dangerous to swim by a full moon!
Were those really the words she had said? I didn’t know for sure anymore.
But then Mia came swimming over to me, and I forgot everything else. Her lips were warm and soft as she kissed me. She was so light in my arms, like a child. But her eyes were those of a woman.
I felt her naked body, her breasts against my chest, and suddenly noticed how aroused I was. I pulled her even closer to me. Her earrings tinkled quietly.
“You know those times when you feel like a piece of driftwood?” Mia asked quietly, leaning her wet forehead against mine. “I feel like that a lot. It’s awful. But now, with you . . . it’s better.” She smiled, but as always, I sensed that vague sadness that was caught up in her smile.
Then I had an idea. “I want to show you something,” I said spontaneously. “Jay and I used to do this all the time, it’s a kind of game. Lie on your back.”
Mia glanced at me suspiciously, but then did what I had asked. I supported her lightly at the small of her back. She was as stiff as a board, totally cramped up.
“And, what do you feel?” I asked.
“The river. The current is so strong!” Mia shuddered, and as she did, swallowed a gush of water. She quickly tried to right herself again; it was clear that she found this game strange.
“Wait! You have to breathe very calmly, that’s the whole trick. Like that. . . . Now, can you feel that I’m holding on to you? Do you feel that you’re not driftwood?”
“Yes,” Mia whispered. Her entire body slackened in my arms as she finally relaxed. I don’t know how long we floated like that in the river; I just know that I gradually started to freeze. The places where our skin touched were the only sparks of warmth in the currents of cold and darkness.
Mia’s body was a hazy, milk-white silhouette. Her breasts shimmered in the water. I quickly averted my glance, but she had already noticed it. She flashed me a nervous smile, then escaped from my grip and flowed through my hands as if she were made of mercury.
“Let’s see if I can make it to the island!” she called, and took off swimming as if someone were chasing her. Half disappointed, half relieved to have firm ground under my feet again, I returned to the shore. There I dried myself off with the blanket that was supposed to be for our picnic and got dressed again. In the pocket of my pants, I found the voodoo doll. I hurled the disgusting thing out into the river.
The dog sat next to me and together we watched as Mia, with quick strokes, drew closer to the spot of land surrounded by water.
“Watch out, rumor has it that the island doesn’t like people!” I called out to her.
At that moment, the dog sitting next to me began to growl, a low rumble deep in its throat.
“Something just brushed against my leg!” Mia cried suddenly. “There’s . . . there’s something in the water, Alex!”
“It’s a river. There are fish here!”
“No, it felt like . . .
hands!”
The beam from my flashlight illuminated Mia’s contorted face; she was wide-eyed with fear. As fast as she could, she started to swim back toward the shore. Then I lost her again in the darkness. Had she gone under?
The dog ran back and forth along the bank, yapping like mad. Its hoarse barking sounded across the water. I wanted to jump into the river to help her, but my body didn’t respond. I could only stand there and scream her name: “Mia,
MIA!”
The dog discovered her first—with its tail wagging, it pounced on Mia, who was crawling onto the shore a few yards away from us. Panting, she dropped down in the sand, where she curled up into a ball. I draped the blanket over her shoulders and she wrapped herself up in it.
Tangled strands of hair plastered to her face. “That was not a fish, that was not a fish,” she kept repeating with white lips. “What the hell was that?”
“Whatever it was, it’s gone, Mia.” I talked to her soothingly, trying to convince us both
Were those really the words she had said? I didn’t know for sure anymore.
But then Mia came swimming over to me, and I forgot everything else. Her lips were warm and soft as she kissed me. She was so light in my arms, like a child. But her eyes were those of a woman.
I felt her naked body, her breasts against my chest, and suddenly noticed how aroused I was. I pulled her even closer to me. Her earrings tinkled quietly.
“You know those times when you feel like a piece of driftwood?” Mia asked quietly, leaning her wet forehead against mine. “I feel like that a lot. It’s awful. But now, with you . . . it’s better.” She smiled, but as always, I sensed that vague sadness that was caught up in her smile.
Then I had an idea. “I want to show you something,” I said spontaneously. “Jay and I used to do this all the time, it’s a kind of game. Lie on your back.”
Mia glanced at me suspiciously, but then did what I had asked. I supported her lightly at the small of her back. She was as stiff as a board, totally cramped up.
“And, what do you feel?” I asked.
“The river. The current is so strong!” Mia shuddered, and as she did, swallowed a gush of water. She quickly tried to right herself again; it was clear that she found this game strange.
“Wait! You have to breathe very calmly, that’s the whole trick. Like that. . . . Now, can you feel that I’m holding on to you? Do you feel that you’re not driftwood?”
“Yes,” Mia whispered. Her entire body slackened in my arms as she finally relaxed. I don’t know how long we floated like that in the river; I just know that I gradually started to freeze. The places where our skin touched were the only sparks of warmth in the currents of cold and darkness.
Mia’s body was a hazy, milk-white silhouette. Her breasts shimmered in the water. I quickly averted my glance, but she had already noticed it. She flashed me a nervous smile, then escaped from my grip and flowed through my hands as if she were made of mercury.
“Let’s see if I can make it to the island!” she called, and took off swimming as if someone were chasing her. Half disappointed, half relieved to have firm ground under my feet again, I returned to the shore. There I dried myself off with the blanket that was supposed to be for our picnic and got dressed again. In the pocket of my pants, I found the voodoo doll. I hurled the disgusting thing out into the river.
The dog sat next to me and together we watched as Mia, with quick strokes, drew closer to the spot of land surrounded by water.
“Watch out, rumor has it that the island doesn’t like people!” I called out to her.
At that moment, the dog sitting next to me began to growl, a low rumble deep in its throat.
“Something just brushed against my leg!” Mia cried suddenly. “There’s . . . there’s something in the water, Alex!”
“It’s a river. There are fish here!”
“No, it felt like . . .
hands!”
The beam from my flashlight illuminated Mia’s contorted face; she was wide-eyed with fear. As fast as she could, she started to swim back toward the shore. Then I lost her again in the darkness. Had she gone under?
The dog ran back and forth along the bank, yapping like mad. Its hoarse barking sounded across the water. I wanted to jump into the river to help her, but my body didn’t respond. I could only stand there and scream her name: “Mia,
MIA!”
The dog discovered her first—with its tail wagging, it pounced on Mia, who was crawling onto the shore a few yards away from us. Panting, she dropped down in the sand, where she curled up into a ball. I draped the blanket over her shoulders and she wrapped herself up in it.
Tangled strands of hair plastered to her face. “That was not a fish, that was not a fish,” she kept repeating with white lips. “What the hell was that?”
“Whatever it was, it’s gone, Mia.” I talked to her soothingly, trying to convince us both
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