How to Boil a Frog

"Umm...dams?"

"Well, in some places it does, but nearly half our power comes from coal."

"But my friend, he was telling me how dirty coal was, and what it's doing to our environment."

"Unfortunately, it's a necessary evil. Big cities need big power, and coal is cheap and plentiful."

"But why do we need so much energy?" Kailey asked.

Joe smiled and pointed his finger right at her. "When I was a kid there were six people in my house and we shared one TV and one phone. Now, every person in every home has their own TV, their own phone, their own computer, iPods, Xboxes, Playstations, DVD players...you name it!"

"Well, I don't need that stuff," she said.

"You don't, but everybody else does. On the list of wants for most people your age, wanting to save our planet is right at the bottom."

She slumped forward with her head in her hands. "I know...I just wish there was a better way. Coal causes so much pollution."

"Yep, but it's the cheapest. And money's all that matters to most people."

"And what happens when the coal runs out?"

"I guess we'll have to find other alternatives for power."

"Then why aren't they doing it now?" Kailey said with a shrug. "If we know we're going to have to find alternatives anyway, why destroy our planet first -- let's find them sooner rather than later."

"Well, I'm sure they're looking, but in the meantime we need coal," he said.

"But coal...that's exactly what my friend warned me about. I didn't even realize he was talking about here, I thought he was talking in, like, third-world countries. He was saying how coal is causing catastrophic climate change, and then there's all the pollution and health problems it causes...like cancer."

As soon as she said the word a silence fell over the room. The wood popped in the fire as the rain fell outside, and Joe twisted his wedding ring as Kailey looked up at the canister on the shelf.

"That's what killed my dad...cancer," she said.

Joe crossed his arms, and said, "I'm sorry, but I doubt coal had anything to do with that."

"No, but I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that no one else has to go through what we went through."

"Kailey, I know what you and your dad went through -- "

"Do you?" she said. "If you did, I don't think you could do the job you do."

"Hey, don't start blaming me. It doesn't matter what either of us do -- it won't make a difference."

Kailey blinked at him in disbelief. "So we just give up? We just sit by and watch the human race die?"

"We're not going to die from coal."

"Not just coal, but it's part of it. Global warming, overpopulation, pollution, corporations...can't you see it? We're the frog, and the planet's about to boil and we don't even realize it.

"You've got a daughter, don't you want to save the planet for her?"

"Why do you keep asking me if I want to save the planet? I'm just one man -- nothing I do is going to make any impact."

"But it would," she said.

"How?"

She reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "You could start with these woods -- don't tell them about the coal, don't let them build a mine here."

Joe pulled his hand away. "Kailey, it's only one mine, and once the coal is gone the miners will be gone."

"When, in a hundred years? You know what they'll do, you know the damage and destruction that strip mining will do to these woods, slicing them open and bleeding them for coal. It's going to pollute the ground water, it's going to destroy the salmon streams and ruin the entire habitat for the wildlife when they cut down the trees.

"I mean, look around us. Look at this cabin, and the woods around it. It's so beautiful, so peaceful. But if you take those samples back, you'll be signing the forest's death warrant."

Joe sighed. "Kailey, this forest is beautiful, but there are others. The people I work with need to feed their families; they need these jobs and are counting on me to find more work for them. And I need the job too, I have a daughter to think of."

Kailey laughed bitterly. "You think this is good for your daughter? You think what you're doing is helping her future? Well it isn't -- it's destroying it! If you really loved her you'd -- "

Joe suddenly jumped up and his chair fell backward, slamming against the wooden floor.

"Don't ever say I don't love my daughter! You think I'm not worried about what the future has in store for her? Or for her children? That's why I'm doing this -- for her! I quit this business a year ago because I was sick of all the bullshit that goes on with the environmentalists, all the shit you're talking about. But I came back because I need the money to make sure she gets the education she needs.

"And you know why I'm doing that? Because I made a promise! You think you're the only person who has lost someone?" He tore open his shirt and Kailey shrank back as he thrust his hand close to her face, holding the gold ring on his necklace between his thumb and forefinger.

