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                There

is a lonely lake, set far inland from any ocean shoreline, where peace and

tranquility reigned over the quiet expanse of water. People used to come to

this place, despite the distance necessary to travel to it, but with this being

the Great Depression and all, very few folks had the money for such

extravagance.

                There

was still a small collection of cabins there, now nearly hidden by the growth

of hedges and grasses.  Among them here

was one that still had the appearance of when it was first built a few decades

ago. It was clean, neat and tidy, with the roof in good repair, the porch

mended, and the main path leading down to the lake cleared of weeds and snags.

                But no

one ever noticed this idiosyncrasy, because people had quit coming here.

                Until

one particular day.

                The

respectable looking Packard bumped down the rugged trail leading to the

forgotten resort. The new owner of both the automobile and the land over which

it now traveled were one in the same. Not everyone in the nineteen thirties was

flat broke. A few had managed to make money and this fellow was one of them. He

had visited this resort as a child, and when he found that the land surrounding

the lake was for sale, he jumped at purchasing it sight unseen.

                The car

reached a point where it could no longer navigate the overgrown drive, so the

family got out and walked the rest of the way. 

They ambled down to a clearing that had once been the site of many

campfires and looked out over the clear blue water. The father felt a sense of

pride in owning one of his favorite childhood memories. His wife was not as

infatuated with the place. She was city born and bred, and this little patch of

wilderness was enough to give her the vapors. But her children ran forward with

eager glee, never before having been this close to nature.

                "I told

you Anna. The kids will love it here."

                "Well I

hate it! There aren't even any houses standing!"

                "The

cabins are still here. The agent said they were, even if they're a little run

down."

                "I can just

imagine what creatures have been living in them for the past ten years. This

dump closed down for a reason!"

                "Now

darling, don't get worked up. I'll have Leroy down here first thing, and he'll

plot out a spot and build us a nice summer home."

                She stuck

out here tongue when he wasn't looking. She did like to make him happy, but

this idea of his was awful. The bugs were everywhere, and she wasn't a fan of

any living thing that wasn't human, or came from the butcher. Animals were fine

as long as she didn't have to touch them, or preferably, even see them.

                The

kids had struck for the shoreline, where a dilapidate dock stood on rickety

legs. There was an old boat sunk next to it, a once beautiful runabout now

rotting and covered with snails. The oldest sibling, a girl of sixteen, ran out

onto the wavering wharf and halted as her younger brother hit the planks too.

                "Bobby

stop! I don't think this will take too much weight!"

                The boy

screeched to a halt and delicately backed up. She did the same.

                "Phew!

I think we almost got wet!"

                "Yeah!

Mom would have killed us. We only brought a few changes of clothing."

                "But

she did let us bring of swimming outfits. I don't think anyone has been to this

lake in ages."

                "Dad

said this used to be really busy when he was little. He says it's too far from

any town to be a tourist spot anymore. That's why he got it cheap."

                "I know

that stupid. I can already tell mother is going to hate it. She hates anything

that isn't manicured and polished."

                "Hey!"

                "What?"

                Bobby

was pointing out to a disturbance in the lake. There was something bobbing in

the water several  hundred yards from

shore. At this distance it was too far to discern what it was, but it didn't

match any of the animals they knew.

                "See

there!" he said excitedly, jumping up and down and pointing. "There's some

animal out there in the water."

                "I see

it. Maybe it's an otter?"

                "Stupid

girl! That has to be too big for an otter!"

                "Don't

call me stupid, you little jerk. When have you ever seen an otter in real

life?"

                "Well,

I haven't. But I don't think they're that big."

                They

watched it for a while until it seemed to sense that it was under scrutiny,

when it then slipped beneath the waves and vanished.

                Their

father listened to them with a calm face. "There is a legend that this lake was

home to a strange creature," he began. His wife groaned. He ignored her and

told his brief tale. "When I was a kid, the locals said that there was

something that swam in these waters that didn't belong here."

                Bobby

was immediately engrossed. "Was it a monster?"

                "No, I

don't think so. No one was ever bothered by it, nor did it ever show itself

very clearly. It was said to be seen mostly at night, so unless the full moon

was out, it was difficult to see."

                "Did

you ever see it father?" asked Angelica, the older of the two.

                "No really,"

he began hesitantly," but your aunt claimed she did."

                "But

everyone thought she was crazy, didn't they?"

                At this

point mother interrupted. "We'll not stand here discussing family blots. If

there isn't a place decent enough to stay in, we're driving back to the nearest

town with a boarding house and staying there. As it is, I can only imagine how

disgusting the accommodations are going to be."

                Thus,

it was a mild and slightly shocking surprise when one cabin had all the

appearances of someone living in it. There was no food inside, but the floors

were swept and the furniture dusted.

                Mother

was even more perturbed. "I am not staying out here when there is some vagrant

living on the premises!"

                Father

was hardly alarmed. "Who can blame him? The place is deserted. I suppose he

eats fish and wild greens, for there isn't much else out here. Strange though

that he doesn't bother cooking indoors. He must have a firepit somewhere

outside."

                "And

who's to say he doesn't have a gun or a knife? I say we leave!"

                "And I

say we look for him and tell him that this place has been sold. I don't like

forcing out a squatter, so maybe I can hire him on as a handyman or something.

He obviously knows the layout of the land and he must be good with his hands,

for he has managed to keep this place in good condition..."

                He

stopped talking and rubbed his hand over a notch in the doorway."Well holy

hell!"

                "What

is it father?"

                "This

is the very cabin! The one we always stayed in when I came here. This was where

my dad chopped a mark to denote my height the one summer!"

                Just

then a sound came from outside. There was a footfall on the front porch and

then a knock. Everyone jumped a little, and Angelica felt shivers run down her

spine.

                Father

opened the door and there stood a handsome young man, clad only in pants. His

hair was wet, but it wasn't from sweat. It seemed pretty obvious that he had

been swimming.

                "Excuse

me, I'm sure, but might I ask what you folks are doing way out here?"

                "I

might ask you the same thing!" Father didn't sound angry, but he did seem

affronted.

                "I take

care of this place, such as it is."

                "A

caretaker. The real estate agent never mentioned a caretaker!"

                "Agent?

Did the old man go and sell the place off?" The young man sounded perturbed.

                "Yes.

I'm the new owner now."

                "Oh."

He was crestfallen and his voice sounded dejected. "I had no idea. I'll git up

and go as quickly as I can."

                "Now wait

just a minute! I'm not kicking you out! We just got here a short while ago and were

just having a look around. We might not even be staying the night."

                "I see

sir. Might I ask what your intentions are in the long run? It would be nice to

see this place opened back up to the public again. I rather miss people."

                Angelica

thought that was weird. Miss people? How long had he been living out here?

                "Public?

Oh no. I intend to build a summer place here, though I might keep a few of the original

buildings. You never know when you might have guests over. I'll be looking for

a little help to keep the place tiptop. The pay would be decent enough."

                "All

this just for one family?"

                "Why

not? You've apparently had it to yourself for a while. Now it's time to share."

Father's smile was part humor and part barb.

                "True

enough! As for being caretaker, I can do it just as easily for one as I can for

another."

                "Then

it's settled!"

                Mother

was still having fits. "Does this place even have running water, or toilets, or

anything?"

                The

young man shook his head. "Yes and no ma'am. I can fill up the main water

barrel. That'll give you water for flushing the toilets, but it'll hardly be

fit for drinking."

                She

stamped her feet. "What do you drink?"

                "Spring

water ma'am, when it suits me. Me and nature get along just fine; we always

have."

                Angelica

sensed her eyes were hurting and realized that she hadn't been blinking. She

felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she was suddenly aware that she had been

staring at this man. He was tanned, well muscled, and looked to be a good ten

years older than she was. The bulge in the front of his pants seemed to be

totally obvious, and yet she seemed to be the only one noticing it.

                "Spring

water? Could you load some into the cottage for us?"

                Angelica

spoke without thinking. "But father, if we take over the cottage, where will he

sleep?"

                The

young man spoke kindly. "Now don't you go worrying little miss. I'll be fine.

If there's anything I'm good at, it's rolling with the punches. I'll sleep just

fine under the w...stars tonight. It's downright pleasant enough, and I've been

known to do it more than once."

                That

seemed to settle things for the moment.  He moved a few of his things into one of the

more derelict cottages and was gone.

                Mother

was perturbed. "He seems nice enough, but don't you think it's a little odd

that he lives out here all alone?"

                Father

retorted with, "Maybe, but perhaps he got fed up with city life. Still he looks

and sounds very familiar to me. I wonder if he grew up here?"

                Bobby

scowled a little. "I think he sounds a bit foreign."

                "Yes," father

said, "he does have a touch of the brogue."

                Angelica

still felt her heart racing. "How could he have grown up here?"

                Father

rubbed his chin. "I seem to recall that one of the lifeguards had an accent,

though that was back when I was a kid. I don't remember his name anymore, but

he was well liked. That was a long time ago."

                "So

maybe this is his son?"

                "It

could be darling. We can ask him come morning. For that matter, I never did get

his name."

                That

night was cool and clear, and with the windows open, the breeze drifted through

the rooms bringing with it aromas and sounds alike. There was pine scent and

flower perfume;  here and there crickets

and frogs chorusing in the dark. All these sounds echoed in Angelica's head. So

when she heard the splashing, she sat upright in her bed. Her ears caught the

sound again, coupled with a slight bit of laughter that sounded very much like

a horse.

                She

slipped out of bed and stepped to the window. The angle was bad for seeing the

lake, so she threw on a robe and tiptoed out into the darkness. There was a

partial moon, hardly enough to see by, but with it being so far from city

lights, it proved to be enough to allow her to make her way to the dock.

                The

water was calm, preternaturally so. And yet, there was a ring of ripples coming

from somewhere near the middle. They lapped at the shoreline before fading out.

She looked out of the water and shivered again. Whatever they had seen earlier

must be frolicking about in the water. But she was no more enlightened now as

to what it was then she had been before.

                She

stood out there on the decaying planks, feeling them sway as one under her feet.

It was almost imperceptible at first, but then the motion began to pick up,

though there seemed to be no reason for it. Then, all of a sudden and out of

the blackness that was the midnight water, a head rose up, its eyes fiercely

glowing with an inner fire. From its nose up to the tips of its dark ears, the

face was long and frightening. The hair, or mane rather, cascaded water down

the sides of its neck.

