by B L Barkey
“Gen,” responded Ammon, and they both smiled at Father’s theories. Gen. These similar memories united them, growing more and more with each new day. Their brotherhood was always growing. It was one of Ammon’s most treasured possessions.
An acorn bounced off of Ammon’s left shoulder. It had come from behind. He turned in time to take another acorn to the forehead.
“Hey!” he yelled, unknowing to whom he spoke. The gen, or probability, of that hitting me right on the shoulder just then… Ammon pondered this for a breath, then whirled around towards the assailant.
“Oh quit crying, it was tiny,” Sadie called, now sprinting the last few feet to them. She jumped into Ammon’s arms, as if to drag him down rather than have him catch her. He resisted, holding her tight and close. He breathed in, forgetting, then remembering thrice over, just how wonderful her scent could be.
Ammon let her go, then realized Liz and Mikael were staring at them, their eyebrows raised. Sadie giggled, as if she didn’t care if the whole world were watching.
“What?” said Ammon, walking away before anyone could actually respond. “The springs should be right up here.” Ammon could almost hear Sadie’s and Liz’s eyes roll at once.
Another half hour passed before they came upon the misty waterfalls which trickled at the foot of the hot springs. Sadie took off in a sprint, though he was distracted by the sights before him. Outlines of life and greenery. Brilliant light giving energy to all, forging memories on the spot.
As she ran, Sadie cast her loose-fitting sundress over her head, dropping it with her pack to the leafy ground. He saw her naked form then, though she still wore small pieces of clothing to conceal her hidden places. In a curious way, this almost made her seem more elegant. Perhaps even more revealing than if she wore nothing at all.
It left spaces upon her body for his imagination to caress and wander, filling in the blanks with what would always be far more mysterious than the reality. He hadn’t seen her reality before, hadn’t seen her truly naked. All the same, in an instant, she had planted the seed of desire within his heart. He felt it there. He was aware of his thoughts before and after it had happened.
His thoughts had only been on hot spring and nature. Now, his thoughts danced upon her. This desire wielded new strength. It was startling. It was almost terrifying. And even more disconcerting was his inability to reject it. Most troubling was the pleasantness of it, the deliciousness it held. He smiled before chasing after her.
Her golden hair swung back and forth in waves, as if conducting the music now playing in his head. Every curve of her body was the most wonderful thing. It was similar to when he saw the perfect sunset over the ocean, wishing he could hold it all in his arms, in his memories for perfect recollection, but knowing it would slip away in only moments, perhaps to return tomorrow, or never again.
That’s what it was like to look upon her. To wander her smooth shoulders, her arched back. Her near-perfect running form and chiseled legs. Her thighs and calves were laced with the muscle of rapidity, though smooth enough to shine. Her hair seemed to have the hand of the wind brushing through it, and Ammon was jealous then of a force of nature.
She blinked back towards him with her emerald eyes and marble-white smile. The curve of her doubled as he saw the sunshine cup her breasts, making him envious of nature twice over.
She turned back, doubling her speed. Her knees rose higher, the muscles on her hips tightening. She rounded the corner, disappearing from view. Liz then jumped forward, also stripping and tossing her belongings near her friend’s cache. She was also shapely and beautiful. Both women were healthy, active people who were blessed with good genes. Liz’s hair and skin were a bit darker, and Ammon felt a fondness for her as well, though it felt more like looking upon a work of art in admiration. She was a painting to be admired..
Mikael caught up with Ammon. They both stripped their shirts on queue. Both women and men took turns following each other in life. It seemed common for men to follow the ways of women when it came to enjoyment and pleasure. They were gifts of joy and delight to the world, like the gift of color to a world of black and white.
The two brothers looked at each other with stupid grins, shaking their heads in disbelief. Again, Ammon was amazed at how quickly his state of mind had changed. They rounded the corner, bringing the landscape and girls back into view.
Ammon felt his heart swell and burst with light in his chest. From here, he could see the North Beach in all of its shimmering glory. The crystalline waters. The black ironsands rich with carbon and history. The small trails of slow-moving life, traced by giant starfish and hermit crabs.
The girls were looking at them, their cute bodies hidden in the springs. “Let’s go, starfish,” teased Liz.
“Sorry, we aren’t all amazing sprinters like you guys,” Ammon said.
“Amazing? Let’s not get carried away now, brother,” said Mikael. Liz opened her mouth in shock, then splashed water at them both.
The spring was cloudy in parts, which showed the shallow places that would be easy to step into. It looked like the milk of a goat was swirling around in the mossy water, probably from when the girls had slid in. Both boys approached the edge of the water, lowering their toes in with pointed grace. Again, Ammon heard the roll of two pairs of eyes.
“It’s hot,” Ammon cried, as if answering the unseen gesture from the girls.
“So dainty,” Sadie teased. “Just get in, you big whiner. I need someone to rub mud on my feet and calves.”
