This is an entirely fictional story (more's the pity!) and has no relation to any real person, place or event. I hope to continue the story for a long time, hopefully in a more timely manner! By all means, email me with comments at LaelSt@aol.com or contact me at ICQ #11938988. I have throughly enjoyed those I have received and look forward to any further ones. It may be a little while before I pick this story up again, but don't worry, it still has some life left in it.
Thanks,
Lael Stalnaker
My senses are fuzzy this morning. I lay quietly, absorbing the dream that I had last night. My hand is trapped under Jules' side. He must have turned in his sleep. My hand is a little sweaty. It feels like it is caught on something. The colors and details of the dream are extremely clear right now. I gently tug at my hand, hoping that it will slip out without waking my sleeping stud-god. When I uncurl my fingers (duh!), it finally begins to slip out from under him. Mmmmm ...left over dream bits. Finally my hand is free. Massaging the numbness and faint marks away, I pick up my tablet of paper and begin writing.
** I am walking along the beach in the moonlight. My shorts and open shirt are plastered to my body by the humidity. Waves are crashing against the reef. The spray from impact rockets 30 feet into the air. As it spreads out into mist, the light pierces it. Iridescent flickers run up and down the air borne water droplets. I stand and watch the moonpath created by the open water further out. It leads directly to the reef and is visible briefly after each impact has faded back into oblivion.
The minor waves that reach the beach have a faint luminescence. The air itself seems to shine. I stop walking and face the reef. A gentle breeze tugs at my hair and the mist spray from the impact on the reef. It is warm still. I can just make out dolphins on the horizon. They are leaping and cart wheeling along the path of light on the water's surface. They appear to be following it to the reef. It is one of the most beautiful sights any living person has ever seen. When they reach about 10 yards from the reef, they move no closer. Instead they vault into the air in all directions repeatedly. It is an awesome sight.
A form coalesces out of the moon light and ocean spray. I can see it take form out of nothing. It doesn't bother me. It feels right. The form shimmers briefly, then bursts into being with a tremendous flash of silvery light. I can no longer see through it. The dolphins give a final leap in unison and the rapidly swim back along the moonpath. Their final leap had briefly framed the form standing on the reef facing them. I can tell that it is a tall man. From this distance, not much else is readily apparent. **
Jules is shifting in his sleep. He murmurs something but continues to sleep away the morning. His breathing is still very deep and even. Whatever he is dreaming about has aroused him quite visibly. His sleeping body looks so good. He has his lower leg drawn up against his stomach while the other remains stretched out straight. His ankle is under his knee. He is slightly turned at the waist and almost bent in half. His head is turned toward me, with one arm tucked up under the pillow. The other is touching his lower knee with his elbow, the hand under his chin. Over all, he is sleeping in a weird c-shape. Looks mighty fine though in the position he is in. I reluctantly pull my lustful eyes away from his slumbering form and go back to writing.
** The form turns away from the dolphins. It gazes at me as I stand gazing back. As I said before, I can tell it is a man, but little else in the weak light. The man on the reef lifts his hands to his hair and pushes it back from his face. The spray from behind is continually throwing enough water on him to move his hair into his face each time. Then he steps down from the reef and moves toward me. There is a faint moontrail leading from the reef to the beach. I can tell that he is following it to shore. Strange, it just occurred to me that he is not sinking into the water. Wow!!!
He is touching the water. I can tell by the shimmer on the water in his wake. My mouth goes dry as he comes close enough to be seen clearly. Gods above and below!!! He is perfect. Literally. My impression is that any person viewing him would see what they most desired in a partner. The sheer beauty of him is breathtaking. There are no words that can do him justice. He is nude, except for bits and pieces of adornment, some physical, some that appear to be tattoos. His hair is just past his shoulders. In the moonlight, it looks silver, but could easily be a very light blond. His body reminds me of certain classical Greek statues. A major difference from them, though, is that his penis is definitely on a different scale than any of those simple pieces of marble.
He has stopped about 5 feet from the actual beach. He is examining me as I examine him. An eyebrow raises slightly. How familiar that seems. I can't place it. Then, I look down. My clothes are melting away before my astonished eyes. They turn all misty and just evaporate. How amazing! Once they are completely gone, I look up again. A quirky lopsided smile greets my returning gaze. I know that I have seen that smile before, but can't place it right now. Oh well, I'll figure it out later. I go back to thoroughly inspecting the form before me.