                She

went to scream, but it stuck in her throat. It took her a few brief seconds to

realize she was having a dream, for there was no horse in the world that lived

in the water. For that matter, there was no horse with glowing eyes. So she

held her ground and stared back.

                It

seemed to float in the water, buoyed up by some power of levitation. Even if it

was somehow managing to stand on the bottom, if didn't explain how it was able

to sneak up on her like this. But then, in a dream anything can happen. Despite

the fierceness of its looks, she felt that it meant her no harm. As she reached

out to touch it, droplets of water fell onto her arm. She recoiled and ran a

finger through the moisture with a finger.

                "This

is real!"

                A low

voice boomed from the haunting figure. "As surely as your eyes can see little

one."

                "You -

you - you can talk?"

                "Yes,

but can you listen?"

                "I can

listen, but how can you talk? You're a horse...with a bit in his mouth!"

                She

heard a sigh, and realized that it was mental. "Little girl, I can do a great

many things. Not all of them are nice. I mean you no ill will, but your

presence here might be a mistake. I think you would be best suited to leave."

                Despite

the seemingly strength of will behind the voice, it seemed to falter just a

little.

                "I

can't leave. Father has bought this land. He intends to build a house here."

Then she suddenly remembered what she was talking to. "What are you?"

                "Nothing

you need concern yourself with.  Heed my

warning. There are many dangers in this lake, and not all of them will appear

as overtly as this form. Some will be quite pleasing to the eye."

                "But

you're not displeasing to me. I've rarely seen a horse this close up before."

                "I AM

NO HORSE!"

                "But

you look like one!"

                She heard

the sigh again."What is this world coming too? Do they teach you nothing in

your schools today?"

                "They

do! And you are a horse, unless you have a better term for yourself."

                "Girl,

I am a kelpie, a member of a very ancient race."

                "Kel-pie?

That sounds a lot like Kewpie. I have some Kewpie dolls."

                The

sigh became a groan. "Such ignorance. I will leave you now. Tell no one what

you have seen, not that I think it will matter, for who would believe you?"

                Without

another word, the figure sank below the surface and vanished without leaving

even the tiniest of waves. She stood there for a few moments before deciding it

was safe to move. She turned around and was standing face to face with the

young man from earlier. She jumped back a foot and swallowed another scream. It

would do no good alerting her parents to her presence out-of-doors, and

besides, she was at a loss for words.

                Not

only was this guy handsome, he was presently naked and dripping water. He was

pretty ballsy for being in the water at night, and she immediately wondered if

he knew anything about the creature she had just seen.

                "Uh,

hi!" she said shyly.

                "Hello.

What are you doing out here by yourself?"

                She was

trying to stare him in the face, but his manhood was the first she had seen

ever, and while it was hard to see clearly, she wasn't about to let it out of

her sight while she had the chance.

                "I

heard a noise in the water. I came down to investigate."

                "I see.

There are old stories about some creature that lives in the waters hereabouts.

I can truthfully say that I have never-ever seen it for myself."

                "Well I

did. It's a water horse."

                "A

what?"

                "A

water horse. What did he call himself; oh yes - a kelpie."

                "So you

stood out here on this old dock; at night, talking to a mythological creature?"

                "He was

real!"

                "Look

girl, I just came out of the water from a swim, and I saw nothing like you

describe."

                "That's

your problem. I know what I saw."

                He shut

up. It was obvious she knew her mind. He wasn't lying though, and he knew she

knew he spoke truthfully. It still didn't shake her resolve. He was impressed

with this. Females were often timid and caved in to whatever they were told to

do or believe. This girl hadn't had the spunk driven out of her yet. She

reminded him very much of someone else he had once known.

                His

tone changed. "Yes, there is a kelpie that lives here. He doesn't belong here,

and yet here is where he lives. And I have yet to lay eyes on him, so consider

yourself lucky."

                "So you

do believe me, don't you?"

                "I do,

but you must not speak of this to anyone else. They will either have to witness

it for themselves, or forgo any knowledge of it whatsoever."

                "Not

even my little brother?"

                 "Not even him."

                She was

staring hard at his midsection, wondering what his touch felt like. She was

feeling the heat in her cheeks again as she imagined all sorts of fun things

she and he could do. It was dark, they were alone, and she had the sudden

desire to throw off her clothing right then and there.

                It was

her turn for sighing. "OK. But where are you staying? I might want to find you

sometime."

                His

smile showed both kindness and just a hint of lewdness. "I'll show you

tomorrow. Tonight you had best hie off to bed. You'll hardly live it down if

you're caught out and about."

                She

felt a little groggy all of the sudden, and with a shrug of her shoulders,

turned back towards the cabin. She had gone a few yards when she turned in time

to see him stooped at the side of the dock. The next instant he was upright and

waving her off. In his profile, she saw his manhood was much more obvious than

it had been before. She felt a pang of desire that was alien to her, and felt a

bit of moisture from where it rarely had had reason to form before. She went to

bed completely out of sorts.

                Her

dreams made her even damper.

                In the

morning she grabbed a change of underwear, stuffing her old pair deep inside

her suitcase. She went out to the kitchen and was surprised by the smell of

coffee and toasting bread.

                Mother

looked a little happier than she expected. Apparently father had gone out

early, drove to the nearest town and purchased a few things. The fact that the

electricity was on was equally surprising, but apparently had only needed the

quick flip of a breaker to have ready for use. The toaster was an old open

model, marked as coming from the Edison company, and while it seemed quaint,

the toast smelled all the better for the quirkiness of it.

                Mother

was also cooking some fresh eggs, and father had brought back a jar of local

honey. It wasn't the normal morning affair, but under the circumstances, it was

proving to be more exotic thanks to their present locale.

                "Mother,

did anyone think to invite the caretaker?"

                "Yes

dear, but we haven't seen him yet this morning. I have no intention of trying

to find him. He knows where we're at, so I will let him find us if he's

interested."

                He

showed up a short while later, carrying a few fish on a stringer. "Here! I

thought you folks might like to sample the bounty of the lake. These trout are

as fresh as you'll ever get them."

                Father

grinned. "I'll have to bring my fishing poles next time we come." He took the

proffered fish and put them in the old Monitor-top refrigerator that was now

humming along like nothing had changed in the past decade. "Thank you son. Now,

I don't think I got your name yesterday, with all that was going on."

                "Douglas.

Douglas Ewart sir."

                "Ewart?

Like the former tenant hereabouts?"

                The

young man smiled. "Just like that yes. An Ewart has lived in these parts for a

long while. We're not so easily shaken off."

                "So

that's why you look familiar. I remember your...father?"

                "Aye,

perhaps you do. It has been said that I take to resembling him when he was my

age."

                "I take

he has passed?"

                "Father?

Yes, he passed a while back."

                "Well,

you have my condolences. But it's down to business I'm afraid. Since you know

the layout of the land, I'd like to get your opinion on where to build, prior

to the contractors arriving. I'd like to have some sense of the ground and the

lake. I don't want to disturb this place too much, but I'd love to have a view of

the water from the porch."

                The two

males walked out and down the path. Angelica abandoned her breakfast long

enough to watch them disappeared around a corner. Bobby followed her, then

returned to stuffing his face.

                She

came back and picked at her own food for a few minutes before idly stuffing it

into her mouth.

                "What's

wrong with you?"

                "Nothing."

                "Sure

there is. You like Douglas, don't you?"

                "What?

No!"

                "Sure

you do. He is pretty neat. I'd love to live out here all by myself. I bet he

has a pretty cool life."

                "Yeah,

that's it exactly," she said, covering over her embarrassment by actually

agreeing with her sib.

                "I bet

he has some great stories to tell. I can't wait until father gets the new house

built. I think it would be cool to live out here all the time."

                Mother

heard and shushed him. "This is no place to raise a family. Just because some

vagrant lives a rent free life doesn't make this place idyllic."

                "Oh, I

don't know," mumbled Angelica. "I think it has possibilities!"

                She

remembered her dreams from the night before and in no time flat was in a state.

She quickly excused herself to the bathroom. Another pair of panties was in

order. At this rate she was going to have to secretly wash them and hang them

out to dry.

                She

pulled herself together and went outside to search for her father. Well, father

isn't who she was looking for. But she knew that where one was, the other would

be. Her mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts, and despite her strict

household and her religious upbringing, she was overcome with a desire to lay

with this stranger. She knew a little about that, despite what her mother

believed about her. Her fingers had found that there was pleasure to be with

the right touch in the right place. She knew her secret place was meant to be

filled by the stiff organ of the opposite sex. She had been told some very

vivid stories concerning that.

                She had

now found such a male and was intent to pursue him until she got what she

wanted.

                She

heard voices in the clearing ahead, and stopped to spy on them, though she felt

foolish for acting in such a clandestine manner. She really wanted to get a

good look at Douglas' body, now that she had an interest in it. He was dressed

in old-fashioned trouser's and a cotton workshirt, but she was able to

transpose what she had seen last night in the near dark onto his present self

standing in full view, and was rewarded with yet another dose of moisture from

her crotch.

                Instead

of running home however, she crouched down in the brush and slipped her fingers

into the top of her panties, making good use of the lubrication. Between

watching him and the naughtiness of her situation, she came quickly, making a

squeal as she tumbled backwards onto the ground. She barely had time to flatten

down her dress before the males where to her.

                "Good

god Angel, what happened?" father asked.

                She

looked suitably embarrassed. "Sorry Father, but I wasn't watching where I was

going and tripped. I'll be alright."

                Douglas

extended his hand to help her up, but she reluctantly tried to dismiss it.

"I'll be fine. I just need a moment to get myself collected." In truth, her

fingers were sticky and coated with dirt and debris from her tumble to the

ground.

                He

ignored her plea, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to her feet. She nearly

swooned at his touch. She grabbed his arms to steady herself, and found that he

was staring right into her eyes.

                "You

need to be careful miss. There are all sorts of dangers here, and not all of

them are immediately apparent. Watch your step from now on. No point in

twisting a pretty ankle on a root or something."

                Of all

those words, all she heard was pretty.

He thought she was pretty! Or maybe just her ankles, but who looked at those?

He had to mean her face, didn't he? Then he did notice her, and so just

possibly he had an interest in her!

                "I'll

try. I guess I have a lot to learn about living out in the wilderness. If I could

only find someone to teach me."

                Father

seemed to be oblivious to her tone. "I'm sure Douglas here would be happy to

show you around."

                "Aye,

if you wish for me to, I can do that."

                "Good!

