"The Dryad"( MF fant )[1/1]


     Sometimes I try to remember what I was doing in the forest, how I got 
lost.  I can't, though.  It was too long ago, and what happened afterwards 
was more than enough to cast a fog on how it all began.
     Suffice it to say I was looking for something.  I don't even remember 
what anymore.  It doesn't matter though.  I found something wonderful in 
that wood, something more than I could ever have dreamed or wished for, but
it wasn't what I had come to find. 
     The wood was dark and dense, the heady smell of pine and soil thick in 
my nostrils.  I had been wandering about for hours, lost, with no real 
sense of direction, unable to see the sun to make use of it as a compass.  
The trees were far too thick for that.
     The sun had set, and the forest grew quite chill.  I wasn't 
appropriately dressed to stand the elements after dark.  It was fall, and 
while the trees looked quite beautiful in their annual transition from 
green to brown, slipping through a myriad of colors in between, I was 
afraid that would not be enough to keep me warm.
     I walked about, trying to keep my blood circulating, cold, hungry, 
tired.  My feet dragged through the thick carpet of leaves on the forest 
floor, their cold seeping into my shoes.  The eternal beauty which had 
assaulted me as I first entered the forest was no longer so impressive.  
The forest was huge, and it was possible that I might well wander about 
till I starved if I didn't come up with an idea.  The subtle dangers of 
such a lovely place were only just now becoming apparent.
     Finally, I realized that there was no hope to make it out before dawn.
     Stumbling about in the dark would be foolish.  If I were to fall, or 
run into a tree, there would be no one to help me.  With that thought 
warming my spirit, I picked a small clearing in the wood in which to sleep 
the night.  The clearing was roughly circular, and about a dozen feet in 
diameter.  A sapling oak, about five feet high, grew in the clearing's 
center. 
     I laid myself down within the thick roots of a massive, ancient, 
gnarled oak, and covered myself to the shoulders in leaves, hoping to keep 
in whatever heat I could.  Soon, I was fast asleep, and dreaming...
     At least, I thought I was dreaming.  The fact is, I might well have 
been awake, watching, and simply dismissing what I saw as a dream.  What 
happened after made that a distinct possibility.
     There was a stirring of leaves on the forest floor in the small 
clearing in which I lay, as if a small whirlwind breeze had centered in the 
clearing.  The leaves on the ground rose up in the wind, spinning about the 
tiny tree, more and more, until I could hardly make out the sapling at all.  
The cold air tingled as I breathed, watching this spectacle before.  I 
could feel the magic at work, the power of the Earth rising up into the 
sapling that was its child.
     Suddenly, the wind stopped.  The leaves fell back to the floor, and 
settled once again.  It was the sapling which stirred then.
     The stiff limbs of the tiny tree began to stretch and bend, the bark 
smoothing as its roots pulled slowly from the ground.  I lay mesmerized as 
the branches pulled and melted together while the lower half of the trunk 
split in two.  I watched, unable to blink, eyes tearing, as the sapling 
shifted and swelled to ample proportions, leaves turning to long brown 
silken hair with just the slightest touch of green, roots becoming feet.
     And as I lay, half terrified, half captivated, a beautiful wood nymph 
stood before me.  A Dryad.  I had heard of such creatures in mythology, 
beautiful guardians of the forest and nature, who sometimes enticed men 
into getting lost with slight glimpses of shapely legs as they ran through 
the woods.  I could not believe that one stood there before me, apparently 
oblivious to my presence.
     She was just over five feet tall, and beautiful.  She had large, 
almond shaped eyes of emerald green, and skin of a rich brown, as if deeply 
tanned by the sun.  A beam of moonlight cut through the canopy of leaves 
overhead and shone directly on the center of the clearing, directly on her.  
The pale, silvery light limned her form, highlighting her curves.  Her 
breasts were large firm swells, with nubs the color of chocolate, which 
were covered when she stood still by the green tinted brown hair which 
reached all the way down to the back of her knees.  Her body was ample in 
every way, yet delicate, and firm.  The perfect nymph out of legend.
     I was unable to move, unable to speak, captivated by her beauty.  My 
body felt like it was rooted to the ground as her's had been mere moments 
ago. I could only watch as, ignoring my presence completely, she stretched 
one arm into the air, then the other, and twirled a pirouette, her hair 
flying about, revealing her perfect form in full.
     She danced in that small clearing for I don't know how long.  Her 
grace and beauty held me spellbound, entranced by the magic charge, the 
sexual energy she seemed to generate in the air.  She leaped and twirled 
about, hardly stirring the blanket of leaves on the floor as she swayed.  
It was as if she was merely a phantom, not really there.  The light of the 
moon seemed to follow her body as she danced joyfully about, celebrating 
her beauty, which was a reflection of the beauty of nature about her.
     Finally, the cotton in my throat cleared.  "Who are you?" I whispered 
in a hoarse voice, feeling utterly grotesque before this creature of 
absolute beauty.
