How to Boil a Frog

"We have to, it's nearly -- "

She rubbed herself against him and felt his cock stiffening in response. "Mmm," she purred. "I don't want to leave until we break that bed."

Joe laughed. "The sign on the door said not to break anything."

"I'll leave him money to buy a new one."

Joe checked his watch; they did have a little extra time. "We'll have to make it quick, let me start the coffee first."

"Yay! I'm just going to go down to the river to wash up, I'll be right back."

Joe watched her as she headed off naked through the trees. She glanced back over her shoulder, and when she saw him watching she wiggled her bum teasingly.

As she disappeared from sight, Joe closed his eyes and drank deeply of the piercingly fresh forest air. He savored its cool cleanness and listened to the sounds of the woods around him; the whisper of the wind through the trees and the soft whistle of the whiskey jacks as they searched for their morning meal. He could hear the river she'd mentioned in the distance and imagined it's clean, white waters tumbling over boulders that had sat undisturbed for millennia.

Joe went back inside the cabin and put his backpack on the table to get out his instant coffee. As he reached his hand inside the pack and touched the cool metal soil sample cylinder, he stopped.

He looked around the cozy cabin at the cast iron stove that had kept them warm last night and the small bed where they'd slept together, and smiled at the memory. And then he spotted Kailey's father's urn, still sitting on the shelf where he'd left it.

He walked over and nodded to it. "Morning. Kailey never told me your name, but I'm Joe. I just wanted to tell you that I think your daughter's beautiful and that you did a great job raising her. If the rest of this generation is anything like her, I think our planet's in pretty good hands."

He went back to his bag, pulled out the soil sample cylinder and smiled. Minutes later, Kailey appeared through the trees.

She was rubbing her arms trying to stay warm as she hurried back to the warmth of the bed, and her skin was covered in goose bumps from the dip she'd just taken in the icy river. She had a grin from ear to ear as she raced naked through the trees, and she saw Joe waiting for her with the cylinder in his hands.

As she hurried up the porch steps, he wrapped his arms around her and tried to warm her up.

"You're freezing!" he said.

"The river was really c-c-cold...it was fantastic!"

"Well, let's get you back into bed and warm you up," he said.

She eagerly nodded.

"And after that, maybe we can go for a walk and find somewhere nice near here to spread your father's ashes," he said.

She shivered as she looked up at him and the smile disappeared from her face. "I don't want to leave him here, not now. I don't want him to see what's going to happen to these woods when your company comes."

Joe gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "They won't be coming."

She blinked in surprise, not sure she'd heard him right. "What do you mean?"

"I destroyed the sample and grabbed a new one from the side of the cabin. They won't be mining any coal here. Not if I can help it."

Tears of joy streamed down Kailey's face as she crushed Joe with a hug and pressed her lips against his. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Thank you," he said, "now let's get you back in bed where it's warm."

She hustled back into the cabin. "If we're staying, should I make a fire?"

"Sounds good," he said, and went to straighten the bed and fold the clothes she'd left crumpled up at the end.

And as he was folding them he spotted it -- the edge of a picture frame peeking out from between the bed and the wall.

He pulled out an old framed photograph, and as soon as he looked at it he realized he knew the man in the picture. He also recognized the girl.

Kailey had loaded the wood stove with some old newspaper, kindling and wood. "Joe, where's your lighter? I need it to -- "

As soon as she saw what he was holding, she fell silent.

"You're Wayne Smith's daughter?" he said.

Kailey sheepishly nodded yes.

Joe stared at the picture. Kailey couldn't have been more than ten years old as she held her father's hand, proudly standing in front of this very cabin. "And this place? It's yours?"

A tear rolled down Kailey's cheek as she forced a smile and nodded again.

Joe stared at the picture, stunned. Wayne Smith was one of the leading environmentalists against coal. For years he'd been battling the company Joe worked for. But he'd died over three months ago from the cancer he'd claimed coal mining had given him. And then Joe realized what had happened.

"When you ran into me yesterday...that wasn't an accident. It was all planned...everything, the ankle, the cabin, the --

"Oh my god," he whispered, "I'm the frog."

"What?" Kailey said.

"I'm the frog, aren't I? Everything that happened between us last night...I'm the frog, and you were boiling me. Turning the heat on so slow I didn't even realize what was happening. All just to stop me from turning in my findings on time."

She put her hand on his arm and shook her head. "It wasn't like that, Joe."

"Please, Kailey," he said, pulling his arm away. "Look at you and look at me. You're so young and I'm so...old. When you took me in that bed last night it was for one reason and one reason only -- hoping I'd destroy the samples. And your plan worked, you turned on the heat so smoothly I never knew what was happening."

Kailey grabbed his hand with both of hers and squeezed it, refusing to let go when he tried to pull away again. "Joe, when my dad was alive he was the one who protected these woods. He had a friend at the company you work for who made sure the samples they found here always came back negative. And it was that friend who told me you were coming out here. And I did follow you into the woods to lure you back here. And I did lie about my ankle; it's fine. But I brought you back here to talk, that's all. I just wanted a chance to try to convince you not to let them destroy this forest. This cabin is mine, but the woods aren't. No matter what a piece of paper says, they belong to everyone, not some mining company. But what happened last night...between you and me -- that was something else. That was special."

Joe rolled his eyes. "Don't try getting me back in the pot again."

"Please, Joe. Just like you made a promise to your wife, I made a promise to my dad. I promised him I'd do anything I could to save these woods. But not that. I'd sacrifice almost anything to protect this place, but I draw the line at sacrificing my self respect. You and me last night? That was real.

"And I know you. I know you wouldn't destroy those samples just because we'd slept together. Was it really something as simple as sex that made you want to give it all up? I know it wasn't Joe; you did it because of what you saw outside...the trees, the birds, the river. And you did it because of something you saw inside...inside of you, Joe, that told you what you were doing was right.

"You promised your wife you'd take care of your daughter's future, and when you destroyed that sample, you kept your promise."

Joe sat on the edge of the bed, and as he hid his head in his hands, the tears flowed.

Kailey sat beside him and he sobbed when she hugged him.

He looked up with red eyes and wiped his tears with his sleeve. "You're right. It was my decision, and mine only. And it was right. No matter what happened last night or what happens in the future, it was right.

"I never even wanted to go back to this, I was only doing it for my daughter. But there's other ways. Other companies I can work for."

He stood up and said, "Let's get dressed. I'll take you back to the road."

Kailey smiled. "I don't need you to lead me, Joe. I've walked these woods a thousand times."

"Oh...okay. Well, I should get going then," he said.

She squeezed his hand. "Don't go yet. I missed the picture that you found, but when I hid the rest of them I also hid the food, it's all in a cache nearby. There's more than enough for us to stay here for another few days."

Joe sniffed, and said, "Why?"

Kailey wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes as she kissed him. "Because I still want to break that bed."

* * *

Author's note: Thanks for taking the time to read my short story, and I hope you enjoyed it. As previously mentioned, it's an entry for the Earth Day contest and any votes or comments are greatly appreciated. And finally, don't wait for Earth Day to show your love for our beautiful planet -- show it every day! ~ Seanathon