Look Angel, I have to head into town again, and I suppose your mother will want

to come with me. You can come with us or you can stay. Your choice."

                "What

about Bobby?"

                "I'm

sure he'll want to come with me, but if not, he can stick with you two. I'm

sure he'll love exploring this place as much as I did when I was younger."

                Angelica

felt her heart drop to her toes. She had so wanted to be alone with Douglas, to

talk with him, and walk with him and...to do unmentionable things with him. She

was sure he was lonely after living out here for a few years all by his

lonesome. She could hardly understand how he lived out here with no one else,

even if the region was beautiful and mysterious. The memory of her dockside

experience still haunted her, and though she would never call him a liar, she

failed to see how she could have seen such an apparition on her first visit to

this place, and he, a inhabitant for who-knew-how-long had yet to see it ever.

                She was

lost in her thoughts, staring at the dock and only snapped out of it when her

father kissed her on the forehead.

                "Come

on up to the cabin with me, and we'll see what your brother is going to do."

                As it

turned out, he was torn between staying and going. But he knew that they would

be spending time back here so he opted to hop in the car for the trip to town.

That left Angelica and Douglas alone. Her heart was skipping beats as she

pictured so many different things; erotic things they could do in the time they

had. But when she turned to find him, he was gone.

                Not

about to be denied her desires, she raced down to the water's edge. Her heart

jumped again when she saw his meager clothing folded neatly and sitting on a

stump. Looking out into the water she saw his head bobbing, a smile splitting

his features from ear to ear.

                She

stamped her feet and balled up her fists. She had no bathing suit with her, and

thus no way of getting into the water to swim. Her dress would get ruined and

mother would have a fit for multiple reasons..

                He swam

closer to shore and rose a little, calling to her as he did. "Little cailin og,

why the consternation? The water is fine, and I don't see a horse in sight."

                "I

don't have any means of swimming!" she cried plaintively.

                His laughter

echoed across the water. "If you have arms and legs then what more do you

need?"

                "A

suit. Like you have!"

                He

smirked before standing up in the shallow water, showing that in actuality, he was

nude. His cock hung between his legs and Angelica thought her heart was going

to burst from her chest. He was standing there totally unashamed of his

condition. She knew he had been living out here too long for him to expose

himself so openly to a girl. And even as she felt she should be angered and

embarrassed by it, she felt that sudden warmth in her belly, and a sudden

wetness that belied her true feelings.

                She had

spirit, and not to be outdone, she stripped down, leaving her dress, stockings,

bra and panties in a pile, with her petite shoes on the top. She felt a chill

at being openly nude, for she had never even thought of doing such a thing

before. She looked for a good place to step into the water, and then, with a

sudden burst of bravado, chose to dive into the water at the end of the dock.

                She

nearly hit the bottom. Even as she surfaced, she wondered how a horse would

have managed to rise from such a shallow depth. Maybe she had been dreaming.

                She

stood, wiping the water from her eyes. As she got them cleared, she was

startled to see him standing only a few feet away. Between her mixed emotions

and the cool water, her nipples were hard little mounds sitting atop her pale

breasts. She was suddenly aware of the complete difference between her and him.

He was tanned; and by that I mean there wasn't a single line to indicate that

he ever wore clothing in the sunlight.

She on the other hand had the

complexion of a porcelain doll.

                She had

rarely ever stood in front of a full length mirror in the nude for fear of

someone discovering her, and here she was, standing in the water mere feet away

from a handsome man, equipped with a cock (dare she even use that word?) fit

for a horse. She even said so.

                "Not

that I have anything for comparison, but are all men carrying such a thing

hidden in their trousers?"

                His

mirth was palpable. "I can't say about other men lass. I only know about me. As

for it being fit fer a horse, well, that might be truer than you think."

                She

suddenly remembered the horse again. It was weird how it's image flitted in and

out of her brain like a butterfly on a windy day. She was suddenly fearful it

might make an appearance.

                "You've

said you've never seen the horse. Why did you bring it up?"

                "I

didn't me wee small one." His accent was getting thicker as the seconds ticked

away.

                "No, I

guess I sort of did. How can you have lived her so long and never seen it? Do

you even know what it looks like?"

                "Aye,

that I do. He be big, dark, with fiery red eyes."

                "Ah ha!

Then you have seen him!" She seemed blissfully unaware that she was holding

this conversation while stark naked, with the top half of her body totally

exposed.

                "No, I

have not. For me to see him would be impossible, but I have seen his reflection."

                "That

doesn't make any sense."

                "Many

things don't when you're blind to the truth little miss. How could I see yon

horse in reflection only?"

                "I

don't know. I guess by looking into the water, but avoiding looking directly at

him?"

                "True,

but why would I bother with the reflection when the beastie itself would be

much more awe inspiring to gaze upon?"

                "I

don't know!"

                He

sighed, a long drawn out breath that seemed to come from some hidden reserves

tucked away in his chest. "Would you like to see the beastie again my pet?"

                "How?"

                "How is

indeed the question. You however, have yet to answer me."

                "Yes!"

She suddenly forgot about being nude and horny and standing waist deep in the

water.

                Douglas

waded over to the sunken boat, reached in through a shattered window and withdrew

something shiny. He brought it over to her and set it in her hands. She turned

it over and over, feeling a thrill of electricity run through her as she did.

                "This

is a bit!"

                "Aye,

that it is. It belongs to me, and without it, I would not be who I am."

                "But

what does this have to do with the horse I saw?"

                He said

no more, but walked into the deeper water before lowering himself until he

vanished from sight. Angelia thought that he was just playing a joke on her,

but as the seconds ticked by and turned into minutes, she began to fret. When

it became obvious that he had to have drowned, she splashed to where she had

last seen him. As she arrived, a spray of long black hairs came to the surface,

followed by the impossibly fearsome head.

                She was

staring into eyes that held all the promise of the ocean; the secrets of hidden

pools, and filled with a raging desire to go wherever they led.

                "So

little one, you find me a mere curiosity?"

                She was

as awestruck of this strange horse as she was of Douglas. "What are you? And

where is Douglas?! Has he drowned just to make you appear?"

                The

horse sighed. "You are young, and therefore ill informed about the world around

you. Did he not tell you that he has never laid eyes on me?"

                "He

did."

                "Have

you ever seen yourself?"

                "Yes. I

see myself in the mirror all the time."

                "And so

you see only your reflection, for how could you see yourself with your own

eyes?"

                "That's

just getting technical."

                "Your

terminology is unusual, but essentially correct. Technology depends on precise facts,

and the fact is, you cannot see yourself as a whole. You might see parts of

yourself, such as your arms or legs, but never once have you seen your face

with your own beautiful two eyes."

                She

thought for a moment. "Fine. I see your point."

                "Do you?

I have never laid eyes upon him either. We are in the same boat, so to speak."

                "Why is

that?"

                The

horse sighed again. "Because we are one in the same little female. He is I, and

I am he."

                "That

doesn't make any sense."

                The

horse went to sigh again, and instead opted to lean forward. "Grab this bit."

                She did

as she was told, noting that the ornately engraved accessory was more intricate

than she had first noticed. As she held it in her hand, the horse, and all that

he was, seemed to fall apart into the water. It was like watching sugar

dissolve in a hot cup of tea. In its place was Douglas, looking both

satisfactorily grim and mildly amused.

                "I

cannot see myself, not in any form I happen to inhabit." He carefully took the

bit from her hand.

                "You!

You're both you and that thing?"

                "It

took you long enough. The last time I had a girl that took my eye, she was much

quicker about it."

                "Girl!

Last time? What kind of philanderer are you?"

                "Careful

with the accusations my wee lass. For one, I am not to be trifled with.

Secondly, it was a long time ago, probably before you were born."

                "So how

old are you?"

                Douglas

stopped for a moment. "Older than you would care to know. I think it pleases

the eye and the mind to think of me as you see me. Anything more tends to be

too much for those who proclaim to have rational minds."

                "That

sounds creepy."

                "To

someone like you, I suppose it does. Just know this small one; not everything

you see is what you see, and everything you feel may not be real. Life is often

more how you wish it would be than how it really is."

                She

suddenly remembered that she was naked, but instead of making her feel

embarrassed, she felt a thrill of being so free. Clothing did nothing but hide

who you were, just like all the makeup and hair curlers disguised what she

really looked like when she refrains from trying to look like this or that

actress. She blinked in the sunlight, have expecting everything, even the glistening

lake to be nothing more than an illusion, but all remain solid and real.

                "Are

you saying that most of life is imaginary?"

                "I am

saying that life has become twisted; surreal. You make and follow rules hoping

they will lead you to something better, within the guidelines you yourselves have

made. But such rules are often broken, and then when one profits from this

aberration, another is penalized for it. Out here in the wilds, the rules are

harsher and clearer. You live, you die, but in between those inevitabilities

you can accomplish so much."

                "That

sounds like a load of... Hey! Who was that other girl?"

                Douglas

eased down into the water from his standing position and gazed at the

shoreline. "It was a long time ago as you would reckon it, but not so far back

as I can't remember. I can still see her standing on the shoreline, watching me

swim in the moonlight. No one ever paid me any heed, mind you, except for her.

People would dismiss the lake monster as being some sort of known creature, and

I was never one to dissuade them. They had encroached on my home, though I hold

no claim over it. They were few here when I arrived, and then there were many,

and then there were none. And now I have you."

                "Have

me?" She felt shocked that he felt she was that easy, and yet, she wanted him

with a burning passion.

                "Ahhh.

I see. You both desire me and fear me."

                "I do

not fear you! But you seem to be ready to take great liberty with my honor."

                "Your honor? Have you forgotten that

you're in the water naked, with a man much older than yourself, and you entered

this place of your own volition? Do you even know who you are?"

                He had

a point.  "It's true. Since seeing you, I

have had nothing else on my mind. It's disgraceful." Then she stopped,

startled. "Of course I know who I am!"

                "Tis

not disgraceful! Tis the way of nature. You see what you desire and you pursue

it! I have done this in the past and I will not have it held against me!"

                "So

what was her name?"

                "Who?"

He was startled by her abrupt question.

                "The

girl before me."

                "Oh.

You remind me some of her; same features, same fire, same attitude. Her name

was Ophelia."

                Angelica

was struck for a moment, but only a moment. "You can't mean my father's sister Lia

can you?"

                Douglas

looked into her eyes. "I suppose that I could, though to shorten such a name be

as criminal as matters go."

                "They say

she's crazy!"