“I can do it for you,” said Liz, scooting closer to her friend.
“No no, I’m coming. Just give me a second,” said Ammon, plunging his entire right foot into the waters up to his knee. He was not the biggest fan of soaking in warm waters. He got hot quickly, whereas everyone else seemed capable of sitting in the waters for hours on end. Still, Sadie had just made it clear that he was needed.
Both boys stepped in, then waded to where the waters were a bit deeper and clearer. They sat on either side of the beautiful young women as if they were minnows, careful not to scare them away. Sadie scooted close to Ammon, making him then feel like the minnow. She through her legs into his lap, then smacked some mud onto his bare chest. Shocked, she punched him again in the chest to produce the same solid ‘thud’. She giggled to herself.
“What?” asked Ammon, grinning.
“Oh nothing,” she said, leaning back on the smooth rocks.
He knew what came next. He scraped the mud from his chest, then began working it into her legs. In order to not go mad, nor stiff in his muscles, he had to think of it as the most practical thing in the world, rather than what it really was. He was rubbing the smooth legs of his favorite girl on the island. No, he had to think. This is normal. She just needs the treatment for her skin, and I happen to be here. This means nothing.
He relaxed, helping out his friend. His gorgeous, luminous, near-naked friend. He glanced up, seeing her breasts rest just above the surface of the smooth water, reflected on the element in perfection. Her skin appeared smooth, like the glistening sands of a beach after a receding wave. Whenever he would see such sands, he would want to run and touch them, leaving his mark in them and enjoying the wet newness of it, before another wave would come and renew it once more.
They talked again of small things while Mikael helped Liz with her own mud bath. The ladies then rubbed the boys’ shoulders, both saying how tight they both were. “You two need to relax more often,” said Sadie.
“They have the Trials coming up,” said Liz. “I’d be tense, too. Much more than this, probably. Come feel how tight his shoulders are.” Sadie scooted over. Ammon followed, also squeezing his brother’s shoulder.
“Nah, that’s just solid muscle,” Ammon said.
“You can’t feel the knots?” Sadie asked in disbelief.
“Not really,” said Ammon.
“Feel Ammon’s. They might even be worse,” said Sadie, and Liz scooted over and squeezed his shoulder
s. “Hmm,” she mused. “They are way tight too, but in a different way. Almost more in excitement. I don’t think they’re knotted like Mikael’s though,” she said. Both boys just smiled. They didn’t really care if they were tight. As long as it meant back rubs.
Sadie suddenly shrieked, causing them all to jump. “Something pinched my foot!”
“Probably crawdads. They like to test it out sometimes, make sure it’s not a rock,” said Ammon.
“It hurt!” she yelled again.
“No, they don’t pinch hard. It probably just shocked you. They won’t do it again, now that they know,” said Mikael.
She shrieked almost twice as loud. “I felt it again!” she cried.
Ammon laughed. “Really? Wow, that hasn’t happened to me before. Maybe they really do like to mess with you,” he said, winking at Mikael, who had just seen Ammon’s submerged hand drifting back over, strikingly similar to a crawdad.
She stood from the water and sat on the ledge, just above the thin mist that floated on the surface. Ammon joined her, taking the opportunity to cool down from the hot waters. He then put his arm around her, pulling her in close. She leaned into him, though she kept her hands in her lap. She lifted her legs straight out, keeping them out of reach of the crawdads, flexing her muscles.
There were a few minutes of silence then, each of them lost in their own shifting thoughts. What life would be like with this girl. Could life really be this good, all the time? Would it ever get boring, not growing stronger towards a goal like the Sector Guard?
He let himself believe this for a few moments, feeling at peace. But no. What if more pirates approach Cephas Island like they did on that day? Then all our families would be in danger. We need to be prepared. We need protectors. And regardless, Mikael will stick together through it all. A different joy entered his heart then, bringing him a sense of purpose and direction. He squeezed her in his arm again before sliding back into the water.
Chapter XVIII
Starfish
Voices interrupted their reverie. Ammon, Mikael, Liz, and Sadie all looked back from whence they had come, but saw no one. Finally, Ammon could make out the approaching words.
“If they want their clothes back, they’ll have to follow us down to the beach.”
It was a voice of taunting. It was loud and obnoxious.
“It’s Chalice,” muttered Ammon.
“They’re here,” said Liz, sounding more than a little disappointed. They waited another moment, but only heard the descending patter of running feet, heading towards the Shadows.
“You don’t think they really took our clothes and towels, do you?” asked Liz. Ammon and Mikael looked at each other.
“Unfortunately, I would be shocked if they didn’t,” said Mikael, leaning back his head and closing his eyes.
After soaking in their contempt, they climbed out of the spring, disturbing the mist and carrying it with them. When they found the main trail, Sadie cursed.
“They really did take them!”
Though Ammon was unsurprised, he was still upset.
“Dang. The trail to the Shadows is the rockiest part.”