His gray eyes have a faint shine to them, almost lit from within. He is just slightly taller than I am. The tattoos draw my attention. He has a large white circle at the base of his throat. On either side of it are dolphins, with their bodies curved in outline of the circle. Around each wrist, shades of blue make wave patterns into bracelets. Each ankle has a similar pattern. A string of various types of shells, tightly packed on the string, runs from his right shoulder to his left hip. Looks really cool. A large silver earring hangs from his right ear. It is a blue moonstone hanging from a chain. It just brushes against the line of his strong jaw. He is clean- shaven. His hair reaches his shoulder blades in waves of very loose curls. How strange! His hair is completely dry now.
He lifts a hand and beckons me to him. On his ring finger is a beautiful silver ring. It is in the shape of 2 dolphins curled around a large blue moonstone. The band looks like 2 more dolphins, tails touching at the bottom to complete the circle of the band. Really, it is more of a sculpture than a piece of jewelry. Actually, despite my poor words, it is a very masculine looking ring. Extremely detailed. The nails of his hand also had that faint shine to them. Eerie. I step into the surf. To my amazement, I do not sink down into the water. Ewwww, feels slippery, like walking on Jell-O. **
Jules' breathing has shifted. He is finally starting to wake up, I think. It is still early. Actually, it is only 8:00am. Pretty damn early for a vacation wake up. He is such a turn on, just being there in the same bed with me. Good thing that I love everything about him, not just his magnificent godlike body. Oh well, need to finish getting this dream down on paper before studly wakes up. Hope the scratching of the pen on the paper isn't what's waking him up. I'd move off the bed, but I don't want to deprive myself of the privledge of watching him sleep. Well, that and being able to stare at him without being rude. He murmurs again. Almost caught what he said this time.
** I am walking on water! It is so weird. The moonpath feels vaguely solid beneath my distrusting feet. With 4 steps, I reach the sublime creature that has summoned me from the shore. He takes my hand into his. The warm strength grasping my hand belies the ethereal chill I had somehow expected he would have. After all, he did form out of moonlight and ocean spray! He pulls me in closer to him and smiles down at my up turned face. That smile again! I know that I should recognize it.
He turns toward the reef and begins to lead me there. The spray has died back quite a bit. The moontrail is fading away as the moon moves to almost overhead. The entire surface of the ocean is alive with the light of the moon falling almost evenly everywhere. We reach the reef and step up on it, side by side. We look out across the water. The sheer beauty of it all is totally surreal and breath taking. The sense of peace that I have just about overflows. He turns me to him. His hand comes up under my chin and tilts my head just enough to look into his eyes. It feels like they are reaching into me and searching my very soul. His lips brush briefly against first one cheek and then the other.
I shiver. The contact against my skin is electric. When his lips brush against my forehead, my eyes fall closed on their own. Then he kisses my own lips. The warmth enters me there and floods through out my entire being. A sense of total completion washes through me in its wake. He still has one hand under my chin and the other one holds my right hand. That hand is brought up to those silken lips and is kissed also. His hand leaves my chin and then I feel something being slipped onto my right ring finger. My eyes flutter open and I look down at my fingers. His moonstone ring is now on my hand. I look back up into his eyes. They are shining even brighter now. He takes my hand and begins to lead me again. We step out from the reef on its far side from the shore.
He speaks for the first time,
"I am yours, you are mine. Now and forever, until the end of time. When you call, so shall I come. I give to you, all that is, was and will be. No harm shall ever come to you, as I watch for it. No want shall you have, as I provide for it. No evil shall haunt you, as I guard against it. No darkness shall ever surround you, as I lightt it. These I swear to you by moon and sea, 'til the ending of all. My love is eternal."
His voice sounds so fanilar I almost loose what is said due to struggling to place it. I am shocked speechless. Who is this?!? When his words finish echoing throughout the firmament, we walk out a little further. The dolphins are playing, still out on the horizon. Everything is all silver, balck and white. He stops us after a few minutes. He turns until we are face to face again.
"Do you trust me?" he asks gently.
I can't much more than nod. I am still absorbing the declaration he had made. Shivers are running up and down my spine. No one has ever spoken to me that way. Emotions flicker through me in rapid succession. It all gathers at the center of my being. **
I look up from the page and meet Jules' eyes. They are fully open, wake and aware. His smile brightens the room. Memory expands and I almost gasp. It's the same smile! He looks puzzled for a minute at my reaction to him. Then he really grins. Abruptly, the grin turns to a frown. He shifts his body and reaches under his side. He pulls out a ring. It is silver with a large blue moonstone set into the top. Etched into the sides of the band are dolphins. It's not the same ring as the dream, but talk about a major coincidence. I fall off the side of the bed in pure astonishment. I peer at him over the edge of the bed. His grin returns.
"Damn! I put it on your finger last night after you went to sleep. Tried to be careful enough not to wake you. It must have slipped off. So much for that surprise!" he murmurs.
"Jules, I need to talk to you after I finish writing this out. I had the most amazing dream. I am almost done." I say, holding up the tablet.
"Sure, no problem. Actually, I want to borrow that tablet when your done." He answers.
I just nod and go back to writing. He stretches his body like a cat. What an erotic sight! I begin to put the last touches to the dream onto the paper.
** As I nod, he folds me into an embrace. His lips kiss my neck gently. We begin to sink into the water. I don't even panick. The water is warm and caressing. We descend to the sea floor. Amazingly, we are able to breathe as if the water were air. We break the kiss and look around. The world below looks so different than that of above. Almost everything is in motion of some kind.
Fish dart here and there, going about their business as if we were not there. The coral has small filements out that sway with the tide, capturing tiny particles. Starfish creep along the bottom, looking for crabs. Leafy sea dragons (related to sea horses, by the way) flutter about on their own mysterious errends.
When I have looked about us for as long as I cared to, he smiled again. The features of his face blur a little. He looks so familiar now it is on the tip of my tongue. I start to speak and a fingertip is placed against my lips softly. We begin to rise through the water again. When we reach the surface, we walk back to the reef. When we are standing on firm ground again, he kisses me once more. The passion in that kiss takes away my breath and sanity. Suddenly, a wave smashes into the reef. We are covered by the spray. Within the deluge, I see a bright light shimmer. When the water reaches the ground, he has faded away. A voice sounds beside my ear.
"Remember. Remember what has been said here." This is where the landscape began to change. Everything turned gray. I seemed to be falling up. Yes, up. Within seconds, I woke. **
I put the pen down and tear off the pages I have written. He looks over at me, a questioning look on his face. I smile and reach out my right hand to him. He grins and takes my hand. Abruptly, I am pulled back onto the bed. He pulls me in for a long, deep kiss. When we break from it, he slides the ring back onto my hand. Turns out that it is slightly loose on my finger. No wonder it came off. I glance at it and then kiss him again. He reaches for my hips. Instead of giving in to the urge to stay in bed all day, I smack the tablet into his chest. His hands involuntarily jerk upwards and catch it.
"All yours. We'll talk when you're done. I'll go make breakfast while you write." I inform him.
He nods, oh so obviously disappointed by the turn of events. With a shrug, he begins to write. His legs are drawn up and he writes quickly with the pad on his knees. How he can do that while lying down, I'll never know! Would drive me up the wall in a heartbeat. I slide off the bed and grab a short blue silk robe. Leaving the robe totally open in front, it only goes to my mid thigh. Stuffing the papers into the pocket, I get to work. Jules is softly humming to himself as he writes. The sound follows me into the kitchen.
What to do for breakfast... ah, that's it. A quick search of the fridge turns up the makings for French toast. That should do the trick. It is not long before breakfast is cooking. I set the deck table with the appropriate liquids and such. Jules is still humming away in the bedroom. He sounds so content. Damn, almost forgot his coffee. Hate the stuff, but he gets headaches without a pot in the morning. Strictly tea for me with 2 spoonfuls of sugar. He takes his coffee black. When it finishes sifting its slow way into the glass pot, I pour him a cup and take it into him. He looks up and smiles.
"Breakfast will be ready by the time you finish that." I say with a gesture toward the cup.
" Thanks babe. Almost done here." He replies.
I lean in and kiss him. He pushes up into it, juggling the paper, coffee and pen. Finally, I break the kiss and admonish him to finish writing or he'll get a cold breakfast. With a laugh, he goes back to writing between sips of coffee. The French toast is done by the time he finally comes out of the bedroom. He still hasn't put on any clothes. Jules hates them. He has avoided them since we got here. Doesn't hurt my feelings at all. I miss pockets though. They're awfully convenient. Jules wanders out onto the deck while I bring out the hot stuff.
Standing at the deck rail, he gazes off into the ocean. Far in the distance we can see the dolphins. They didn't leave the area last night. Too cool. We sit down and demolish everything I cooked. He looks up after we have been sitting in stuffed contentment for a while and meets my eyes.
"Ready to swap dreams now, Dakota?" he asks.
"Sure. Here's mine," I respond while passing my wad of papers over to him.
Jules hands me the tablet in exchange. He's filled several pages with his broad sprawling script. It has a very angular trend to it with a minimum of curves. Mine has mostly curves. We lean back in the rattan deck chairs and begin reading. His style is more fragmented. He gets his point across though. I begin to read.
** Standing on the reef. The spray drenches me with every crash. Can see the dolphins leaping in front of me. Then they leap away toward the horizon. I turn back toward the beach. There is a tall man standing there. Watching me, I think. I walk toward him. The water supports my weight. Somehow knew it would. Stop a bit away from him.
He is very tan. Tall with broad shoulders. Dark hair, light eyes, hazel I think. Very attractive. Shorts and a shirt, open. He just stands watching me. I smile and hold out a hand. The clothes melt away as I motion for him to come to me. Seems familiar somehow. After he looks down at the missing clothes, comes to me. Take his hand. It feels right. Want to go back to the reef. See if dolphins still there. He walks with me, in perfect stride with me. We climb the little way up onto the reef.
I turn to look at him. I know this person. Can't remember where from though. He kisses me. Feels incredibly right. He lifts his hand in mine and takes a ring off of his finger. It's exactly like the one I planned to surprise Dakota with. Weird. Have a suspicion though. He tucks it into my hand.
I turn back toward the open water. We walk out onto it. Face him again. He speaks,
"I am yours, you are mine. You have but to call and I will come. If the storm blows around you, I shelter you. If illness takes you, I heal you. If you need anything at all, I give it. Eternity is yours, with me by your side. Let Earth and fire witness this and make it so."
I almost fall over. Reminds me of Dakota's poem. We walk a little further out. Water changes. I know who it is now. Dakota asks me,
"Do you trust me?"
I nod. We sink into the water. Lots of sea life surround us. Ignore us too though. After while, we rise upwards again. Dakota walks us back to the reef. Wave breaks on reef, Dakota gone. See him back on the shore. Walks off up the dunes. Gone then. I stare at the ocean until I wake up. **
I drop the tablet in pure astonishment. My eyes look up from the last page and meet his. He has finished reading what I had written. There is a thoughtful look on his face. Shock must be plastered on mine. Who has ever heard of sharing a dream? Maybe not exactly the same, but close enough to be kind of scary. Not only that, but Jules had realized who his stranger was before I did. Did that mean he knew me better than I knew him? What the hell did this mean.
Jules picked up the papers he had set aside and reread them. His smile returned with a raising of that eyebrow of his. Damn, that always made him look so sexy. He carefully put them back in order and handed them to me. I gave him the tablet. Then we just sat and stared into each other's eyes. Where to go from here? The ocean hummed and roared. I looked out to it, and saw the dolphins again.
"Let's go the reef, Jules," I whispered.
"All right, but after lunch when the sun isn't over head, OK?" he requested.
"Fine by me." I replied.
Sorry this took so long. Actually, to be honest, it has been done for almost a month. I just wasn't sure this was the route I wanted to go. I reread it recently and decided; What the hell, why not? It fits.
Comments are welcome. Hey, all things are possible within the realm of fiction, right? Anyway, email me with complaints about mushiness at LaelSt@aol.com or through ICQ # 11938988. I always answer.