"This is my wife's wedding ring. And you know why I'm wearing it? Because she's dead. Cancer -- just like your dad. But before she died, I made her a promise. I promised her I'd take care of our daughter, and that's what I plan on doing!

"Paying for my wife's care ate up every cent of our life savings, including the money we'd saved for our daughter's education. And knowing that...knowing that damned disease wasn't just going to take her life, but had taken her daughter's future too...that tore my wife apart. So I promised her, swore to her that I'd get the money back. And tomorrow morning I'm going to keep my promise. I'm marching out of these woods and phoning in my report. And the bonus I get is going to make sure my daughter gets the education she deserves, the one her mother always wanted her to have. I'm sorry I can't help you save the world, but I need to take care of my family first!"

Kailey watched him in stunned silence as he picked the chair up and slowly breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth as he tried to calm down.

"I'll be leaving at first light. I'm going to sleep now," he said.

He crawled into his sleeping bag on the floor and turned so that he was facing the bed, with his back toward Kailey. She quietly got up and turned off the lantern. The only light in the cabin was the soft glow from the embers in the wood stove.

Joe heard the bed creak as she stepped over him and crawled beneath the blankets, and he rolled over onto his back, feeling the weight of his wife's wedding ring on his chest and the weight of a tear rolling down his cheek.

He wasn't sure how long he'd lain there when he heard Kailey's voice whisper, "Are you asleep?"

He looked up and saw the silhouette of her head looking down at him. He waited a moment before whispering, "No."

She reached down and felt for his hand. When she found it she squeezed it. "I'm sorry for what I said. I never should have said you didn't love your daughter. And I'm sorry about your wife."

Joe nodded and wiped away a tear with his other hand. "Thanks," he whispered, and squeezed her hand back. But when he went to let it go she held on.

"Come sleep in the bed," she whispered.

"I'm okay down here," he said.

"It's cold on the floor. You'll be warmer in the bed."

"I'm fine, my sleeping bag is -- "

"Joe, get in the bed."

He lay there for a few moments, thinking, and then he finally stood up and she lifted the blanket and slid over to make room. The bed was small, barely a twin.

As he climbed in and pulled the blanket over him, she turned her back to him and he could feel her bum against his hip.

He laid on his back beside her, this girl half his age, listening to the rain drumming off the roof. The embers in the wood stove were burning low and the cabin was nearly dark.

She shifted beside him, trying to get comfortable on the small bed, and he shifted toward the edge to make more room for her. But she reached over with her hand and put it on his leg to let him know he didn't need to move.

"There'll be more room if you sleep on your side," she whispered.

He went to turn onto his side so he'd be facing away from her, but she stopped him.

"I meant the other way," she whispered.

Joe turned, facing her, uncertain of what to do as he lay behind her, carefully trying to avoid touching her. But she snuggled back against him, and he felt her warmth.

He tentatively wrapped his arm around her waist and she took it, sighing as she pulled it tightly against herself.

Joe's senses reeled. He hadn't been with a woman or even thought about one since his wife had died six months earlier.

And now he had this beautiful twenty-year-old curled up in front of him. He could smell the cleanness of her skin and hair and felt her soft, supple curves as they pressed against him. He listened to the soft rhythm of her breathing and wondered if she was already asleep.

She seemed so small in front of him, with his strong arm pinning her protectively against his body. Only a thin layer of cotton separated them, and he could feel the soft coolness of her ass seated against his crotch.

He tried to move back but she tightened her grip on his arm, keeping it close to her.

Joe tried to think of other things...coal, mathematical formulas; he even tried to recite the periodical table in his head. But it wasn't working.

He felt his cock thickening against the smooth curve of her ass, and he didn't dare move in case the feel of it rubbing against her soft skin made him grow harder. But it didn't matter; he was soon completely erect.

She shifted against him in her sleep, rubbing her bum against his stiff shaft, and she froze. He went to move back and she squeezed his arm, keeping him against her.

The rhythm of her breathing had changed, and he knew she was awake. He shifted his hip trying to get some space between them, but she pressed her butt back against him.

And slowly, ever so slowly, rolled her hips, grinding her ass against his hard length.

"Kailey," he whispered.