                "Who

says this? People who pack themselves into rooms hundreds of feet off the

ground in buildings you call skyscrapers? The same people who pack into your

subway trains to work for someone else, to make money to spend on goods you may

or may not need? People who live out their lives telling themselves that it

will eventually get better?"

                "You

sound a lot like her!"

                "You

mean she sounds a lot like me. I taught her well, and if your aunt learned

anything from me, it was to be her own person. I have missed her you know."

                "She

has never mentioned you once."

                "As it

should be. The truth is a strong thing, and not everyone has the ability to

handle it. There is no taming it to your own use. Once you tame the truth, it

becomes a lie. Anyone can handle a lie."

                "And

you think I can handle the truth?"

                "That

remains to be seen. When dealing with me, there is a lot you need to handle.

Stripping off your clothing and diving in to meet me in some girlish fantasy is

not what you seek. I know you think your heart directs you so, but I know

better. I could take you now and you would melt at my touch, but in the end, it

would not fulfill what it you are looking for."

                "And

what is that?"

                "That

is what we must find out."

                She had

been moving ever so slightly, inching closer to him. He had to have noticed,

but he restrained himself from doing anything brash. He was far too old for

acting like an impulsive youngster, at least in a manner that most land folk

considered to be brash.

                "How?"

She was speaking and feeling around with her hands, looking for any part of him

she could find and touch.

                He

rolled out of reach and slipped the bit into his mouth. "Climb on my back."

                She

thought he meant like a water game, but even as she moved toward his rear, he

was changing. In a matter of seconds his form had shifted from human to equine.

Her hand had touched his shoulder even as this was taking place, and now she

found she could no longer remove it. Somehow, it was stuck fast to his dark,

sleet hide.

                With

little else she could do, she mounted him and clung to his back, finding her

hand free for just that moment. Then again, her butt and legs now seemed firmly

anchored onto his hot, massive frame. Whatever the cause, she was assured of

never falling off. On the other hand, the close proximity of her tender flesh

next to his, even if he was now a horse, was driving her absolutely insane.

                He must

have known this, for he whinnied loudly and churned the water, heading out into

the deepest part of the lake. She felt the water grow a little chilled as they

left the safety of the shoreline, but the temperature was tolerable. What she

didn't expect and it therefore came as something totally unexpected, was when

he suddenly dived under the gently undulating waves.

                She was

terrified. She gulped a breath before he dove and held it for as long as she

could. When at last she gave up, the air escaped her lungs and scampered up

towards the surface leaving her devoid of oxygen. Her last exhalation broke the

surface, making small points of disturbance as they embraced the atmosphere

from which they had originated.

                Under

the water, Angelica found that she wasn't drowning. Instead, she seemed to

exist without air, or maybe she was living like the fishes did. She had no idea

how she was still alive, for this wasn't something they taught you about in

school. People who spent too long underwater drowned. That was the way of

things in the real world.

                Douglas,

as the horse, snickered in a way that made her angry. He had known all along

but hadn't told her about it. If he had...

                If he

had, she would never have believed him, and thus never had gone on this totally

unreal journey. Now that she wasn't thinking about breathing she found her

surroundings to be quite amazing. The water was as clear as a crystal bowl, and

every fish, turtle and frog were visible in the streaks of sunlight penetrating

the lake. The liquid seemed to absorb the glow and illuminate everything below.

                His

mane flowed around her face, looking every bit like some strange seaweed. It

almost seemed to have a life of its own as it undulated while they moved

effortlessly through the water. She didn't even feel wet. It was the strangest sensation

to have. If this were above the water, she'd have said she was flying in slow

motion. It felt a little like the time she had cracked her ribs and the doctor

had given her morphine pills to ease the pain. She was feeling a little like

she was in some kind of drug induced stupor, only with a full clarity of her

mind.

                The

horse shook his head and continued to move around the lake; happy to finally have

someone to share his abilities with once again. This girl resembled her aunt,

and her aunt had been a girl to remember. It was too bad he couldn't do more to

open the eyes of all land creatures, but humans, while intelligent, were

steeped in their own beliefs and tainted with so many biases. One had to get

them at just the right stage to affect them in any way. The girl called her

aunt crazy, but what did normal people know or understand or the world? They

ignored so much just to lead a life that they were told was the way it should

be lived. Why would you live your life as someone else chooses? That is a

greater folly than most of the dogmatic garbage they swore by.

                This

girl; she was truly spectacular. True, he had been alone for a long time, so

his hormones were in a rage, but she had a pale porcelain artistry to her that

was so reminiscent of his original home that he burst into tears. She would

never known them  for what they were here

in the water, and coupled with his conflicting emotions, he couldn't help but

feel her own inner heat radiating into his flesh from her fixed perch on his

back.

                He

laughed inside; a dark and mirthless feeling. They had said that he drowned his

riders; that anyone going with him would die and be eaten. Such nonsense,

spouted by priests and deacons to a gullible-minded flock of stupid sheep. He

had saved so many lives over the years, never once allowing even a suicidal man

or woman a chance of dying until he had set down and talked with them. The fact

that many never returned to those who caused them such grief, or in the cases

of those who had come close to accidentally drowning who had gone away with

stories of their savior; those tales clashed with their preferred religion. The

friction grew between he and the land folk until he felt no other choice but to

leave his beloved Scotland, as those two-legged simple folk often referred to

it.  He had his own name for it, but he

did rather like the name Albien, as some of the ancients called the land. They

could have it, for all he cared. His place was primarily in the water, but

being nearly driven from it from persistent persecution, he had done the only

thing her knew how and had managed to escape across the great salt sea.

                He

shifted his thoughts to less disconsolate matters as they continued to explore

his present home. That her natural reaction was to desire him for his body,

even now that he was a horse was expected. Such things were not done, not with

such a young and obviously untried female as she was. It was in fact the

ultimate consummation, and had only happened with one female during his entire

life. His human form was more readily acceptable for her present state, though

he had serious misgivings about jumping right into a physical

relationship.  He had none of the qualms

most typical humans relied upon to live out their lives, but he did have a

strong degree of moral fiber. He felt in his heart that they should grow to

know each other before they went too far.  He was well versed in matters of the heart,

especially those of an impressionable young girl. She had the right to know

more about him before he took from her that which was the doorway between being

a mere girl and becoming a true woman.

                His

thoughts buoyed him, and he brought himself to the surface, where the water

flowed off of her in a normal manner; no different than if she had been

swimming underwater on her own. She made a quick gasp for air and found that

she had no difficulty in taking in a lungful. Part of her mind was a hundred

percent positive her chest was going to be full of water. She clung to him as

they made for shore, quite willing to slide off but still held fast by some

strange force. Once the water was shallow enough to stand upright in, the hold

was released and she slipped off, feeling the mud squish between her toes.

                "That

was so absolutely amazing! But how - what are you?"

                The

horse spit out the bit and carefully watched where it sank. In the next instant

the now-human figure reached down and retrieved it from the mud. "I am me, and

I do tend to detest what others call me, but if you need something rational,

you may call me as I said before, a kelpie. It is not my name for my kind, but

something  the Scots thought up."

                "Yes, you

did mention that name."

                "I am

not quite human and I am not really an equine, so while I can identify with

both aspects of my being, I have never come to terms with what I really am."

                "How

old are you?" Her voice rose a little in consternation as she began to see past

his appearance and instead concentrated on his inner self.

                "Very

old my dear. Does that bother you?"

                "It

should, I think, but it doesn't. If anything else, it makes me more curious to

know more about you. As far as I know, something like you shouldn't exist."

                "But

here I am and you have seen me for what I am. In your quest for knowledge, I

find  you are very much like your aunt. I

have a perfect place we can go. You can find out anything you wish to know

there, and I think you might very well discover me to be a pleasant surprise."

                When

the family returned, Angelica was nowhere to be found.  Father slapped himself for so willingly

leaving his daughter with a strange man, and immediately began searching the

grounds. He found footprints down by the water, some leading to it and others

leading away. If they were doing something immoral, he had every intention of

catching them in the act. He held his voice as he followed the pair of prints

leading to the brush where the rest of the cabins were located.

                He

peered in through a dirty window and saw nothing in the room, so he worked

himself around to another.  There, in the

main room, he could hear faint voices, but this window was hung with tattered

curtains and his view was obstructed. He stepped around to the door, grasped

the knob and on the mental count of three, flung it open.

                There

were his daughter on the floor with the stranger. His heart was racing, and a

few dozen unkind words were on the tip of his tongue. He stared at them, and

they in turn stared back up at him.

                "Father!"  the girl cried, jumping up and hugging him.

He stood there in total mental disarray. She was fully clothed, as was the

young man. On the floor in  front of them

were several boxes, and a collection of faded scrapbooks.

                "Uh,

what's all this?" He was coming to grips with the fact that they had in fact,

not been engaged in any lewd conduct.

                "Douglas

has kept up all of these memories of the camp before it was abandoned. Look!"

She reached down and plucked a postcard from one of the open pages. "See! This

is what it looked like before it fell to ruin. Is it just like you remember

it?"

                He held

the linen card and gazed at the colorized and grainy image thereupon. It showed

a collection of white paint cabins with red roofs, here and there marked with a

few of the visitors that had made this place their summer home. The memories

seemed to flood back to him of all the fun he had had here. It wasn't that the

memories were new, only that they seemed so much fresher in his mind now. There

was one that flashed before his eyes, and he stood there stunned that he had

forgotten it.

                He

looked up, a tear in his eye, and placed his gaze on the boxes. He could see a

few books in them, and loose newspaper articles cut or carefully ripped from

the local newspaper. On old crate looked familiar to him, for it was one that

had once arrived at camp filled with apples. Sure enough, on the side, there

was scribbled in a handwriting he knew quite well, the name Ophelia.

                "Where

did you get that?"

                "It was

under one of the cabins sir. Something that belonged to your sister, no doubt?"

                "What

do you know of her?"

                "Only what

I have pieced together," he said, politely lying like it was second nature to

him. "Your daughter has informed me that this box most assuredly belonged to

her aunt."

                "Yes,

it did. It was supposed to be burned. My sister went off the deep end out here

at this camp. Father wanted everything she had from here destroyed."

                Douglas

looked a bit sour and his voice was flat. "Do you wish me to burn it now?"

                His

accent had also diminished from earlier in the day. There seemed little point

in not keeping up his charade.

                Father

steepled his fingers and frowned. "No, there's no point in it now."

