Boondocking

"Strangers?" she said, standing up to her full height. "You saying we're the strangers here?!"

Will took a step back. Even barefoot she was at least two inches taller than him. "I'm just saying I was here first and this place was clean until you showed up."

"You were here first," she said with a loud laugh, "ain't that a funny one. All the years we've been coming to this place and I ain't ever seen your face before." She took a step toward him and Ellie leapt in front of her, interposing herself between them.

"Don't worry, Will, we'll clean up our mess," she said. "When we leave you won't even be able to tell we were ever here, and ignore Mickey, she's all bark and no bite."

"To hell with that," Mickey said, glaring at him over Ellie's shoulder. "I bite all the time, just ask Izzy."

Izzy giggled and Mickey sat back down beside her, shoulder to shoulder and grinning as she pulled another beer from the cooler.

Ellie smiled too, the same dreamy smile he'd seen when she first stepped from the Fury. "Are you sure you won't join us? I promise we don't bite."

"Thanks, but I'm going farther down the lake, better fishing there."

"Okay, good luck. But if you get bored with the fish you know where to find us."

He turned and headed for the north trail. He was determined not to look back at the three of them, but he couldn't help glancing back when he heard a sharp cry behind him. It was only Izzy, squealing as Mickey playfully bit her shoulder.

* * *

Will crouched in the shadows, waiting and watching as his green and black fly gently bobbed on the surface in the sun-dappled shade beneath the canopy overhanging the lake. He knew a big brown trout was near. He'd spotted it swimming back and forth when he'd crept close.

His gold-winged Elk Hair Caddis was hooked to his vest. When he first found the opening there was a cloud of insects buzzing above the pool and he'd quickly switched his fly to match them. He tried to keep his eye on the drifting fly, but couldn't help sneaking peeks through the trees toward the far end of the lake where the girls' laughter echoed across the water.

He felt a pang of regret at how he'd acted. They had just as much right to be here as he did and he knew deep down they weren't the problem, he was.

He'd been boondocking too long, been alone too long. When he stopped in a new town for supplies he knew how to make the necessary small talk, knew how to respond when strangers asked him questions they never expected answers to, but he had no idea how to talk to the three girls who had set up camp beside him.

How old were they? Twenty? Will shook his head. Even when he'd been their age he wouldn't have known what to say to them.

Any other guy that received the invitation he'd been given would have been naked in a flash. Instead, he was sitting alone in the shadows waiting for a fish. He peeked through the trees again and hoped they'd be gone by sunset.

A splash seized his attention and he focused his eyes on the pool in front of him, his senses razor sharp as he pinched his line and readied his rod. Rings spread across the water away from the black and green fly. The big brown trout had boiled beneath it thinking it was an insect. The first strike was meant to drown it. Will waited. He knew the second strike would be in the mouth.

He tried to stay calm, tried to stay still, knowing the slightest vibration on the line could give him away. What was the fish waiting for? And then he heard a heavy splashing coming toward him.

The unexpected sound jolted Will, who stared in shocked disbelief as the trout darted from the shadows at the edge of the pool and raced for the dark depths of the lake. He furiously yanked his line in and glared at Izzy, dog-paddling toward him.

She had none of Mickey's aquatic grace and she churned clumsily in his direction thirty feet from shore, grinning from ear to ear as she waved a greeting. Will raced around the edge of the pool, careful not to disturb the water as he frantically gestured for her to go away.

"Get out of here!" he hissed, worried that a shout might scare away any other trout lurking nearby. "Can't you go swim somewhere fucking else?!"

Izzy pulled up, taken aback by his unexpected outburst. Her smile vanished as she glanced left and right, still treading water, her head just above the surface. Then she gave one last apologetic wave and continued on down the lake, noisily paddling away as she disappeared from sight.

Will shook his head in disbelief. He was starting to think the fishing gods didn't want him to ever catch another trout again. He knew there was no point in looking for somewhere else to lay his line, the pool he was at was the only decent opening on this side. He crept back into the shadows and prepared to side cast, praying that Izzy hadn't scared all of the fish away.

