Waterfall Trail

The Waterfall Trail

Once he reached the top of the hill he saw a sign that read 'New River Gorge - 6 miles'; his first planned stop on the trip. As it turned out the last three miles followed along highway 41 so the going was much easier.

When he got there he walked out to the center of the bridge and looked down at the river almost 1,000 feet below. He recalled what he had learned about the Gorge. In spite of the 'New River' name it was one of the oldest rivers in the United States. Three of the thirty-nine falls along the Waterfall Trail are on this part of the Gorge. He would visit each of them before he continued northward to visit the remaining falls on his list.

Aiden had the bridge to himself as he watched a small herd of deer on the river bank below. He preferred it that way - being alone. He disliked crowds because he felt confined. And his social awkwardness prevented him from making friends easily. He reached out his arms and imagined he was bungee jumping like the people he saw on the National Geographic TV special. The heavy elastic cords would stretch until the person was only100 feet above the water, then reverse the direction and snap them back up almost to the bridge walk where they started.

His imaginings were interrupted by someone else coming onto the walkway and stopping fifty feet from him. He glanced over and saw it was a woman, maybe in her early thirties, jet black hair in a ponytail, carrying a backpack somewhat smaller than his. She removed the pack from her shoulders and set it down beside her. She took her cell phone out, set it to the camera mode, and leaned over the railing to see the river below. But in just a few seconds she grabbed the railing and crumpled to the concrete walkway.

Aiden saw the motion out of the corner of his eye and looked. As she hit the walk he sprinted over to her and checked for a pulse. It was rapid and strong; sweat had beaded out all over her face. He pulled the water bottle from his belt and held it up to her lips. At first she didn't respond but then her eyes fluttered open as she let a little water flow into her mouth. He felt her forehead to see if had a fever, although only mothers had the necessary sensors to know from a hand whether someone has a fever..

Confused thoughts were running around in her head. As her eyes came into focus she saw someone's face looking down at her. Where am I, and who is this angel looking down at me. Am I in heaven? The curly black hair and sky-blue eyes could only belong to something not from this earth. He has to be an angel. Or maybe it's God himself. But his voice doesn't sound like Morgan Freeman.

"Ma'am? Ma'am? How many fingers and I holding up."

"Three I think, but they're really blurry... am I drunk?"

"I don't think so. You were looking over the railing to see the river then you just fell down."

That triggered a thought in her recovering mind. "I remember now. I leaned over the railing and got dizzy.... I have vertigo. I can't look down from heights."

"Should I ask the ranger to call an ambulance for you?"

The woman sat up, holding on to Aiden's arm. "No, that won't be necessary.

Give me a few minutes and I'll be back to normal."

She continued to hold on to his arm. Damn has he got some muscles on him. I would love to have them wrapped around me. Her mind jumped up a level. Better than that I would love to have my legs wrapped around his waist, with his...

"What's your name, miss... or is it misses."

"It's misses, but I'm divorced.... ['I'm available was implied in that statement.] And it's Bettina, Bettina Brumfield."

"Nice to meet you Bettina. So what are you doing out here on the bridge?"

"My husband ran off with my younger sister last month. I figured hiking might help me purge him from my mind."

"Is it working?"

"Not yet, but I just started."

And it may take more than a hike, like maybe a good-looking guy to screw my brains out, She thought.

I'll keep an eye on him for some indication that he be up for that.

Aiden swung his backpack onto his shoulders.

"It's close to sunset. If we're going to get to the shelter before dark we need to get moving." He took off across the bridge at a fast pace. Bettina grabbed her own pack and ran after him.

An hour later they came to the shelter - an open-ended structure made out of logs with a sloping roof to let the rain run off. There was a ring of rocks to enclose a fire and a pile of cut firewood. Aiden got a fire started to give them some light and heat and retrieved a couple sticks of jerky from the side pocket of his pack.

He watched the woman pull out a can of baked beans from her pack and look for a way to heat them.

"Forget to bring a frying pan" he asked?

"Uh, yeah I guess so. Do you have something I can use?"