                "Father,

what happened to Aunt Lia?"

                The man

sighed. "Everyone said that she lost her wits. They say it had something to do

with seeing the monster that lives under the lake."

                "Monster?"

                Father

shook his head and stared at the two of them. "Yes, there is a legend, and I

think you already know about it. If you have Lia's papers, that was all she

could talk about; that damned creature."

                "Did

you ever see it?"

                "No.

Yes." He shivered. "Maybe. It is hard to tell one thing from another at night,

and during the day, this thing never made an appearance. But I will say I had

an experience."

                Angelica

smiled. "You called it a monster. Did it ever kill anyone?"

                "No

dear, not that I know of. Tales tell of a few swimmers who made it back to

shore when they thought all was lost. They couldn't remember how they made it,

only that it had to be some unseen force. But to my knowledge, no one has ever

died here."

                "That's

what Douglas was telling me. Look! This article tells of a couple of ladies who

lost their oars in the middle of the lake. Their boat made it back to shore

safely; against the wind!"

                Father

pulled up a chair and sat down, heedless of the dust marring his good pants. "I

know the tales. They are part of the reason I bought this place. Lia was always

so intense when describing that creature. But everything she talked of was

absolutely insane. She would tell us of traveling underwater, and of reaching

out and touching fish as they swam by. It was crazy, for no one can breathe

underwater!"

                Douglas

was wisely keeping his mouth shut. The gentleman was very nice and all, but if

he discovered, or remembered that the lifeguard at the resort back when he was

a child was the same "man" his daughter had been spending the last few hours

with would have driven him over the edge. It was a bit amazing how people would

dismiss the obvious; to turn away the facts that their eyes showed them, only

because they could not comprehend such truths that were contrary to what they

thought they knew.

                "I seem

to have forgotten a lot of those stories, though they were common enough in the

day." He looked up at Douglas. "Son, thank you from the bottom of my heart for

salvaging all of this material. You two have fun looking through it all."

                He got

up to go.

                "Where

are you going father?"

                "I'm

going to go down to the water and see what else I can remember. I bought this

place for the memories it held, and thanks to you two, those memories are

flooding back. When I was a kid, I spent hours looking out over the water to

see the fabled creature. I don't know why I ever gave up on it."

                He

stepped out of the cabin and wandered back down to the dock, took his shoes and

socks off and dangled his feet in the cool water. He didn't even seem to mind

that his pant legs were getting soaked.

                Angelica

turned to her paramour. "So do you think father will approve of us?"

                "I

cannot say. That is why I wanted to wait before we did anything too physical.

Your aunt didn't lose her mind; she gained it. Females of your kind are often

subjugated, whether that be intentional or not. You can have minds as canny as

the men, and in some cases, more so. Your aunt was one of them. What does she

do now, if I might ask?"

                "She

lives happily in a small bungalow where she spends her days painting and

sculpting. She writes poetry, and when the mood strikes her, I have been told

she goes swimming in the nude."

                Douglas

smiled. "Did she ever marry?"

                "No.

She said she gave her heart away once, and she never got it back."

                He

sighed. "Yes, there are downsides to cavorting with the likes of me. It is one

of the reasons I have remained without a partner for so long.  It is difficult to find the right person to

have the strength to hold their own. Your dear aunt was the closest I ever came

to having a mate. Her father took her away and that was the last I ever saw of

her."

                There

was anger and sadness in his voice.

                "I

sorry about that."

                "Tis

not your fault little one," he replied, a bit of the accent returning to his

voice. "What is done is done."

                "I

would be willing..."

                "I know

you are; perhaps too much. Tis a good thing to have spirit. Indeed a heart can

make the most unbreakable of bonds. At the same time, it upon itself can be

broken quite easily. Tis a fine line to tread when dealing with such a fragile

part of the anatomy."

                "And if

I said that I loved you?"

                He

stopped and stared at her. "Then I would 

say you were foolish."

                "Do you

love me?"

                "No."

                Instead

of being crestfallen, the fire seemed to rise to her eyes. "Do you think I'm

capable of loving you?"

                "Yes."

                "That

is a better answer."

                "You

asked a better question!"

                "Douglas?"

                "Yes?"

                "Did

you and my aunt...you know...ever make love?"

                "Are

you sure you wish to hear the truth?"

                "Yes."

                He let

out a long breath. "Yes, many times. We swam naked, and we make love in the

water, under the trees, on top of the mosses, even in the mud. She was a lover

like I had not found in decades."

                "So it

was you then."

                "Who

was?"

                "When I

would spend time with her, she would tell me stories that would have

scandalized mother to no end. She told me about her lover, and how no man had

ever compared after him. I think that's why she gave up looking. She referred

to you as her Casanova."

                He

chuckled. "It makes for a good lover when you understand what your partner

needs."

                "And

what do I need?"

                His

chuckle was cut off. "Companionship. Trust. Someone to take an interest in who

you are and what you desire. Someone to give you freedom before your desire for

it is trampled underfoot."

                Her

eyes welled up with tears. "Couldn't you just have made love to me and not have

said all of that?"

                "No.

You asked and I spoke. If you wish to have someone take your virginity from you

and then leave you hanging, then find some boy your own age. I think you would

find most will be thrilled with the prospect, though the magnificence of it

would be wasted on them. Tis not the physical act that is important, but how

you emotionally feel about it. You will remember your first time for the rest

of your life, and it will set the mood for all future experiences."

                "You're

rather forthcoming in your manner of speaking, you know that?"

                "Yes. I

will not tell you what I do not think to be true."

                "Douglas?"

                "Yes

Angelica?"

                "Can we

make love in the lake tonight? Just you and I?"

                "Are

you sure that is what you truly desire?"

                "My

body tells me so, my mind tells me so, and my heart is in agreement. When I

first saw you, I was taken in. I felt it was a foolish girlish crush, though

part me still feels that it very well may be just that. But you have shown me

things that you didn't have to, and you have taken care not to take advantage

of me, and for that I thank you with all of my fiber. I wanted you before, and

I want you even more now. I would love to strip here and have to take me, but I

think that doing it in your lake would have much more meaning."

                "You have

your family's traits to you my young beauty. Your aunt was very much the same

way."

                "Why

didn't you go after her?"

                "Because

I cannot leave here, not with any ease. 

Crossing the ocean was no small task."

                "How

did you do it?"

                He got

a wry look on his face. "In the freshwater tank of an ocean liner. Had the crew

and passengers ever found out, I have a feeling they would have torn me to

shreds."

                She

looked confused for a moment before the facts of such a stowaway plan hit her.

Everyone used the bathroom. Everyone. And people were using that water. For

everything.

                She

burst out in merriment at the thought of such a situation. Even drinking the clearest

stream water meant that each mouthful was going to have the tiniest bits of

excrement from fishes and such. It was truly better then to be ignorant of such

things then to understand just what was going on in the world around you. She

was beginning to grasp why her kind seemed so obtuse about so many things. It

you couldn't control it, you strove to ignore it. It made her think of the

author Upton Sinclair and his early books, which she had managed to read

despite her parents disapproval of such stark realities.  The author was quoted as say that it is difficult to get a man to understand

something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it. Father

often ignored much to make his money.

                Douglas

was under no one's sway. He took no pay, unless he truly was here under the

employ of the previous owner. It hardly mattered, for he seemed to cherish nothing

more than his lake and his memories. He only had his relics that were spread

out on the floor and seemingly little else. Though she did remember his silver

bit.

                "Douglas,

can I ask a question?"

                "Aye,

you may lass."

                "What's

the story with your mouthpiece? You know, that silver bit that you seem to need

to go from one body to another?"

                His look

became grim. "Aye, tis necessary for me to go from one form to another."

                "But I

don't understand the meaning behind it."

                "Aye

child, and perhaps it would be better if you did not. There are some things in

this world best left to the imagination."

                "It

can't be all that bad can it? I mean, someone had to make it in the first

place, correct?"

                "Aye

child, that they did. And that is where we will leave it for the moment."

                She

heard the pain in his voice and wanted to desist in asking, but she had to know

more. "Douglas, if you won't tell me who made it and why, can you answer me

something else?"

                "What?"

came his heavy hearted reply.

                "What

would happen if you lost it?"

                He

inhaled deeply and held it before letting the breath return to the outside air.

                "I will

cease to exist."

                "You'll

die?"

                "Pretty

much the same thing lass."

                "Oh.

Will you die immediately?"

                "No. I

have a day's respite before that happens. Why do you ask?"

                "I wish

to understand you better. If you were either just a horse, or just a man, it

would be easier. I think I must understand everything that binds you together."

                He

actually smiled. "Curiosity and compassion; never let those traits fade my

dear. They will take you farther in your life than you can ever begin to

fathom.  As for what binds me together, I

will not speak of that now. But what I am you are free to discover for

yourself."

                "I'll

hold you to that Douglas. I'll meet you down by the water tonight after it

turns dark. I will have to slip away unnoticed. Thankfully I have a room to

myself."

                "And

I'll be there, you may be assured, whether you make it or not. The lake is my

home, and is when I am nowhere else, that is where I will be."

                They

parted ways. Angelica was very quiet, lost in thought as her mind tried to

grasp all that she had learned. Douglas was not as young as he seemed, even

though he looked only a good ten years her senior. Whatever his appearance, she

could feel his age in his words. She could only imagine how many decades he had

lived here, away from his birthplace, if indeed he had been born in the normal

sense.

                She

knew she should feel fear in his presence, and yet, all she felt was a growing

emotion she could only call love. Infatuation was the one that her logical side

kept throwing up at her, but she refused to accept it. Whatever he was, she was

the match for him, she knew it. Her poor aunt had her shot, and her family had

ruined it for her. Angelica wasn't going to let that happen, no matter what.

                Supper

was nice, if a bit simple. Mother just didn't have the ingredients available to

her that she had at home, but her cooking was wonderful nonetheless. Father

noted her self-absorbed musing and poked her with his finger.

                "So

Angel, why so quiet?"

                "Sorry

father. I was thinking about all the stories Douglas told me today. He seems to

know an awful lot about this place."

                "Yes, I

keep meaning to ask him if his father was the lifeguard back when I was a

child. It would make sense, for the two of them look nearly identical. Of

course, that was a long time ago and my memories of events here are rather

tilted towards being more gilt than they probably should be."

                "As a

matter of fact, he did grow up here. I didn't ask him when his father died,

because I thought it would be callous and rude. "

                Mother

spoke up. "As you well know better. It is impolite to ask such things." Then

she got a look of horror on her face. "Is there a cemetery nearby? I don't want

to live near a cemetery!"