A frantic cry echoed across the lake and Will peered through the trees in the direction it had come from. He saw the golden Fury and Mickey racing into the water in front of it, taking three giant strides before plunging in. Behind her, Ellie ran along the shore screaming Izzy's name.

Will spun to his left, ducking as he spied through the low-hanging branches -- just in time to see a small brown hand slip beneath the surface.

He dropped his rod and crashed through the trees, ignoring the branches whipping at him as he fought his way through. As soon as he reached the edge of the lake he dove in and surfaced immediately, powering through the cold green water as fast as he could toward the spot where he'd last seen Izzy. In the distance, Ellie was still screaming her name.

Will took a quick breath and dove beneath the surface, swimming straight down. The only sound was the sound of his own body, his heart hammering as he dove deeper, desperately searching in every direction for any sign of life. He swam toward the bottom with no idea of how deep the lake was, but felt the pressure building as the water, so green and clear near the surface, turned a murky black.

Izzy! he shouted instinctively, his frantic cry a muted roar, the air bubbles escaping him the only thing he could make out in those dark depths. The cold was numbing and his lungs felt like they were about to burst. Every sense screamed for him to turn back to the surface but he resisted and took two more broad strokes, drawing himself as deep as he dared go. He reached out his hand in desperation toward the darkness hoping to feel something, anything.

Cold fingers clawed at his vest and his eyes went wide as they latched onto him and pulled him even deeper. Panic swept through him and a burst of bubbles enveloped him as his last breath escaped him, but Will fought to regain his calm as he reached out and blindly felt for the hand grabbing him. His fingers closed around a slender wrist and, holding it tight, he kicked toward the light above.

Will broke the surface with a gasp and pulled Izzy close, keeping her head above water as she coughed and retched. Her wet black hair was matted against her face and she didn't resist as he pulled her toward the near shoreline with a sidestroke.

As soon as they reached land he got her on her hands and knees and waited as she coughed up the rest of the water. Seconds later Mickey reached them, plunging naked through the shallows as she raced to embrace her.

"Izzy!" she cried, her chest heaving. "Are you okay, baby?"

Will slumped forward, his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, his heart still hammering as adrenalin coursed through his system. Once again, he felt his anger bubbling to the surface. "Do you know how stupid that is, getting drunk and then going swimming?!"

Izzy didn't answer. She was still on her knees, naked and shivering, but Mickey spun around and glared up at him. "She wasn't drunk! She didn't even touch her beer."

"Then she shouldn't be swimming out this far if she isn't a strong enough swimmer. Why didn't she call for help? Why didn't she tell me she was in trouble?!"

"Because she's a god-damned mute!"

The force of Mickey's words sent him staggering back a step. She returned to Izzy, still swallowing huge mouthfuls of air, and pulled her close as she sobbed against her. Seconds later, Ellie came running along the trail toward them.

"What happened?" she asked Will. "Is she going to be okay?"

He didn't answer. He snatched up his rod and strode past her, back down the path he'd come, and as soon as he was out of sight he ran, ignoring the branches that whipped him.

* * *

Will sat slumped over the small, fold-down table in his camper, staring at the lifeless caddisfly floating in the glass jar. He turned it back and forth and imagined a dark-skinned girl inside, her wet black hair matted against her face like a shroud as she spun slowly toward him.

His face contorted with anger and he slammed the jar against the table. The impact echoed like a gunshot in the small space. Will winced at the sound and, relieved that it hadn't broken, pushed the clear container and its fragile contents away.

There was a knock at the door. He leapt to his feet and swore when he struck his head on the shelf above him. Wincing with pain he hurried to answer the door, not noticing the envelope that slid from the shelf and landed on the table.

Ellie was at the door. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just hit my head."

"That's not what I mean," she said, as she stepped up into the doorway. "The way you took off after saving Izzy...is everything alright?"

Will retreated into the shadows of his camper. The question made him uncomfortable, but not nearly as uncomfortable as her presence did, and that had nothing to do with the fact that she was still completely naked.

"Damn it, can't you put some clothes on?"

"Sorry," she said, and placed an arm across her breasts. "I just wanted to come and thank you."

He shook his head. "You shouldn't be thanking me."

