Ex Exorcism

"Grandma Noah says black water flows in our blood, so it must be powerful magic." The water in this back eddy of the Saint Mary river was as black as tea, black as the water of the Okefenokee swamp where Wendy and Phil romped as children and grew up. You "weren't nuttin" if you couldn't pole a Jon boat through the swamp to empty your crawfish traps when you were ten.

As Phil and Wendy entered the warm, black water, Phil could feel the shrieks of May grow farther and farther away. By the time the water was up to his ribcage, he could completely shake the howling. It was there but far off, like the crowd noise from the baseball diamond blocks away at the middle school. You could hear it, but you couldn't tell who was playing.

Wendy melted into Phil's arms and this time their kiss was so much more pleasant. Their tongues swam together, their hearts beat in rhythm and their bodies ached for each other. May howled and swore oaths, but her power was waning and, when that happened, Phil was surging. Wendy reached down and grasped his hard cock and smiled, "You're back! Let's hope we don't have to worry about that again for another 45, 50 years."

"I don't know about you, but for baptisms, my church is full dunker," Phil whispered in her ear. "Hold your nose with your left hand, now grab your wrist with your right hand. Three seconds ok? Are you ready?"

Wendy took a deep breath and nodded. Phil placed a hand on her crossed wrists and a hand on her back, then pushed her back into the water. The black water, the lifeblood of their area closed around her and she counted "One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand..." and as she hit three one thousand Phil lifted her up from the water and she coughed and brushed the hair out of her face.

"You ok?" a smiling Phil asked.

Wendy just nodded and coughed again, then wrapped her arm around Phil's neck and kissed him feverishly, her fingernails digging into his back, her leg curling around his, her groin mashing into his. When their kiss broke, she broke into a broad grin. May screamed her hatred at Phil through the kiss, but Wendy said happily, "I can't hear that bitch!"

"All right!" sighed Phil as he scooped up Wendy and swung her around in the water, causing May to scream and shout more oaths and curses.

"Let's move out into the deeper water," said Wendy and they waded further out until the water was up to Wendy's chin. Seaweed tangled their legs and caught between their toes as she placed her hand on Phil's head. He held his nose, took a deep breath and ducked with Wendy gently pushing him under. Phil held his breath as long as she could. If three seconds under the black water silenced May for Wendy, he was May's target, he was going to need longer.

Wendy practically had to haul Phil up, and he opened his eyes to silence. "I can't hear her!" For the first time in three years, May wasn't in his head, controlling everything he thought or said. Phil led Wendy halfway to their little beach, and they stopped and kissed long and hard, reveling in the silence. "She's gone," said Wendy with a weary smile.

Phil placed his hands on Wendy's cheeks and said, "I love you Wendy Griffin." She looked like she was going to explode with joy, but a sound caught their attention. When they looked at their little campsite, they saw the tent shuddering and shaking. "I don't think she's that easy to get rid of."

"What... what do you mean?"

Phil led her ashore, being careful not to stub their toes on the cypress "knees." Cypress trees have little bends in the roots that stick up in the air like a knee. When they got to the tent, the whole tent was shaking and shuddering, the locket was jerking at its chain, trying to get at Phil. "Tics aren't so easy to get out of a dog," said Phil. "They get under the skin so you have to make sure that the head comes out too." He took a stick and stuck it in the neck chain that was stretched out from the tent and wrapped it round and around so the locket was wrapped to the stick, then he released the chain from the tent and held the stick so the locket didn't touch him.

"I always to use heat to get rid of the tick so you know you got them," said Wendy. "Burn it now."

He jammed the stick deep into the fire and held the locket deep in the glowing embers. The stick caught fire, and the chain burned away, but he didn't move until they could hear a pop and a hissing noise. "Just like a tic," he said as a sudden feeling of lightness came over him.

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Phil felt the ocean breeze on his face and found himself back on the USS Maryland, SSBN 738, as it tied up at the replenishment dock at Kings Bay Naval Station in Kings Bay, GA. The Welcome Home crowd was there waiting for them and the crowd was big, there were 155 men on that boat and it looked like there was one woman and three children waiting for each man. Balloons and flowers filled women's arms, ready to welcome their sailor to return from the sea. Phil knew Wendy was waiting there for him.