                Father

brushed her question aside. "There is no cemetery within five miles of here I

think. I explored for miles around the lake when I was young, and I can assure

you that it was nothing but wilderness as far as I could walk."

                That

ended that, though she could hear a tone in his voice that made her look at him

intently. He had a dreamy look in his eyes. She was beginning to wonder if he

had lied to her about seeing the creature. Douglas might have great power, but

she doubted he could keep track of everyone at all times., so it was possible

he had been seen and not known about it.

                She got

up and kissed him on the cheek. "Good night father. Maybe you can tell me some

stories in the morning."

                He

blinked and sat up straighter.  "Stories?

I don't know. I was told to never mention them to anyone."

                "By

whom?"

                "Father."

                She

kept quiet. Her grandfather was dead, but he had been a kind, if no-nonsense

Christian man. She could piece together the strife that would have been caused

by Aunt Lia and her tendency to do things her own way. If her own father had

witnessed something, then he either had repressed it, or valued keeping the

peace by withholding any information he had. Her mother would likely be

scandalized hearing about naked frolicking in the water.

                She

turned and went to her room, closed and locked the door and opened the window

despite the evening insects flying about. She stripped off her clothes and

looked at herself in the mirror. She thought she was too pale, too skinny and

too girlish. But as she rotated to get a side view, she was struck by how much

she had filled out recently. It came so gradually that she had hardly noticed.

Her breasts were the size of cut grapefruit, with the nipples standing to

attention in cherry red. Her pubic hair, once sparse and wispy, was now a

triangular patch of brown.  The hair on

her head matched it, though it was of course longer, reaching her shoulders in

the fashion of the day.

                She ran

her fingers through her crotch, wondering if he would approve of her. He had

seen her of course, but his reluctance to bed her could be taken as an insult. Still,

she believed him and his reasons. In a few hours she would know one way or

another.

                A

finger strayed into her damp hole. With a little touch, she found herself weak

in the knees. She looked around the room, grabbed a spare pillowcase and set in

on the bed. She lay herself out on the comforter and closed her eyes. She

wanted him so badly she could nearly feel what he was going to be like.

                Her

finger played with that little pink protuberance that had a name that no one

ever talked about. But her aunt had told her what it was, and how it worked.

She told her of other things to, things that had made her cheeks flush with

embarrassment. Those words came back to her now, and they seemed some of the

wisest that had ever had spoken to her.

                Her

aunt had told her of the ways of a man and a woman, but more than that, she had

told her of things you could do that weren't acceptable to the morally

righteous folks, but that were pleasurable beyond all reason. One of them was a

manner in which a woman pleased a man by taking his organ into her mouth and

sucking.

                Angelica

had found the idea repulsive at the time, but now... She imagined what it was

like. She placed her middle finger of her left hand in her mouth and sucked on

it. Her other hand was busy down below, making her leg twitch as her fingertip

rubbed herself into a frenzy.  She came

quickly, biting down on her finger until it hurt. But keeping quiet was

paramount when mother and father were around. Bobby, well he was less of a

problem, but still, she did her best to keep the noise to a minimum.

                She

thought about his manhood in her mouth and remembered her teeth. She was going

to have to be careful what she did tonight, for his cock was farther larger

than her finger. And she had a feeling it was a lot more sensitive than her

digit.

                She

pictured him on the dock, and that sidelong view she got of him. She had seen

him naked again later, and the thought of having him inside her was nearly all

consuming.  She wanted him like her mother

craved chocolate.  No; she doubted mother

had a craving that all-consuming. But then, she knew her parents made love, for

there were times when she had snuck up to their bedroom door. And besides,

where did she and Bobby come from, if not from the act of having sex?

                Her

finger returned to her crotch, forcing into the tight little opening she knew

was a hymen. Her aunt's doing, that little bit of knowledge. She was very open

about all things, especially those things others considered dirty and low. But

her aunt had apprised her that without that act, there would be very few living

creatures on this earth. Birds did it, sheep did it, dogs did it; cats, rats

and bats did it.

                More

importantly, if one watched them, it was obvious that they enjoyed it. There

was nothing dirty about it. It was a necessary part of life, and it was one

made enjoyable just to make sure that those who needed to do it did it as they

should.

                Would

she, Angelica get to be with child? She wasn't certain how she felt about that.

The idea scared her to no ends, and yet if she were to ever have a child, how

could it not be with him?

                Her

finger worked her insides, at one point getting vigorous enough to make her

yelp. She had torn the membrane a little in her enthusiasm. She would be glad

to be rid of the damn thing, for all of the trouble it caused her. Her aunt had

made herself some "toys" that would never have penetrated Angelica's hole in its

present near-pristine state. She had been told to save herself for her future

husband, whoever he might end up being. Douglas hardly seemed the marrying

kind, but he was going to be her choice, regardless of what anyone else thought

of it.

                The

idea that her aunt had made out with the same man she was about to sent a

thrill through her. A girl was supposed to look up to her husband (lover?) and

he was supposed to be older, but this was pushing that boundary to new heights.

                As

these thoughts flitted through her head, her finger found that spot inside that

felt great when prodded properly. After having satiated herself once, a little

slow buildup was in order. Her tissues inside convulsed gently as she stroked

that spot with a firm but gentle touch.  She was already edgy, so she slowed her

motions down and thought about Douglas.

                She had

never considered losing her virginity in the water, but then again, her aunt

had mentioned the efficiency of it. Water washed away the blood, leaving behind

no evidence for anyone to find. There was wisdom in it, when one wanted to make

their first time a clandestine tryst.

                She

stroked herself until she couldn't take it anymore. Her fingering got vigorous

and her body began shuddering until she stopped and grabbed the sides of the

mattress.  She relaxed and let the

feeling wash over her.

                When

she awoke a little while later, the sky was dark and the cabin quiet.  She threw on her robe only, deciding that the

less she took with her, the less she had to remember to bring back. She even

went in bare feet, though she was careful to take a roundabout way down to the

water to throw off anyone who might decide to follow her.

                Sure

enough, as she came to the dock, there was Douglas in human form.  He was sitting there, much like her father

had been, dangling his bare legs in the water. She undid the robe and carefully

folded it. Taking a position beside him, she leaned in and kissed his shoulder.

                "Hello

my dear kelpie."

                "Hello

my sweet aingeala"

                It

sounded a lot like her name, but with his accent thrown in. "What was that?"

                "Aingeala.

That is the equivalent of your name in the language used by the land dwellers

from where I come. Are you unaware of what you are named after?"

                "Father

calls me his angel."

                "As he

should, but Angelica is a plant, known to be sweet smelling, aromatic and

pleasing to all of the senses. Just like you."

                The

blush in her cheeks became maddeningly hot.  Even her feet felt warm, despite the cool

water they were sloshing in.  Worse of

all, her crotch sudden went into a fit of itchiness.  She wanted nothing more than to put her finger

back down there, but was embarrassed to express such an open sexuality in front

of him. However, the thought of throwing herself at him was equally repugnant.

She had to retain a small amount of her dignity to prove what sort of person

she really was. She didn't want him to think she was wanton in her ways.

                "Did

you spend the past few hours thinking that one up?"

                "Do you

mean my words? No. They just came to me now."

                The

blush grew stronger.

                "You

mean what you say?"

                "Why

would I say something I do not mean?"

                "People

lie all the time."

                "Yes, I

understand that. But what is the use of it, except when the information they

seek will do more harm than good? I therefore say what I mean, and I mean what

I say. I am not above lying, but I do so when the truth would prove to be

painful."

                "Do you

really think I'm special?"

                He

leaned over and put his arm around her shoulder. "That remains to be seen. You

are beautiful and full of vitality. In this you share a common bond with your

aunt. But whether or not you prove to be what I am looking for, that remains to

be seen."

                "What

are you looking for?"

                "A

companion."

                "Do you

mean a wife?"

                "No.

That is a human concept. You make rules, draw up papers, have someone say a few

words before you speak your agreement to love and cherish, have and hold, and

all those other things that need not be said. If you have feelings for one

another, those words are only dim echoes of what is felt deep inside."

                "True.

I know of people getting a divorce after only a few years. That always makes me

feel sad. But you forgot a few things about weddings; the flowers, the dress,

the rings that a man and a woman exchange."

                "Rings?

Yes, they are a mere symbol too. If your heart is not pure; if your mind is not

set, then all the words and all the symbols will mean naught. Two hearts become

one and nothing will ever tear them asunder if the meld is complete."

                "Meld?

People don't meld!"

                "Sure

they do, if the love is strong enough."

                "So you

think father and mother have melded?"

                He was

silent for a moment. "I think your mother loves your father, and your father

loves your mother, but I think that under duress; when put to the test, their

love would fail. It is well and good to say you love a person and another to

show it."

                "Well,

mother accepted his desire to buy this land and build a house here."

                "That

is nothing, for it is his money, is

it not? Therefore, she is losing nothing in this endeavor except perhaps some

comfort from her daily routines. What will she say when he sits down by the water

night after night trying to find something he thinks he has lost?"

                "I

don't understand!"

                "Of

course not. You have lost nothing yet little one."

                She

giggled nervously. "I will be losing my virginity soon. I certainly won't be

coming back to look for it."

                He

leaned down and kissed her head. "The physical things we lose are rarely the

ones we miss the most. If you drop a coin, you can get another. A piece of

jewelry - the same. But what of your innocence? What of your lost love? What of

your will to live? These things hold more value to them than all of the gold in

the world, but you never value them until they are gone."

                "So you

don't think that my upcoming loss will be memorable for me?"

                "That

depends. Why do you think of it as a loss? Will you not be gaining something in

return?"

                She

remembered earlier, how the membrane was more trouble than it was worth. Once

it was gone, she could play with herself to her heart's content. And with it

gone, there was no longer any need to "save" herself. She had no plans of going

out and playing the slut, but it was nice to not have to worry about the whole

thing anymore. And Douglas, whatever he was, seemed as perfect a match for her

as any boy she had met up to this point. "

                "You

make a good argument. I was thinking earlier how much of a burden my present position

is to me. Aunt Lia was very open about her private life, at least with me she

was."

                "There

is so much more to concentrate on than the particulars of sex and mating. While

I will readily admit that I enjoy the company of a female, finding one that

will provide the proper match is very important. That is why you must be here

of your own free will."