She took a step toward him. "But if it hadn't been for you -- "

"If it hadn't been for me your friend wouldn't have almost drowned! It was my fault. I chased her away because I was more concerned with catching a stupid fish...she could have died."

His face twisted with emotion and he turned away from her, trying to hide it, but her touch startled him as she brushed her fingers against his cheek and spun him back toward her.

"Will," she whispered, "you saved her. Izzy's alive because of you."

He pulled her hand away. "She should go to a hospital. She swallowed a lot of water. They'll need to check her out."

Ellie stepped closer and the sunlight streaming through the blinds drew bright bars across her naked flesh. "She's fine, and it's because you were there and acted as quickly as you did."

Will slumped against the wall of the camper. "She didn't make a sound..."

"She's mute."

"I know. Mickey told me."

"Will, she wants to thank you."

"She doesn't need to, I -- "

Ellie stepped aside and Izzy was there. He hadn't even heard her enter the camper. She stepped toward him light as a shadow, not making a sound. Her raven hair hung silky straight across her slender shoulders, framing her small breasts as she moved toward him with a willowy grace, her arms at her side, naked before him.

Will swallowed hard. She seemed so fragile, so delicate. "Izzy, I -- "

She didn't let him finish. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged her body against him. The intimacy startled Will at first, but he soon found himself hugging her back, the bars of light from the blinds golden against her narrow waist. He pulled her closer, savoring the warmth of her skin beneath his touch. A stark contrast to the cold he'd felt when he first pulled her from the depths.

She stepped back and he reluctantly let his hands slide free from her waist. Smiling, she touched her fingers to her mouth and moved them toward Will as if blowing him a kiss.

"She says thank you," Ellie said.

Will returned Izzy's smile as he fought back tears threatening to break free. He didn't dare talk. He knew if he opened his mouth the only sound that would come out would be a sob.

Izzy stroked his shoulder reassuringly, and made a few quick gestures with her hands.

Ellie translated. "She says when she couldn't stop sinking she thought for sure she was going to drown, everything was so dark, but she saw something gold glinting in the darkness and grabbed at it and you were there."

Something gold. Will glanced down and realized his vest was torn -- the golden Elk Hair Caddis fly he'd hooked to it was gone.

Izzy gave him one last smile and stepped from the shadows of the camper into the sunlight. Mickey was waiting outside for her. She peered warily into the trailer and when she spotted Will she tossed a beer toward him, a perfect underhand toss that arced through the open doorway and landed in his outstretched hand.

As Mickey wrapped her arm around Izzy's shoulder and led her back to the Fury, Ellie said, "You better drink that or she's going to be offended, and I don't think I can hold her back a second time."

Will smiled and popped the top. The beer foamed out and spilled across his fingers. He took a pull and offered it to Ellie. She smiled and took a sip.

"I had a fly here," he said, fingering his vest, "that's what she saw glinting in the water. I just tied it this morning."

Ellie stepped closer and touched her fingers to his chest, feeling the torn fabric just above his heart. "I'm sorry you lost it, Will."

"Are you kidding?" he said. "That's my best catch yet."

* * *

Will's eyes blinked open. It was about an hour before sunset. He'd fallen asleep while reading on the small bed in the back of his camper. A battered copy of Gift from the Sea lay beside him. He couldn't recall where he'd bought the book but he remembered picking it up solely because Charles Lindbergh's wife had written it.

When he was a boy his father had taken him to the Smithsonian to see the Spirit of St. Louis. He'd told him about the famous flight, and said, imagine what that must have been like, spending all that time alone.

Will remembered staring up in awe at the small, fragile, gold-nosed aircraft suspended above him. Neither Lindbergh's plane nor his wife's book had been anything like he'd expected.

He stood and picked up the paperback. He could hear the girls outside. Ellie had asked him to join them, had even promised he could keep his clothes on, but he'd graciously declined. Like a trout, he preferred to avoid the sun's midday heat and had stayed in the shadows of his camper.

He hadn't planned to fall asleep, he'd intended to tie a new Elk Hair Caddis to replace the fly he'd lost, but after several aborted attempts he'd given up and grabbed a book instead.

He went to return it to the small shelf and noticed the letter. It was still lying where it had fallen, face up on the table, Will scrawled across the front in faded letters. He picked it up and turned it over. The seal was still unbroken.