Standing on the deck enjoying the first sunlight and fresh air in six months, Phil scanned the crowd and this time he could see faces, but three were highlighted: Wendy, May, and Grandma Noah, who stood right at the end of the gangway. The band played a welcome medley as the men stepped off the boat into familiar, loving arms. Finally, it was it was Phil's turn, and he marched down the gangway, trying to determine what Grandma Noah was here for. As he stepped up to her, everything stopped. The band went silent; the crowd was motionless, only Grandma Noah was moving.

"You did it, didn't you young'un! You exorcized that parasite right outta your life." The ancient woman was smiling and nodding.

"Yes ma'am, we did. Thank you so much, do you want your song right away or will you wait for the baby?"

"Whenever you want, young'un. Ah sho love your singing. And now ah suppose you're wondering why this ol' swamp witch is here. Well, you are at a decision point. You can head on over to m' left and your lady awaits you and you can have these last three years back and start all over again, neither one of you will remember this night, or you can head over to m' right where you see your parasite and go back to the last moment you had."

"If I go to May, do I have to do this whole thing all over?"

"No, suh, you are done. You go back to your campsite, where your lady is waiting for you. Your choice."

"If I go to Wendy right now, I get back those three years?"

"You'll never know this happened," said Grandma Noah. "It's a do-over, as you would say."

Phil smiled and gently shook Grandma Noah's hand. "Thank you so much, ma'am. I think this whole thing has brought Wendy and me closer together than we ever were before. We really understand each other now. I think I want to go back to that campsite."

"That is a truly wise choice, young suh, and don't forget what is in your pocket."

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"You got it burned? Is it gone?" asked Wendy. She peered over Phil's shoulder, and he could feel her breasts rubbing lightly against his back.

"She's gone," said Phil, as he sagged back to his heels. He felt like he had just dropped an enormous weight that he had been carrying for three long years. Suddenly Wendy clamped a tiny hand over his mouth. "???"

"Stop. I know you Phillip Beaudreau. You're gonna start apologizing and telling me you're sorry 'n shit and I'm tired of it. I've been waiting on you since seventh grade an' I'm done with it, I'm gonna pack up, you can keep my tent and..."

Phil whirled around and had the tiny woman pinned to the sandy ground next to the fire, his hands holding her wrists pinned to the ground above her head. "You let me go Phillip Beaudreau, I'm going home and you can't stop me."

"You waiting is over Wendy Gifford. I love you. I'm never going to let you go again, girl; your home is with me wherever I go."

"Like hell it is," she started twisting and kicking, but that merely let Phil get between her legs. When she realized what had happened, she fought hard and somehow twisted around under him until she was lying on her side, but he still had her hands in his grasp.

"I still got you, you're not going anywhere," said Phil. "I'm gonna keep you." But Wendy set her jaw and fought hard and suddenly Phil found himself on his back with Wendy pinning his wrists to the ground above his head.

"You never could wrestle worth a shit," said Wendy with a sneer. "Now here are the rules; I won fair and square. That ho witch is gone and I get the prize. So for the cost of three years of my life, this is what I want. Are you ready?"

Phil tried fighting back, but chose to listen. "Yes, ma'am."

"One. Tomorrow morning we go tell Pastor Wilson that we're plannin' to get hitched, he can do it, or we'll go to the courthouse." As Phil was about to respond, Wendy shifted her hips, bringing her pussy in contact with his cock.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Two, tomorrow afternoon we go down to the recruitin' office and tell them you fucked up and you want your job back. Tell them that if they don't want you, we'll go to the Air Force."

"Air Force?"

"Navy won't let you go to the Air Force, trust me. You're much better when you have a job you're proud of."

"Yes ma'am, and three?"

Wendy twisted and turned until she was on her back, and Phil was looking down at her. "We owe a debt to Grandma Noah; we need to start workin' it off."

"Yes, ma'am!" Phil grinned as Wendy reached down and lined his cock up with her pussy.

"Easy... ok, just a little more" Phil eased his cock forward and felt the head of his cock touch her pussy lips. She was hot and extremely wet; she rubbed the head of his cock over her pussy, getting him wet and just as ready as she was. "Ok, let's be us..." Her eyes rolled back as her best friend, the man she loved for years finally entered her moist, ready sex.

Phil eased his nervous cock into her pussy and groaned with pleasure as her warm, moist walls closed around him. She looked as nervous as he felt, so he stopped and started kissing her lips and cheeks. "I love you Wendy darling," he whispered and she smiled and started giggling. "What's so funny?"

