. She blended her colors to create a new, lovely hue. She was, truly, a wildflower blown by the wind to this meadow. She was planted in the right place. She had searched for her meaning and found it.

Understanding broke over her like the teeming rain. It broke her free of conscious thought and allowed instinct to control her. Jane released her embrace on David and clasped his hands in hers. She leaned backward, falling into the lush grass, pulling David on top of her. She opened her thighs to form a cradle for him. Jane felt his weight on top of her, his penis probing at her juncture. She was panting in desire, anticipating no sensation. Rather, she reached out to capture them as they flooded over her.

Jane looked up at David’s face. He had intensity and desire painted on it. He lowered himself to her breasts, whose skin was slippery and tasted of the rain, and her nipples engorged by excitement. He licked and then sucked the water from them. The sensation sent charges to her center. Jane kept her gaze turned skyward as David went lower to taste the moisture of her sex. The rain kept falling on her, adding to the surrealism. Around her was an aura of green, made by the grass and flowers towering over her head as she lay there. The blades bent over dripping water onto her face and the tall daisies leaned down to kiss her. The grass under her was a mattress where a thousand blades supported her frame. She writhed as David licked her, and the grass entered her private crevices, releasing further her wild primal urgings. The pleasure of her body drove her to frenzy.

David climbed back up to be face to face with her. Jane opened her thighs wider and he mounted her. Jane wrapped her legs around him so that her feet lodged around David’s knees. As his hard penis found her gate and he started to gently push in, Jane thrust her legs skyward, and then wrapped them around David’s waist as tightly as she could. The action sent him deep into her. His crown pushed through her canal, opening her. She squeezed her vagina around his shaft, re-closing herself around him. The filling of her induced a pleasure that shook her momentarily.

As David began his exit and thrusting, she tightened herself even more; her legs around his waist, her arms around his shoulders and her sheath around his shaft. She did so, not to entrap him, but to force a greater exertion from him as he continued. As the heavens continued to pour out water, they poured out all their energy into the other. David would move forward into Jane; she would tighten her gripping legs around him to pull her vagina onto him and deepen the thrust. As he would withdraw, she would relax back down to wait for him to move back into her once again.

In each cycle Jane’s pleasure grew. She was scaling a mountain, the peak coming into view. She felt David’s breathing labor harder with each pass. David thrust into her and she knew that she was very close. She neither prolonged, nor cut short the approach, but allowed it to come upon her as it would. On David’s next journey into her she crested. The release caused her to cry out with abandon. She was overtaken and could no longer move against his thrust. Every muscle in her pelvis shuddered and David kept pumping. Finally, as she began descending, David thrust forward as far into her as he cold. She heard his cry of ecstasy and felt him pour into her.

David remained atop, still inside her, catching his breath. Jane smiled in thankfulness as she looked into the sky. The rain stopped; the sun emerged. Around her, the green halo of grass dripped their tears of joy on her face. A gentle breeze arose. The wildflowers bent again to kiss her, whispering “Remember us!” Jane would never forget.

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Epilogue

The marriage of Jane and David in the meadow is their secret. They renewed their vows at the appointed time the following month for all to hear and see. It is their secret, also, whether they ever camped again in that special forest, or made love anew in their meadow. Deep in Jane’s mind, she does so every day of her life.

The couple receives best wishes from friends and family on the anniversary of their wedding day each August. They set aside a certain day in early July as a special one of their own. Then, they are reminded how God blended wisdom, understanding and love together, as He still does.

THE END

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Dear Readers,

I hope that you enjoyed “Wildflowers in the Meadow”. Thank you for reading it. I am always interested in your questions and comments.

Autumn Writer