His fly-tying tools were lying where he'd left them. He picked up a brass dubbing needle and delicately guided it toward the small opening beneath the paper flap. One flick would tear it open.

"What's that?"

Her voice startled him. He dropped the dubbing needle and stuffed the still-sealed letter inside the book, hiding it. Ellie was standing naked in the doorway.

"I saw it on the table earlier when I was here with Izzy," she said. "What's in the envelope?"

"Nothing," he said, as he pushed the book away. "What do you need?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go swimming with me." She stepped up into the camper and brushed her fingertips across the row of worn paperbacks, the fading sunlight behind her perfectly framing her golden form. "So, what do you say?"

He tore his eyes from her hypnotic body and forced himself to look away. "Christ, isn't Naked Day over yet?"

"It's Nude Day," she said with a grin, "and we don't put our clothes back on until the sun goes down. Come on, let's go swimming."

Will scrubbed his hand through his dark hair. "I don't know, I'm not really a -- "

"Please," she said, as she stepped close and squeezed his hand, "I'll even let you wear your swim trunks. I want to swim all the way to the other end and back, but after what happened to Izzy it doesn't seem smart to go alone. Come on, Will. Maybe you can save me, too."

He turned toward her. She was still holding his hand and that dreamy smile was back on her face. He couldn't help himself as his gaze slid down her sun-kissed body. If it bothered her, it didn't show. He swallowed hard. "Okay, but just to the other end and back."

* * *

It took them less than fifteen minutes to reach the far end of the lake. Will considered himself a strong swimmer but he'd found it nearly impossible to keep up with Ellie's easy stroke.

He pulled himself up onto the rocky ledge that stretched out into the water, his chest heaving with exhaustion as he fell onto his back and tried to catch his breath. Ellie was stretched out on the rock above him, sunning herself.

"I thought you said you weren't a strong swimmer?" he gasped. "You swim like a goddamned fish!"

Ellie smiled, her eyes still closed, her face turned toward the sun. "I never said I wasn't a good swimmer. I just said I didn't want to swim alone. I've swam this lake so many times it almost seems like home."

Will clambered up the side of the rock and collapsed beside her, still fighting to regain his breath. Ellie turned toward him. Her eyes were the color of autumn and they sparkled as she hooked her finger in his wet trunks.

"Why don't you take these off?" she whispered. "You know, now that we're alone."

Will twisted away from her and sat up. "Ellie, don't get me wrong, I like you."

"Then what's the problem?"

She sat up, her damp hair clinging to her shoulders, her body golden. Will forced himself to look away and stared at the lake instead. The setting sun shimmered across its surface. "There's no problem, it's just...there's a reason why I'm alone out here."

"I don't care what the reason is. I like you too, Will." She reached out her hand and he pulled away again.

"Ellie, please," he said, and stood up. "There are other reasons, too. I mean, how old are you?"

"Forever twenty-one," she said with a smile.

"See, I'm thirty-three."

"That doesn't bother me."

"Well, it should and I -- I'm just not good company."

"Will, tell me what's really wrong. Any other guy invited to hang out with three nude girls would have instantly been naked, but you've been hiding in your camper all day long. Is it something in that letter?"

His eyes told her the answer. She stood. "Tell me, Will. What's in the letter?"

"I can't," he said, shaking his head as he turned to stare at the lake again. Its surface gleamed hypnotically.

"Will, please, tell me."

She reached for him and he stepped off the edge, plummeting toward the lake twenty feet below. He plunged through the surface and the cold water enveloped him, his arms drifting upward as he let the lake draw him down into the same dark depths that had swallowed Izzy earlier. But then he felt her hands on him as she appeared in front of him like a vision -- Ellie.

He hadn't seen her dive in after him but she was there, gently taking hold of him as she kicked and carried him back toward the surface. They broke through into the air above and Will didn't resist as she pulled him toward the rocky ledge jutting out into the lake.

She held onto it and said, "You're not getting away from me that easy."

The water was still too deep to stand, but she had her arm wrapped around his waist and her pale body pressed against him. "Tell me, Will. Tell me who sent you the letter."