                "I came

didn't I?" She splashed the water with her feet. "Can we do it now?"

                "We

can, if you like. I'd suggest somewhere to the side, where we at least won't be

immediately spotted from the cabin."

                She

slid into the water, and on a lark, leaned down into the opening in the sunken

boat and rummaged around. She came up a moment later with the silver bit.

                "Shall

we bring this with us?"

                His

eyes went wide before narrowing to dark points. "Yes, please do."

                She

hung it around her neck and waded until the water was chest high before

breaking into a swim. He followed right behind her. They worked their way to an

area thick with reeds and when they found it just the right depth, stopped.

                He

turned to face her as she still bobbed along in the water. She smiled and then

grinned as she sank beneath the surface of the lake. He was mystified for a

moment until he felt her hands on his hips, and the unexpectedly, her mouth on

his manhood. She had certainly learned a few things from her aunt! Ophelia had

known nothing of such things when they had first met! She must have taken her

newfound freedom and explored much on her own!

                Such an

action was unheard of, and yet, he found the sensation to be very enjoyable. As

it was, she would come to no harm underwater, for she had the protection of the

bit, though she likely knew this not.  She would assume that he had some sort of

magic that would protect her, and for now, that little error would be best

served if left uncorrected.

                Angelica

was thrilled to touch his organ. It was large, much larger than her finger and

of a size that made her think for a moment if she was truly ready for the

experience of having it penetrate her innermost sanctum. The answer in her

chest was a speeding up of her heartbeat, followed by a rush of blood to her

loins, which despite the cool water threatened to burst into flame.

                Remembering

to restrain her teeth, she sucked in the tip, ran her tongue over it, and then

pulled it in a little at a time. She knew there was no way she was going to

engulf the whole thing with her mouth, not like Aunt Lia said an experienced

lady could, but she was going to do her best. 

There was no taste, not that she expected one precisely. Still, she was

conscious of his aroma, his warmth and his manliness. She also had seen his

other side, and that made her present action even more daring. The thought of

doing anything sexual with a horse was much more forbidden than her present

situation.

                She

pushed that picture out of her head and opened her eyes to see what she could

see of his body. The night was dark, but she seemed to be able to visualize her

surroundings, and his pubic hair was a darker mass against his tanned skin. Her

hands went to his testicles, more out of curiosity than the sexual thrill of

it. She was interested in what made a man a man. She had played with her own

body; now it was time to play with someone else's.

                Douglas

instinctively put his hands down into the water and found her head, the dark curls

swaying gently in the water as her head moved in and out, her mouth working

over his manhood with a skill that seemed innate. She certainly could not have

learned it by experience, not from what he knew of her. Like her aunt, she

seemed to pick up on those things that were basal to the link that bonded a

male with a female. One of them was learning to be comfortable with the other.

He knew plenty of tricks of his own, so finding that his new partner was quick

to adapt to their unfolding relationship proved to him that his impression of

her was right on the money.

                He

closed his eyes and groaned as she ran her lithe tongue across his flesh,

making him ache for all of the unfulfilled years he had spent here, residing in

this lonely lake once filled with so much life. He had thought to lose hope;

the sounds of laughter and joy had often been the only solace he had in his exile.

And then there had been Ophelia. But he had lost her to the unkindness of an

interfering father. Would Angelica's father be the same, or would he come

around to his wits before he managed to muddle up this, perhaps his last chance

at happiness.

                There was

something to be said for repaying old debts, but not everyone understood the

significance of that.

                Angelica

rubbed her fingers over his scrotum, feeling his testicles inside, and becoming

intrigued as they seemed to move with a life of their own. She had such little

knowledge of the human body, it being something that had to be stumbled upon in

this day and age, for few people even discussed it much less allowed it to be

taught. Even her aunt's information was limited to what she had discovered on

her own.

                His

cock was a good eight inches long, she was sure, and try though she might, she

could not managed to take it all in without gagging. She was so wrapped up in

what she was doing that it never once dawned on her that she had been

underwater for many minutes without taking a breath. Or perhaps she assumed his

magic was going to work for her whenever he willed it, as he had assumed that

she was assuming. Either way, she was focusing on the task at hand, and was

soon sucking on his erection for all she was worth.

                She was

rewarded with his fingers clamping down on her head, firmly but without undo

force. This simple action was all she needed to know that what she was doing

was something that made him feel good. It took only a few more minutes before

she could feel him tense up, and then in the next instant her mouth was flooded

with a warm and slightly salty fluid.

                It

caught her by surprise, so she let go of him and spit it out, watching his seed

dissipate in a milky cloud of white. With a hesitant start, she surfaced with

just her head down to her eyes exposed. He was standing there, chest heaving

and eyes closed, his fingers still entwined in her hair. He parted his eyelids

and spoke, in a low, quiet tone.

                "Aye,

if you not be the one, then there is no one at all in the world for me."

                She

stood tall, allowing the water to roll off her bare skin in tiny rivulets of

clear, star-bespeckled drops.

                "And if

you'll have me, I'll be yours forever."

                "Be

careful what you say girl; forever is a real possibility."

                "You

can't be that old!"

                "No,

but time has yet to end."

                She ran

that through her mind. Some of her relatives had lived long lives, but a

hundred years wasn't really forever, even if it might feel that way.

                "I'll

be willing to stay by your side until you die."

                "And if

I never do?"

                "Then I

guess you're stuck with me for a very long time!"

                "Stuck?

That is nothing like the term I would find more proper to describe a future

life with you."

                "And

what might that be?"

                "Privileged

might be a starter."

                "So you

say." Because of his words her eyes sparkled and her chest heaved, shifting the

silver bit where it rested between her breasts. She still was unclear if this

was all a play to get her to lay with him, or if he really did have such strong

feelings for her. She had heard of love at first sight, and was unsure how to

tell it from an imposter.

                "Yes, I

do say. Know this, Angelica; I have to assume that my previous encounter with

your aunt was not meant to be culminated as I thought it should be, or else you

would not be here now."

                "Did

you love her?"

                "I like

to think I did. I think I still do. Does that bother you?"

                "I'm

not sure Douglas. Can a person love more than one at a time?"

"Does your father love you?"

"Of course he does!"

"Does he love your brother as

well?"

"Yes!"

"And your mother? Does he love

her?"

"Fine. I see your point. Would you

marry her if you could?"

"Marry is what your kind does among

themselves. I think I told you that. Do I still care for her? Yes I do. But we

have been separated, so no good would ever come from being together again."

She looked into his eyes and saw

nothing but the truth there.

"Do you consider me a second best

choice?"

"I consider you a second chance;

but not a second best choice. Fate interrupted one, and perhaps they have seen

fit to give me another. Or perhaps the first was merely setting the stage for

this."

She mulled over that. "So you're

saying that meeting my aunt was just preparation for meeting me?"

"I'm sure I couldn't say lass. But

I'd like to think that's the case."

"Hmmm. I could go with that I

guess."

She leaned up and put her arms

around his neck. He hardly faltered in his position as she pulled herself up

and kissed him on the lips. He braced his feet in the bottom mud, finding the

layer of clay just underneath it.  Firm

hands found her rounded buttocks as he supported her with his muscular arms.

His mouth met hers and returned her kiss with more passion than he had allowed

himself to express in many a long year.

His blood caught fire, setting

loose a raging inferno inside. He sensed a similar condition in the girl. If

tonight was to prove as he hoped, they had to let down any and all barriers.

There was a risk in doing that, but what was life without risks? The answer was

simple enough.

Unbearable

Unbearable is what his life was; as

it had been for most of it after fleeing the persistent persecution back home.

And now it seemed that the circle was going to be finally closed. It was truly

a matter that involved the fates and those who directed them.

Angelica compressed herself against

him, her nipples pressing sharply into his flesh as the tip of his cock

snuggled carefully at the entrance of the antechamber to her womb. She had to

fight the urge to push down and get the waiting over with. She was already so

twitchy that she was trembling with expectation.

He pulled back just a little and

stared into her eyes. "There will be no turning back. Once we do this, it is

done. What happens afterwards remains to be seen."

"Seen? Felt is more like it. Why do

you wait? Can't you tell I'm ready?"

"I can tell you're ready, but I

feel it is honorable to give you a last chance to avoid what may come as a

result of our dalliance."

"I wish to avoid nothing that

involves you."

"So be it then."

He lowered her until his cock was

pressing tightly against the last remnant of her childhood. His hands relaxed,

allowing her to settle down on her own, which she did. She could feel the

warmth of his body concentrated there at the tip of his organ. Her toes dug

into the back of his legs as she bore down. For a moment there was nothing, and

then a flash of searing pain that blinded her.

As her eyesight cleared, she

shuddered as that organ of his slipped into her, spreading that which made her

a female and filling her in a manner she could never have dreamed of. Her

finger had merely been fun. This was phenomenal! Never had she considered that

a man could touch off the fireworks that were exploding inside. Her fingernails

dug into his back as her head arched backwards, dipping her hair into the water

once again.

From her vocal cords came a groan;

half pleasure and half pure, unadulterated, animalistic sexual instinct.  Something inside snapped. Any reservations

she had fled like mice before a cat in that moment. If he was not the one, then

she wanted no one else - ever.

Douglas closed his eyes as they

merged their bodies. Sex was sex, so the act in itself was not new to him. What

he was waiting for was the sudden charge of energy that he was hoping was going

to hit them. It had happened only once, and sadly it not had been with this

girl's wonderful aunt. No, it had happened a very long time ago. It should have

only been a once in a lifetime event.

Thanks to ignorant people that bond

had been broken. It was ironic how it was seemingly going to be somewhat

restored, though in this case, a full repair was impossible. But reparations

came in forms not often foreseeable at the outset of a problem.

The jolt hit him. It hit him hard.

It wasn't just sex. It was one life force joining with another. The electricity

built up until her hair, despite being wet, arced through the air as though it

were still in the water. He could feel the energy running through his hands

where they touched her skin, and her felt a thrumming in his bones that rattled

his teeth.

Angelica looked quite, how do I say

this without sounding flippant? She looked like an angel. Her hair formed a

halo around her head, and her skin glowed like in the biblical tales of old. If

not for her present position of being impaled on his cock, she might very well

have been mistaken for being a messenger from the lord of above.

The look on her face was pure

rapture, and her eyes were filled with nothing but the sight of him. To her, he

looked as glorious as she felt, and in that moment, she knew she was meant to

be with him. The duration of time from her family entering this forgotten

resort to this point now was too short to be real, and yet there was no denying

that whatever had brought them together had done so with a majestic purpose to

it.