She reached down and squeezed his ass cheeks and urged him in deeper. "I win," she said with a huge grin. "We beat that witch and I win!"

He moved his cock in and out in little strokes, letting her get used to his being inside of her. Soon she was urging him on with her hands, groaning in harmony with him. "More," she gasped, and he began fucking harder, faster. Neither 'young 'un' was prepared for the emotions they stirred up. Before long, they were clutching at each other, weeping with joy and crying out in pleasure as their bodies came together over and over.

Phil was insatiable. He stroked his cock into her over and over, fucking like he was angry at her, but if he was angry at anyone, it was May. She kept him from Wendy, this beautiful, smart, loving southern girl, the woman he was fucking like a madman.

Wendy loved having Phil inside of her finally, after all this time. The pleasure was unbearable as she clawed at his back, trying to pull him in deeper. Over and over, his cock slid into his pussy, their groins slapping together in the cooling night air. She arched her back and came singing out her passion. Her cries carried over the river and spurred Phil on. He fucked her hard and fast as her arms and legs wrapped around him, begging him to cum in her. A second mind-numbing orgasm was crashing over Wendy when Phil came, shuddering and crying out, thrusting into her, spurting over and over, fucking the horror of May out of their hearts.

A tired Phil woke up from a dream that May was giving him a blowjob that she routinely promised, but when he opened his eyes it was Wendy sucking and swallowing on his hard cock. "Dear Gawds you're incredible!" he nearly shouted. She looked up at him, his cock stretching her mouth wide, and she winked! Her blowjob went on and on taking Phil right up to the edge of orgasm then backing down. She sucked, she slurped, and she moaned every time she swallowed his cock. Finally the pleasure was too much, he had to cum. He held her head tightly and fucked her mouth until he came. He released his hold on her and she eagerly swallowed every drop.

As he lay shuddering from the power of his release, she crawled up and kissed him, and he didn't pull away. "Better than May?" she asked with a grin.

"MUCH better," he sighed.

"Hope you got some left in ya, cause I want more," said Wendy with a grin.

Later, as they lay in the tent after making love again, shuddering, panting, and occasionally kissing, Phil remembered what he had in his pocket. He pulled out a small jewelry box and handed it to Wendy. "This is my grandmothers, and now it goes to you." Wendy opened up the box to find a tiny diamond ring, a beautiful yet modest piece of jewelry. "I've been carrying it for you."

"How long have you been carrying this?" asked Wendy as she studied the tiny diamond in the beam of a flashlight.

"I wanted to give it to you when I got off the Maryland." He slipped it on her finger and it fit. His grandma must have had tiny hands, too. Exhausted from the events of the evening, they kissed softly in their love nest. "Sorry to make you wait for that," whispered Phil.

"You will make up it up to me," said Wendy as she lay her head on his shoulder, and Phil knew he would.

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The sun had just set on the Okefenokee and several lanterns were glowing on the porch of an old shack at the edge of the vast swamp. Spanish moss hung from every branch on every live oak that grew in the area, and singing could be heard. Grandma Noah laughed and clapped in time as the kids sang.

We know we belong to the land

And the land we belong to is grand!

And when we say Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!

We're only sayin' You're doin' fine, Oklahoma!

Oklahoma O.K. L - A - H - O - M - A

OKLAHOMA! Yeeow*

Five-year-old Katy Beaudreau danced next to Grandma Noah's rocking chair until the song was done. "They sing all the time, grandma" said Katy.

"That sure is some fine singing," said Grandma Noah. To Wendy and Phil, she didn't look a day older than she looked on that night seven years ago. "How is your Uncle Ned doing?"

"He is running his own shrimp boat out of Mayport," said Wendy, "The Sadie H. And he says he's going to buy another and name it after out Katy, the Katy B."

"And Phil, how is your cousin Karole?"

"She owns a farm and is married to a college professor," said Phil as he put three-month-old Noah Beaudreau in Grandma Moses' arms.

"That's a beautiful baby," said Granma Noah as she cuddled her namesake. "But that don't look like no Navy uniform you're wearing."

"Well, the recruiter called my bluff, but the Air Force was hiring. We're heading out to Germany next week," said Phil. "We thought we'd stop by with one more song for you."

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* © 1943 Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II