She answered him by taking his arm and sliding it up beneath her shirt until his hand was cupping her soft breast.

Joe squeezed it, and groaned as he ground his cock against her ass.

Kailey sighed as he tweaked her erect nipple between his thumb and forefinger, and planted soft kisses behind her ear and down her neck.

She twisted around and put her hand behind Joe's head, pulling him close until their lips met.

He kissed her long and hard, their tongues locked together as their hands explored each other's bodies, his hand caressing her firm ass while her hand slid down the front of his underwear.

She sighed as her fingers wrapped around his thick shaft, feeling its heat. She slowly stroked her hand up and down, savoring his size and hardness as it slid against her palm.

Joe groaned as she rubbed his cock, and kissed her even harder.

But she broke the kiss with a gasp, and the smoldering glow from the wood stove was reflected in her eyes as she slid down his body.

She pulled his long johns down just far enough to free his swollen cock, and she slid her tongue down its length and gently lolled it against his full balls. She loved the taste as she slid her tongue back up his hot flesh and flicked a drop of pre-cum from the tip.

Joe ran his fingers through her silky smooth hair, and groaned as her mouth enveloped him. He could feel the heat as she worked her soft lips halfway down his rock-hard shaft, and then slid them up again.

He listened to the wet noises she made as she sucked his cock, and when he put his hand behind her head she tried to get as much of him in her mouth as she could. And he felt the heat of her throat as his shaft slid down it.

She pulled him out with a gasp, tried to catch her breath, and then attacked his cock with her mouth again.

Joe groaned, and reached down to squeeze her ass as she bobbed up and down on his swollen shaft. He slid his hand down the back of her long johns and, without stopping sucking, she pushed them down around her knees to give him full access. When his fingers dipped between her legs and started to explore her pussy, she moaned around his thick cock.

Joe was amazed at how tight and how tender she felt, as he gently played with her wet lips and slid his finger down, searching for her clit.

When he found it he lightly circled his finger against it, feeling her twitch beneath his touch.

She pulled her mouth off his cock and pumped it a few times. "Oh fuck, that feels good," she whispered.

She went to suck him again but he stopped her. He pulled her up so her head was resting against the headboard, and then he slid down between her legs.

Kailey gasped at the first flick of his tongue and then sighed, loving the feel of his strong arms wrapped around her thighs, keeping her legs spread.

Joe lapped at her delicate pussy, amazed at how sweet she tasted. And he planted soft kisses on the inside of her thighs as he worked his way toward her clit.

She gasped as soon as his tongue touched it, and as he teased it she grabbed him by his hair, holding him in place as she ground her pussy against his mouth, making sure he hit all the right spots.

Kailey arched her back, her nipples erect, moaning as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge. And when he finally drove her over she tried to clamp her legs shut, but Joe wouldn't let her. His strong arms forced them apart and he kept teasing her pussy with his tongue as she cried out in pleasure, thrashing her head back and forth as she came over and over.

"Oh fuck, I can't take anymore," she begged, trying to push his head away. And when he finally relented she collapsed on the bed, her head tilted back as she tried to catch her breath.

He moved on top of her and pressed his mouth against hers. She could taste her juices on his tongue as he explored her mouth, and she whimpered when his hard cock brushed against her clit.

Kailey looked between her legs and saw his thick shaft aimed at her tiny hole. She reached down and grabbed it, rubbing his knob back and forth against her slit until it was slick.

And then she lined his cock up with her opening and put her hand behind Joe's hip, pulling him forward. She moaned as she felt him parting her swollen pussy lips, and as he slid inside her she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.

Joe kissed her again, gently this time, and savored the feel of her as she enveloped his shaft. Once he was completely inside her, he waited a moment, letting her get used to his size. She was incredibly tight and he knew he was stretching her wide.

The rain had stopped outside, but he could hear a heartbeat thumping and wasn't sure if it was his or hers or both of theirs in tandem. He slowly started to stroke his cock in and out with long, gentle thrusts.

By the faint glow from the wood stove he could see Kailey's face; her head was tilted back and her mouth was open while her eyes were shut. She was in a state of bliss, and her ecstasy was etched on her features.