She stared into his eyes even as

she moved her hips, pressing down tightly to put as much of him into her as her

present, inexperienced form would allow. The smile that crossed her face was quite

lascivious, and the pressure from her nails was threatening to tear his flesh

in the shape of little crescent moons. She suddenly and fully understood why

her aunt was the way she was. She could also see why society might try to rein

in such extravagance. This was something money simply could not buy, and in the

right hands, such pleasure could eclipse all other forms of enjoyment and

entertainment.

She ground her hips down harder and

harder, and Douglas held her firmly in his grip, but the force she was exerting

was driving his feet deeper and deeper into the bottom. It was hardly what he

would have called romantic, so with an effort he pulled his feet loose and

began wading towards the deeper water. A trail of swirling muddy water followed

until he was far enough out to drop and swim.

Well, swim might not be the correct

word. They floated; they made love and they knew nothing else but the liquid

that surrounded them.  It was as if the

water supplied all of her needs. Whereas above the surface she would have been

gasping for air due to her exertions, underneath all was calm.

Calm with the exception of their

hearts, which beat as one. Calm with the exception of their amour, which flamed

and rose like an inferno; calm except for the two bodies which thrashed and

rolled in the waters of a lake long forgotten. Calm was a disguise the lake

gave them, hiding their entwined bodies below its mirrored surface.

Angelica clung to him as a drowning

swimmer clings to a life preserver. She had only just met this man, for he was

a man whether he wished to think of himself as one or not. And she was a lady.

She had come here as a girl, and was now well past that immature stage of

womanhood. And if this was how her new life was going to start, she couldn't

wait to see how it was going to progress. The adventures that awaited her had

to be too numerous to imagine!

His manhood was part of her now,

and the throbbing length of it found places inside her she didn't know existed.

That spot where it rubbed something firm, something that made her insides move,

she just knew that was her womb it was caressing. If she could open it up to

him, she would have gladly done it. As it was, the thought of conceiving was no

longer terrifying.

It was a welcome thought.

Douglas, for his part in this was

as thrilled as the day he had connected with his very first mate, a heart-achingly

long time ago. He missed her still, but was wise enough to know that dwelling

on it was a poor substitute for finding another partner. That Ophelia had been

within his grasp and then lost still burned his moral self-righteousness, but

the males in that line were steadfast in their desire to protect what they

thought was theirs. So too had been Douglas, and when his mate had been taken

away, much destruction had occurred that day.

Those memories were more palatable

to him now, as his body swaying under the movements of his newfound love. The fates,

nay the eldritch creatures that looked over the lands had heard his pleas so

long ago and had taken it to heart. While it had taken such a long time in being

fulfilled mattered not now. It was only important that it was fulfilled.

Angelica let out a cry, albeit a

silent one, as for the first time ever she didn't have to try and stifle her

natural reaction to the pleasure that coursed through her body. The fact that

her ears heard nothing didn't matter. She was finally able to release the pent

up energy that had been building in her body since the transformation from

child to teen had been progressing.

Now she was filled with a passion

which seemed to know no bounds. Her soul was suddenly overflowing with so many things,

and while most were difficult to understand, she recognized that they were

feelings and memories that belonged to Douglas. She saw faces, among them her

aunt when she was the same age as Angelica was now. She saw other faces, angry

dark faces that were filled with hate and distrust.

She would have to ask him about

them. She had a feeling that had something to do with her, though for the life

of her, she had no idea what that would be.

Douglas felt a wash of clean

feelings and desires brighten his own darkened soul. It was like a blind person

suddenly seeing for the very first time. It was as though the sun had come out

after a lengthy and terrible storm.

She was the one. He could have

search a hundred years, and yet here was his chance at being happy right before

him. Having a female come to him once was a fluke; having a related female show

up on his doorstep was not a matter of chance, despite how it looked. He only

hoped that her father wasn't one to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors. Those

Scots were a tough bunch, but they were stupidly stubborn. As one of the kinder

ones had told him, after the minor war had been waged between him and them; they be nothing more than boggin bassas me

friend. I am so sorry any of this happened." He had referred to the

villagers as smelly idiots. Even in his distress, Douglas had managed a laugh.

Now the laugh was on them.

The girl dug into his flesh with a

mighty, joint wrenching conclusion as her body war torn by a terrific orgasm. Her

eyes were wide open, and her mouth as well, but no sound came out and there was

nothing for her eyes to see except the red of her blood as it rushed through

her body with the pressure to burst the vessels meant to contain it.

 It was mind-numbingly awesome.

She lost her grip on him and

floated gently, still attached at the hip to him. He took her relaxation as a

cue to take over. Snagging her shoulder and holding her close, he felt her

rapidly beating heat booming in her chest. He kicked his feet, driving them

deeper into the depths.

There, he enveloped her and drove

his manhood into her with repeated blows. Her eyes went wide again, and her

nails found purchase in his sides, but the pain was muted by the pleasure they

were engaged in. He had dealt with enough pleasure and pain to know which of

the two to ignore.

Their bodies thrashed and rolled in

the darkened arena of their choice; thrashed until his seed came pouring out

again, this time to fill her nether regions to overflowing. His entire body

seemed consumed with the act, and his crushing strength held tightly onto her

until the pumping faded away.

They clung to each other, falling

asleep for a while in the captivating stillness. Angelica woke first and

looking upwards, she could see the dim glow of a partial moon as it hung over

the lake. She wondered what time it was and if she had been missed. In her

heart she was sorry for any distress she might have caused, but given the

chance, she would do this all over again without alteration.

He opened an eye and watched her

staring upwards. She turned her attention to him, and with a tired but

satisfied look on his face, he kicked his legs, sending them to the top. Their heads

broke the surface as one. She looked about her, seeing the dock barely discernible

in the distance. There seemed to be someone on it, but for the moment she cared

not a bit as to who it was. She had the only man she needed here in her arms.

She leaned in and hugged him

fiercely, pulling back when the pressure from the bit that lay on her chest

became unbearable. She pulled away, grabbed the metal object and held it in

front of her eyes, all the while watching Douglas too. Then, with a sudden wave

of mischievousness, she opened her mouth and placed the bit inside, just like

he had done.

Douglas was motionless. This was

the telltale moment.

Electricity ran through her,

illuminating her hair from the brownish black it had been to a brilliant white.

She went to scream but the bit held her mouth tightly closed. It was like

riding his back in horse form. She was powerless to move against it.

The water around her began to glow

and froth. Douglas shook his head and power-stroked back to shore. Some situations

where better to not be around when they happened. He too saw the lone figure on

the dock and made his way there. As he got to the shoreline and turned, the

light and the bubbles were fading from sight. Angelica was nowhere to be seen.

Her father was sitting on the old

wooden boards, staring out to where the recent disruption had been. He turned

to Douglas and in an even voice said, "I have lost my daughter. You are the

monster you were once declared to be."

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Has anyone ever died here?"

"No. I almost did once."

Douglas sat down beside him. "I

know lad. You were a wee boy then. And your sister a pale beauty just like your

daughter."

Father sat up straighter. "I had

forgotten about almost drowning. It was you who saved me, wasn't it?"

"Aye, that it was."

"I can hardly be angry at losing my

daughter then, can I? If you had not saved me, I would never have married."

"True enough. But why do you human's

always look at what you think you lose? Look at what you gain!"

"What? You? I like you Douglas, but

I would prefer my own flesh and blood over someone else's."

"Nay, you stupid man. You aren't quite

as ignorant as your kinfolk, but you're close enough to it to raise my ire."

"Kinfolk?"

"You are Ian Macgregor, son of

Sean, son of Cormag. Your family owed me a debt. Did your father never mention

it?"

Father turned to him. "There was

talk of it, yes. But I was a child and I never understood what it all meant. IT

was why the family moved her to America."

"Your clan killed my mate. While

some might consider it an accident, it was done with willful ignorance."

"Murder? My family?"

"Yes. And I prayed to those powers

that could hear me to give me a suitable revenge. It was a long time coming,

but I think I have had the slate cleared."

"By killing my daughter?"

"You thick-skulled idiot! She is

not dead!"

"Something happened out there, and

she sank below the waves. You left her there."

At that moment, lightning struck

the middle of the lake, raising a cloud of steam and every hair on father's

head. He was blinded temporarily and his hearing buzzed. When both had cleared,

Douglas was back in the water, leaning into that old rotting hull. He pulled

something out and turned.

Father stared at what he held. It

was a silver bit. He had heard a few of the stories, but he had dismissed them

as supernatural and therefore impossible. He held it for a moment and looked at

the undecipherable inscriptions.

"Is this for her now?"

"Of course not. She has her own

already."

"What?"

"This one is mine. The other was

the one your ancestor stole from my mate. With it we can live for a very long

time. Without it we fade in a day's time. It is not something you lightly pilfer

from my kind.  I fought your kin to

recover it. To this day I have waited for someone of the Macgregor clan to come

to me. Your sister came so very close, but now it is done. Your daughter is now

the owner of the other bit, and with it she will be as I am. "

"So she can never leave this lake?"

"Leave it? If you mean can she come

onto dry land, why of course she can. And since you intend to build a house

here, what difference does it make? She will be close to you all the days of

your life."

"She won't age, will she?"

"Nay. She will be like me. It is no

bad thing, living endlessly, when you have someone to share your life with.

Out in the middle of the lake the

light and bubbles returned. Douglas patted father on the back. He placed the

bit into his mouth and waded from shore, shifting as he did. The dark horse

that took his place turned and spoke mentally, mind to mind.

"Ian Macgregor, I feel that you are

a good and kind man. Accept what has happened as being destiny, and do nothing

to try and alter it. You have lost nothing this day. What you have gained is

near-immortality for your daughter, and with any luck, grandchildren fit for

any man of noble birth."

"Children? Or colts?"

              The

horse actually laughed. "They will be one in the same my friend. You will see."

              With

that he made off to the middle of the lake, where a white form had risen from

the water. The alabaster head still glowed like some heavenly body pulled down

from the night sky above. In her human form she would never have suffered

through making love being unmatched as they were, but the playing field had

been leveled. She had not known there were two bits, his and a match. Her blind

grab had gotten her the one she was destined for, and everything fell into place.

With any luck, this property; the lake and all that surrounded it, would remain

in the family for generations to come. In kelpie terms, that was a very long

time indeed.