He rummaged in his pack, found a plastic spoon in a McDonald wrapper, and tossed it to her.

"How will I heat it?"

"I guess you will have to eat it cold.... You do have a can opener I presume."

She held up her military K-Bar knife in response."

# # #

Aiden pulled out a paperback book and read by the light of the fire. Bettina sat quietly and watched him for awhile. Then she stretched and said "I guess I'll go to sleep now."

She untied the foam sleeping mat and spread it on the ground against one side of the shelter wall. She unrolled a heavy blanket and after going behind a tree to pee laid down with the blanket over her. She kept her eyes wide open so he would see that she wasn't immediately going to sleep.

After another 30 minutes Aiden unrolled his mattress pad next to the other side wall and opened a mummy style sleeping bag over it.

Damn, there's no way two of us would fit in that bag, she thought.

He rolled over on his side facing the wall and zipped up the bag. She decided to wait for another time to seduce him.

Sometime after midnight the temperature had fallen well below freezing and Bettina woke up shivering. She called Aiden's name a couple of times. When he didn't respond she wrapped her blanket around her, scurried across the shelter, and snuggled up against his back outside the bag. After a few minutes he could feel her shivering so he rolled over.

"I'm freezing Aiden."

He unzipped his bag, leading her to think he was going to crowd them in there together. Oh goody. It's going to get very crowded in there with no way our sensitive parts won't be touching. I'll have to make sure we're face-to-face.

But that's' not what he had in mind. He went to his pack and came back with plastic packet.

"Here, this should solve your problem."

"What is it?"

"An aluminized mylar blanket, a by-product of the space program. Unfold it and put it over you underneath the heavy blanket. It will reflect your body heat back to you and keep you nice and warm."

He climbed back into his bag, zipped it up, and in just a few minutes was snoring lightly.

# # # #

Bettina woke up comfortably warm to the smell of coffee. She hated getting out of her mylar cocoon but she had to pee really badly. She pulled her cold boots over her warm feet and ran behind the same tree she had used last night. When she was finished she pulled her panties up but then walked into the shelter with her jeans still partway down. She pretended she didn't see him drinking his coffee while she repositioned her panties and tucked in her flannel shirt. She watched him through hooded eyes to see if she got a rise out of him, but she saw no evidence. I'm definitely need to get more aggressive so he will make love to me, she thought.

After she had her clothes back in place he handed her a tin cup of coffee and she sat down on a stump next to him and tried to strike up a conversation.

"So how far along the Waterfall Trail do you plan to go?" She asked.

"All the way to Blackwater falls. How about you?"

"I live near Gauley Bridge, so that's where I planned to stop. But if you're willing I could go to Blackwater with you."

"Look Bettina, I'm a loner. I always have been and always will be. Although I'll let you come with me to where you live I prefer to hike alone.... It has nothing to do with you. It's just me. Sorry."

"O.K. It's still a few days to Gauley Bridge, I'll try not to disturb you too much. But one request - can I keep the space blanket?"

Aiden laughed. "Sure you can. I have two more of them in my pack."

She wrapped her arm around his bicep and hugged it.

# # #

That night as they sat in front of the campfire she thought, Maybe the right questions will open him up.

She started by asking him if he has a girlfriend. He answered "No."

"Well, what do you do about... you know."

" I guess I don't know. What are you trying to say?"

"How do you relieve... your tension."

He's silent for a minute as he figured it out. "That bit of information is too private to share. And it's too private for you to even ask the question."

"Have you ever had a romantic relationship with a girl?"

"Not a romantic one. The women I know are simply friends."

"You're not gay are you?"

"Of course not. That's another inappropriate question."

"Have you ever loved someone?"

He shook his head no.

"Why not?"

"I'm afraid to get too close to others."

"Why is that?"

"Because they will leave me... just like my mother did," Aiden said as he choked up.

"How old were you?"

"Eleven."

"What, did she just up and leave one day?"

"No, she and my father were killed when a coal truck hit our car." At that point he broke down crying.