“Carry me?” Sadie asked with a side glance. He fake sighed, then grinned. He then felt sheer gratitude towards Chalice for stealing the clothes, though he left this feeling unspoken.
“How about we all jog down, and then at the point where the rocks are jagged, I’ll carry you across.”
“Deal,” she said, and began jogging. The movement was nice, warming up their muscles before they could get uncomfortably cold from the forest canopy.
Shadows were now stretching from all trees and boulders. They kept a steady pace, faltering every now and then when a foot was misplaced on a rock or tree root. They reached the point of the pointed rocks, where Ammon fulfilled his promise and carried Sadie upon his back. Her closeness to him made him treasure the moment, though his muscles began to scream after a while. He could feel the squish of his tattered, bloody feet on the stone. It was painful, and worth it.
Ammon heard his brother wince, indicating he was carrying Liz.
“Those flippin’ jerks,” said Mikael, speaking for them all. “Now we’re freezing and wounded. I’m gonna hit him.”
“Which one?” asked Ammon in between heavy breaths.
“All of them,” Mikael responded.
“Ok, I’ll hit them each again, then.”
“Don’t forget about us,” said Liz.
“Yeah,” said Ammon, “but they’re probably stupid enough to think you like them.”
“We will make it hurt,” said Sadie, squeezing her thighs on his hips. He smiled.
They set the girls down after another few minutes, then stopped to take a breath and drink water from a nearby freshwater spring. They each washed their feet in the water, while Ammon and Mikael both hid the deep cuts in their feet.
“They have to be aching! I’m so sorry boys,” said Liz.
“It’s ok,” said Mikael. “It really isn’t bad.”
“Let us see then,” said Sadie.
Ammon splashed and distracted her. “We’re fine,” he said. “Let’s go get our stuff.”
Then they continued, breaking out from the trees.
II
The beach appeared just as beautiful below as it did from above, though in different ways. Views from afar brought the wonder of it all as a pastel painting. After drawing closer, the landscape came alive with intricate details. The trails of the restless crabs and starfish weaved back and forth, as if writing their eternal names in the sand. There was the normal, white sand of the island mixed in, though most of the sand was black from an inactive volcano, upon which the island had been built.
Blackness came from the iron foundations of the volcanic basalt beneath, where its name of ‘ironsand’ originated. It had magnetic properties, seeming to chase the feet of those who ran across it quickly, generating static electricity from friction. One often had to run across it as well, for the blackness would absorb the heat of the sun and scald the bottoms of feet.
It was from the terra-submerged magma of the inactive volcano that heat escaped to warm the hot springs, from whence they had just come. The contrast between the black sands and white foam of a receding tide created tendrils of water reaching out to the trees, but being dragged back into the ocean depths for another wave. This made the waters on the north side of the island seem like a crystal turquoise, giving reason to why the whirlpool over the cliff was named ‘emerald’. This, along with the lush green trees, painting the plants an almost yellow, creating such beauty that Ammon wanted to hold once more.
Subtle, though drifting, was a light dusting of blue upon the beach. It’s like the blue dust on the leaves of the Ansemithum plant, Ammon thought. The dust felt chalky, dusting up with their every step towards shore. The dust originated from the giant blue starfish, ever-moving as they shrugged off their youth, making room for new growth.
Mother called it stardust. “Did you know we are all made of stardust?” she would often say. There was even a time when Ammon had come out into the wood-working shop of Father doing a project. He had walked into the silt-fine grains of sawdust from the smooth timber. “Staw-dust!” Ammon had cried out, rolling around in the soft substance. Mother had laughed and smiled so wide, it still lived clear in his mind. Since that day, over a decade ago, he had known it as stardust.
That’s what had inspired Ammon’s song for the Wind Caves. He wasn’t sure if he quite believed in the construction of all matter from stardust. Such theories existed in the Leviticum. But it was an exciting thought. And the blue stardust on the sands was still breathtaking to behold.
It floated around them, drawn by their magnetic field, then drifting about with fluxed attractions, outlining the scenery. Highlighting the shapes of things. Its tidal waves of magnetic surges brought sideways tornadoes of near infinite distraction.
Soon they heard the same voices from before, then spotted them splashing in the water t
o the east. Hanging over them, looming in the backdrop, was the Emerald Cliff, hiding the perpetual whirlpool. The base of Emerald Cliff stretched out into the ocean depths, rising to an overhang which pointed towards the sky. It was also black at its base, though it gradually transitioned to coconut-milk white near its peak. Just on the other side of that cliff is the Emerald Whirlpool, Ammon thought.
He had only seen the place once, and it had been at a young age. He had been with Father, who had held his hand tightly as they peered over the edge from their bellies. Father was often playful, even in their belly crawl to the edge of the cliff. But as they had approached, Father had grown very serious.
“I wanted to show you this place for one reason,” he had said. “This is where we capture most of our fish for the island, should we be running low on our storage of fruits and vegetables.”