Joe looked down and saw his wife's wedding ring swinging back and forth on his necklace as he fucked the twenty-year-old sprawled beneath him.

He grabbed the ring and clenched it gently between his teeth, holding it there as he kept stroking his cock in and out of Kailey. But as he felt the smooth band with his tongue, he squeezed his eyes shut and couldn't help thinking about his wife.

Kailey opened her eyes and looked up. One of Joe's tears had fallen and landed on her breast. She put her hand to his chest, felt his heartbeat, and whispered, "Are you okay?"

Joe opened his eyes, and gazed at Kailey through his tears. And in that instant he remembered the other promise he'd made to his wife. When he'd held her hand in her hospital bed and she'd made him swear that after she was gone he'd move on, that he'd find someone else.

The ring tumbled from his mouth and stopped, suspended between them. He nodded at Kailey, and said, "I'm okay," sniffling as he brushed the tears from his cheeks.

"Want me to turn around?" she asked.

Joe nodded and moved back as Kailey got on all fours in front of him.

He moved behind her and she groaned as he sheathed his thick cock in her tight pussy once again. He held her hips as he slowly started to fuck her, and she gently bit her lower lip as she bounced on his cock.

The old bed creaked as it rocked back and forth.

"This bed might break," Joe said, as he pumped his cock in and out of her.

"Who cares?" she moaned, as she braced herself against the headboard and slammed herself back and forth, impaling herself on his thick shaft.

Joe had stopped pumping, and just watched Kailey's beautiful ass bouncing against his hips as she humped back and forth on his cock, driving herself to another orgasm.

She groaned as it rolled over her like a tidal wave and then slumped to the mattress, completely exhausted. "Holy fuck, Joe," she gasped, "I can't take much more...please hurry up and come."

"Sure, babe." Kailey was lying completely flat on the mattress, face down with her legs spread, and he was above her in the prone position. She moaned as he fucked her with long strokes, but as he picked up the pace they became shorter and shorter.

Her ass was bouncing off the bed and she was frantically clutching the sheets as he pistoned his thick cock in and out of her. Finally, he groaned, "I'm gonna come."

"Come on my back," she gasped.

And he did. He whipped his cock out of her soaked pussy and fired a thick shot of cum that landed halfway up her back, the second shot landed in the small of her back and the rest rained lightly on her beautiful ass.

"Oh, wow," she gasped, feeling the hot liquid on her cool skin. "That's a lot of cum."

"Uh huh," Joe gasped as he sprawled, completely exhausted, beside her. "It's been a while."

Kailey glanced over at him and saw his chest rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath. And resting on his chest was his wife's wedding ring.

She leaned over, careful not to let any of the mess on her back spill off onto the mussed-up blankets, and softly kissed the ring. And then she kissed Joe.

* * *

When he woke up the next morning the first thing he did was reach out to Kailey's side of the bed, only to discover it was empty.

Last night felt like it had been a beautiful dream, but he smiled as he stretched and looked up at the bedposts where her bra and panties were still hanging. And then he noticed the long underwear and shirt he'd lent her bunched up at the foot of the bed. The cabin door was open and sunshine and fresh air were streaming through.

Joe pulled on his long johns, walked sleepily through the open door and did a double take; Kailey was bending over fifteen feet in front of him, doing yoga completely naked in the morning sun.

"Hey, sleepyhead," she said, smiling back at him through her legs.

"Do you always do that completely naked?"

"Why not? We're part of nature, so why not be natural?" She stretched, smiling as she felt the warmth of the sun's rays against her skin while morning mist wandered through the shade of the trees. "There's a river near here, want to go for a dip?"

He laughed. "Are you crazy? That river's glacier fed; you'll catch pneumonia."

"Wimp," she said, as she walked up the stairs and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back, and as she explored his skin with her fingers and played with his chest hair, she said, "I was actually hoping you'd be naked too, so we could really enjoy the outdoors this morning, if you know what I mean."

Joe kissed her softly on the top of her head as his rough hands felt the smoothness of her back and shoulders. "You're amazing," he said, "but we really need to get going."

"No, we can't leave yet," she whispered, as she locked her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest.