The spring bubbled as a gentle breeze rustled the leaves above and the undergrowth around the pool. The clean smell of damp earth and fresh spring growth filled the air.   Daniel laughed as yet another splash of water struck him from a completely different corner of the pool this time. Looking in the direction from which the splash had arisen, he caught a glimpse of movement. “Come out and play,” Daniel whispered. A giggl...

Daniel peeked out the window and watched his daughter standing next to a car, chatting with the young man who owned it. Though the day’s outing was a civil protest against a factory releasing contaminated wastewater, he could see in the manner of the couple that there was far more than a sense of civic duty motivating their time together. Though she was dressed in a conservative manner, it could do little to hide her natu...

Daniel rose from his chair with a groan, wondering how many more times he might be able to accomplish it without help. As he picked up his cane from the table in his wrinkled left hand, he could almost hear old man Johanson’s words echoing back to him from across the many long years. My time is almost up, Daniel. I can feel it in my bones. Don’t you bother telling me it ain’t, ‘cause I know better. He understood now – sta...

Kia gasped when one of Steve’s hands slipped beneath her skirt. Her hand crept between his legs again, and she shivered from the combination of his touch and the feeling of his hard cock beneath her fingers. She needed more, and tried to remove his belt. He released her nipple with a final kiss and rose up to his knees. She panted in anticipation as he peeled off his shirt, revealing his muscular chest. While he finished...

Dan’s eyes popped open when he heard the hiss of something running through the dry leaves and grass, the sound drawing closer by the second. “Hey,” he protested when the two young squirrels used him as a convenient ramp to reach the tree behind him. They ran straight up his leg, jumped to his shoulder, and then scampered upward into the branches. Dan looked up while rubbing his nose to stave off a sneeze brought on by bus...

Brooke sat in the anchor’s chair, reading the last of the news item on the paper that the cameraman had handed her. Other than the clothes she was wearing, she looked every bit the part. “I’m Brooke Kline, for Channel Seven News.” Dan and the crew who were there preparing for a real broadcast applauded, and Brooke’s smiling face blushed bright red before she covered it with her hands and looked down for second. “You’re a...

Wearing a half-hearted smile, Mara looked out over the lake, trying to enjoy the beauty of the Minnesota morning. The laughter of a loon in the distance accompanied an earthy smelling breeze that rustled her golden blonde hair. Mara’s arm whipped, and the flat stone she held skipped out across the water, surpassing her earlier toss by several hops. Just around the bend of the shore, she heard her younger brother whoop, he...

Sitting around the fire at Wade’s camp that evening, Mara glanced at her furiously blushing father and stifled a laugh. Her great uncle continued the story, much to her father’s chagrin. “Now, I didn’t see Steve’s gallantry, so I had no idea what was going on when I paddled up. There he was, standing on the bank holding his paddle planted in the ground like a knight with a lance, lookin’ for all the world like he’d thrash...

Twigs and dry leaves crunched underfoot as Glen wandered the trail, his thoughts turned inward. The warmth that permeated the sun-dappled wood prompted him to absently remove his jacket, and the action brought him out of his internal dialogue just long enough to notice something on the breeze. Taking a deep breath, he filled his lungs with the scent of moist earth and honeysuckle. The flowers wouldn’t bloom for months any...

Glen felt severely underdressed when he climbed out of the car and saw Melinda emerging from the house. She was wearing a knee-length skirt of basic black with a coat to match, and a white, masculine shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, giving the unmistakable impression that she meant business. Only her vibrant smile contrasted with the look. “You look great,” Glen said as she approached. “Thank you,” she responde...

The honking calls of geese sounded from overhead, a prelude to their splashdown on the lake some distance away. In the circular pool, large, dark shapes cruised just below the shimmering surface of the water. Here and there, a fin or tail appeared, giving further hints of the exceptional size of the fish that dwelled in the secluded pool. The sun shown down bright and warm, slowly evaporating the dew that clung to the lea...

Dara sat near the edge of the lake, looking out between two white birch trees at the flotilla of canoes moving away from the island. The visit with her mother had helped, numbing the pain with touches of anger that had gripped her the day before, but certainly not erasing it. Watching Chase lead his friends across the lake brought some of the sting right back. Thirty years old and I’m acting like a schoolgirl being ignore...

Terra pulled back the curtains and grinned as morning sunlight streamed into the room. The day was bright and beautiful – the perfect start to her first summer vacation from college. As much as she enjoyed the classes that would lead her into her career as a veterinarian, balancing that with an active social life had left her in need of a break. A groan emerged from the direction of her twin sister Ella’s bed. “Too early,...

Terra looked at her phone, saw that it was just after eight, and tossed her book away with a scowl. I can’t believe he’s doing this again. His slow responses to her texts and the occasional missed call were something she’d grown to accept, but the last few days were too much. She popped out of bed and stomped down the hall. “Honey, are you okay?” her mother asked as they met each other near the back door. “I don’t want to...

A sparrow perched on the windowsill, bathed in sunlight, singing of its joy in a new day – both of which were stabbing into Ella’s brain, even though her eyes were still closed. She whimpered and pulled the pillow over her face, but it didn’t help.  The housewarming party for the home she shared with her twin sister had been one for the ages, but she was paying the price. A click and a creak accompanied the door opening,...

Ella peeked into the bedroom after getting out of the shower that evening to see John was out like a light.  Considering he’d provided his third donation of the day an hour or so before, it was hardly a mystery as to why.  Still riding the euphoria of her most recent orgasm, Ella tapped on her phone before drying her hair.  No messages had arrived during her shower, but she started when the phone rang before she could rem...

Ella awakened with her head resting on a hummock of moss.  Though beads of dew decorated her skin, she was warm, comfortable, and reluctant to rise.  Birdsong and the soft gurgle of the spring that fed her great-grandmother’s pool further conspired to lull her back to sleep. In time, she roused to find Xantina watching over her. “Good morning, Xanella.” “Morning,” Ella responded.  She sat up and stretched out of habit, th...