"Oh my God, Aiden. You poor boy. I'm so sorry I kept asking questions." She reached out to put her arms around him but he pulled away.

While he was crying she thought about it. His mother didn't leave him, she was killed... but at eleven he didn't know the difference. I wish he would let me hold him, but I've been coming on to him so strong he probably would think that's why I was doing it.

When he got passed the crying she quietly asked, "Where were you when this happened?"

"I... was buckled in the back seat."

"Do you remember that?"

"No, I was unconscious. I almost died in the hospital."

Bettina started crying herself at this point. It didn't matter if he tried to push her away she put her arms around him anyway and hugged him tight. They stayed locked together like that for a long time before his tears stopped, then she unwrapped her arms and backed away

Two days later they arrived at Gauley Bridge. "I guess this is where I say goodbye. I wish you weren't bound up by old emotions, but I understand. Maybe at another time... If you ever return this way please look me up." She stood on her tiptoes, kissed him lightly on the cheek, then hurried away with tears in her eyes.

# # #

As Aiden continued along the trail has mind wrestled with the feelings Bettina had dredged up. He thought that he had them in a secret part of his mind - in an imaginary ornate wooden box with the lid bolted down. Like my mom and dad's coffins, he realized. He had never made that connection before. In his mind he imagined screwing the lid back on and filing it away in the mausoleum of his mind, and it seemed to work as long as he was focused on forest around him, but it didn't last. As soon as he was zipped into his sleeping bag all the terrible memories came flooding back. But this time more of them showed up.

He had flashbacks of his mother's face covered in blood, one eye hanging out if its socket, missing front teeth, and a severed arm... of her being put in an ambulance. These were followed by flashes of his dad screaming just before the truck hit them, of his body being peeled from the grill of the truck. There was even a mental snapshot of the door of the truck reading "Pittman Coal Company." Then the dream went dark.

Aiden panicked as he tore his sleeping bag trying to escape the terrible memories. He ran towards the edge of the trail but managed to stop just before he went over of a cliff. He stared at the river below and for an instant wanted to take that next step so the emotional pain he felt would go away. He wasn't sure how long he stood there at the edge of suicide but the next thing he remembered was someone yanking him back from the cliff. He tried to pull away to finish the job but arms of the interloper wrapped around his ankles and made him fall backward. As he landed on a soft body an arm snaked around his throat and hold him tight.

"Let me go!" he yelled, but the arm was locked tight. It didn't relax its grip until he was almost unconscious from lack of air. His body sagged as he started crying felt and the pressure on his throat relax. Then the arms hugged him as they both lay on the ground.

Aiden asked through sobs "Who are you?" He turned his head and saw his new friend - Bettina.

"What are you doing here?"

"Saving your life I hope."

"Who asked you to!"

"The voice in my head that told me you needed me. Did you really want to die!"

"No, not right now."

"Good, because if you said 'yes' I'd have you back in a choke hold."

"About that. You're pretty strong."

"Did I detect an unspoken 'for a woman' there? It's amazing what one can do when it's really needed. Come on, let's get you back to the tent." Bettina put her arm on Aiden's shoulders and guided him to his lean-to.

As the sun dropped behind the mountains Aiden realized what he had done he came to his senses. The zipper on his sleeping bag was destroyed during his quick exit from the bad memories.

"Damn! I ruined my sleeping bag. I'm going to freeze tonight."

"No you won't because I'll be snuggled up to your back. We'll put your bag under us for a mattress and I'll unzip mine to use as a top cover. Plus we also have two more space blankets. Here, lay down. I'll put some more wood on the fire and join you.... Are you comfortable with that? You told me that people too close to you make you anxious."

"I'll try not to think about I, Bettina I'm not about to let my phobias freeze us to death."

"Oh, you're exaggerating. If you need some distance we can figure something out."

# # #

After they went in different directions to pee they came back to the lean-to. It was an awkward moment as they both gestured for the other to get in first. She out-insisted Aiden so he got in first, turning his back to her. She got in behind him but kept whatever space she could. At first he moved tightly against the log but as she laid still he relaxed some.