     She stopped her dance and froze, like a frightened doe, her large eyes 
staring directly at me.  Then she ran.
     It took a moment for me to realize she was gone.  But then suddenly, 
the spell was broken and I was off and running after her.
     I tore through the woods in the direction I had seen her go, the 
branches and scrub whipping against my face and hands, tearing my skin and 
clothing.  I thought I had lost her, but I caught a glimpse of thigh, still 
bathed in moonlight, off to the left.  I stumbled as I tried to cut the 
turn without slowing, but I was back up and going in a flash.
     I have no idea how many minutes I chased her for, changing direction 
at a flash of buttock or bit of trailing hair as she bounced merrily away 
ahead of me, but finally I managed to close the gap.  I hadn't given any 
thought as to what I'd do when I caught her, nor did I think as I lunged 
forward and grasped her about the waist, pulling her soft, smooth bare skin 
against me.  
     I hugged her tightly, burying my face in her hair and inhaling the 
aromatic scent of it as I nuzzled her warm shoulder and brought my lips 
against the nape of her neck, tasting her.
     Our momentum continued to carry us forward, right into a large tree 
which stood at the end of a path.  The Dryad simply passed through the bark 
of the tree, slipping inside, while I rammed full force into the hard wood.
     Stunned, I fell backwards onto the ground, unsure of what had just 
happened.  As I rubbed my bruised forehead, I heard a melodic, tinkling 
laughter echo from within the tree.  A delicate hand slipped through the 
bark as if it wasn't there and curled a finger, beckoning me to follow.  I 
grasped that hand tightly, and was pulled right into the tree!
     It took a moment for my senses to adjust.  It seemed a long moment as 
I passed through the tree, and I felt as if I was traveling further than 
the diameter of the trunk.  Regardless, I suddenly found myself sitting in 
what can only be described as a small room.  The scent of sap was strong, 
and it made me feel light headed.  It was dark, but after a few moments my 
eyes dilated to the extent where I could see her.  I remember nothing else 
about the room save that I was lying on something soft and she was there.  
She was the focus of all my senses.
     We stared at each other for a long moment, saying nothing, until I 
could stand it no longer.  I swept her into my arms, crushing her against 
me, and grasped the back of her head, pulling her lips to meet mine.  Our 
tongues intertwined as we kissed, alive and pulsing within each other's 
mouths.  My hands roamed about her body, crushing and stroking everything 
they came into contact with.  I broke the kiss so that my lips could trail 
down her neck, teeth scraping lightly, to her shoulders, biting, wetting 
with my tongue.
     I brought my lips lower, kissing and sucking on her soft breasts as 
her hands began to work my clothing off, revealing my arousal.  She wrapped 
her hand about me and tugged lightly, sending waves of pleasure through my 
body as I eased her onto her back, my head slipping between her thighs.
     My tongue entered her hungrily, and she bucked against it, forcing it 
in deeper as she squeezed her legs tightly together, suffocating me within 
her sweet flesh.  I was in heaven.
     After what seemed like an eternity, she pushed my head away, and I 
fell onto my back, her juices dripping from my lips.  She skilfully ran her 
fingers about my body, knowing how to stimulate each and every part.  My 
desire rose stiff and hard, throbbing between my legs, and she stroked it 
wonderfully before taking it into her mouth, licking and sucking with a 
fervor I have never felt.  This was too much for me, and after a few 
moments I erupted in her warm mouth, but didn't even begin to slacken.  She 
sucked a little more, then crawled forward and mounted me.
     Our lips met once more and I tasted myself on her tongue, a salty 
kiss.  She began to slowly rock back and forth atop me, letting my full 
length alternately withdraw and penetrate her.  Her moans filled the room, 
mingling with my stifled gasps.  I grasped her hips tightly, pulling her up 
and forcing her back down, digging into the yielding flesh.
     After a moment, I pushed forward and laid her onto her back, still 
inside her.  I began to pump with a slow, steady rhythm, kissing her and 
squeezing her breasts.  I pinched her nipples and sucked hard on her 
tongue, increasing the force of my thrusts, causing her to cry out.
     Still leading, I rolled her over onto her hands and knees and entered 
her from behind, one hand grasping her hip to steady myself as the other 
stroked its fingers hard down her back, leaving fading red trails, pinching 
and slapping the round cheeks of her bottom.  After a minute of stroking 
her though, I could hold back no longer.  I grasped both of her hips hard 
and pounded into her roughly, my orgasm taking complete control of my body.  
We both cried out simultaneously, and I collapsed against her and knew no 
more.
                              * * * * *
     When I awoke, I was in the clearing where it had started, naked, with 
my clothes scattered all about.  It was the middle of summer.  When I 
finally found my way out of the forest and into civilization again, I found 
out that more than a few seasons had passed.  It was five years later.
     No one has ever believed this tale, but I swear it to be true.  Every 
fall I return to the forest, hoping to find my love again, but it is always 
in vain.