"Would you mind if I rubbed your back? It might help relax you unwind."

"Uh... I suppose so."

He felt her soft touch as she moved her hands slowly over his back. She started at his neck and moved downward. As she reached his belt level she realized her dilemma. She thought,

His butt is really nice - a smooth sexy curve of firm muscle. I would love to run my hands over that and feel his warmth as it made him excited. That won't happen - he has too many barriers up.... But if he was a normal guy it would be my first move toward seduction.

She reversed her hands and worked her way back up toward his neck. She spent a little time there, giving a gentle massage, the leaned in for a very soft kiss just below his ear. She didn't know if he even felt it but she noticed she was starting to get wet down below,

If he would roll over I could see if he's responding to my touch. But if I see the telltale signs he would probably be very embarrassed. I'll just have to imagine where it could have gone. Once he's asleep I can take care of my own needs but it would be so much better if it was his fingers doing the walking. She sighed and closed her eyes, thinking about how it would feel with him inside her. Not tonight I guess.

# # #

As Aiden lay there he was fighting battles of his own. When she ran her fingers over his back it felt so good. He didn't think her actions were meant to be sexual, but as she continued he felt his response rise. He moved against the log a little tighter so she wouldn't accidentally brush against it. But that thought increased his of excitement and made his dick even harder. When she got to the final neck rub he was afraid he would spurt spontaneously. He tried to redirect his mind, but when she kissed him on the neck - that was a kiss wasn't it? - he came close to losing it.

She didn't follow that up with anything so maybe it wasn't a kiss but just an accidental touch. He waited for a second one.... That would let him know for sure - but it never

came. He was almost asleep when he felt her make some space between them and begin moving a bit. He first thought she was getting up to pee again but she never left their make-shift bed. He was speculating on what she might be doing until he felt her body stiffen as she let out a soft moan. After feeling her hips follow up he knew what she was doing - she was getting herself off!

That thought almost pushed him over the edge to his own climax, but he gripped the base of his dick until it subsided. He needed to come badly but he couldn't soil his underwear and pants with his semen. He knew he had to get himself off soon or it would happen no matter what he did.

He pulled the sleeping bag off himself and started to get up. That woke Bettina and she asked sleepily "What are you doing?"

"Uh... I have to pee."

"Pee again?"

"Yes. Ah, I have a condition."

She reached up and felt his erection, and right after that wrapped her hand around it. "Uh huh, just as I thought. I recognize that condition. You're hard as a rock.... What caused that?"

"Everything you did after you laid down. I was pushed to the edge when I felt you stiffen with your orgasm."

"I turned you on that much and you didn't join me? I could have least helped you jack off."

She paused for a couple of seconds as the light dawned. "Oh, you weren't going into the bushes to pee, you were going to masturbate."

Aiden blushed a deep red but it didn't show in the dying firelight. She sensed it though.

"Oh, I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry. Here, let me take care of that for you."

As she bent over and started to close her lips around the head of his dick he moaned. "No, you don't have to do that.... Stop, stop."

She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.

"And why would I do that? You do want to come don't you?"

"Yes, but not like that. No one has ever done that to me before."

"I like to think of it as something I did FOR you, not TO you. So no one has ever made you come this way?"

"No."

"How about a hand job? Has someone done that for you? I could do that if you would rather."

"No, keep doing what you were doing, Bettina. It feels so good. She felt him blush again.

"So no one has jerked you off before?"

"No. It's only been with my own hand."

"Right or left?"

"Right until it gets tired then I switch."

"It sounds like you can last a long time. You're going to make some woman happy. Ready for me to finish this?"

Epilog

Aiden slept cuddled up to Bettina's back. As soon as her laid down she took his hand and pressed it to the shirt over her breast.

"I want that to still be there in the morning, you got that?"

"It will be there until you remove it.... It feels really good; so soft but with a hard nipple. Is your other one like that?"

She made room under her T shirt for his hand. "Check it out for yourself."

As he pinched her nipple she moaned and said "I expect to see something else hard in the morning."

"That's pretty much guaranteed."