Heather's weary body despite the uncomfortable mattress and intermittent creepy
crawly noises.
Her dreams filled up with Nick...and his touch travelling over her body.
Simon slept too but the sound of Heather's soft moans of desire disturbed him.
For once he was not irritated ....he remembered fondly the sound of their own
lovemaking..
He chose to ignore the fact that she seemed a lot happier at this moment in time than she had with him....but..what the hell.... whatever she was dreaming sounded good.
His eyes watched her in the strips of moonlight that filtered through the hut walls.
He smiled and whispered......"This is too good an opportunity to miss my friend"
Slowly he crawled off his camp bed and across the matting coming to rest beside her.
His eyes savouring every rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed deeply within her dream.
He wanted to touch her but figured she would wake ..and he knew her screams would wake the the entire jungle!!
His fingers reached out ..the temptation too strong to resist.....suddenly she lifted her arms above her head and seemd to be fumbling for something...
Simon withdrew his hand and watched mesmerised.....her fingers connected with the small bar at the head of her bunk and snaked around it tightly as she arched her back and moaned her lovers name.
Simon smiled knowingly and silently thanked this 'Nick' person for giving her body such a good time ........even if this time it was only in her dreams.
Again he whispered to himself.."She'll never know..."
He had to be very careful here......if he touched her too hard with too much pressure or too fast...... surely she would wake ......it had to be gently, tenderly.......
Simon thought to himself......'try to touch her like 'Nick' would'.....then thought how ridiculous that sounded ..
He didn't know Nick.... had never met him and had no idea how he was with her ...
how they were together ....but judging from the motion of her body and herbreathing pattern he was damn good with her!!
Simon erased the thought from his mind and concentrated on making contact between
the exposed skin of her belly and his trembling finger tips.
Her skin felt soft and warm and the breath that escaped him as he felt it's softness scared him ......it had been very loud in the stillness of the hut ......
He smiled as she breathed even deeper and responded to his fingers sliding up her t-shirt with a delicious gasp.....
His erection hardened a little more and he licked his lips involuntarily.
He dare not speak ...that would give it all away...
she had to believe this was Nick and as long as he went slowly and she remained deeply asleep he knew he could pull this off.
He moved nearer and knelt as close as he dare ...... his fingers caressed her hardened nipples...
Simon's heart pounded .......this was going so well..
But he knew he should stop now ....not indulge his fantasy any further ...but she had just opened her legs ......what was he supposed to do??
This HAD to be an invitation.....he let his fingers stroke the soft cotton of her panties
feeling the wetness soaking through...his mind raced ....
'Nick you must be one helluva guy do do this to her from so far away"
Simon could take it no longer ..he leaned close to her lips ready to whisper something to her .......
he didn't know what.... but part of him wanted her to wake up and realise it was him and not Nick and the another part of him wanted her to stay asleep and continue believing
that it was Nick exploring her body ....
As he came within inches of her lips Heather's mind sensed something...a 'closeness'......... her 'unconcious' mind thought 'Nick'.......
But her 'waking mind' knew the scent was wrong.....
This 'closeness' didn't smell like Nick......... nor feel like Nick....
It was too late .........a tongue pushed past her lips and took possesion of
her mouth....a hand slid inside her panties and slipped easily inside her.
Simon climbed on top of her trapping her body beneath him trying to spread her legs wider with his knees......
He was annoyed with himself for waking her...... but his body wanted hers and he was not gonna give up now!...
Heather had no idea where her energy and strength came from .....but all she could think of was Nick
Her tears unnoticed and her distressed protests unheard....she somehow managed to get her hand between her thighs and grab Simon's balls in a vice like grip ...... she twisted them as if she was going to rip them off!!
The pain shot through him ... incapacitating him for long enough to get her foot
positioned to give him a swift kick....
He fell off the bed his hands carefully covering his agonisingly painful balls.."You fucking bitch.."
He made a grab for her and pulled on her arm.. twisting it visciously..
Heather felt the snap and screamed in pain...
Simon was momentarily horrified at the soundand realised he had broken her arm.....
Heather wrenched her free despite the pain and slammed out of the hut door into the rain.
Her t-shirt instantly soaked and her bare feet muddy ..she turned as she heard the door open again and he was there...
Scared for fear of reprisal..she slid down the muddy path and ran toward the once dried river bed....... a narrow stream of rain water along it's path making it turn to mud
she stood still watching the mud sink between her toes.....and stared into the rain looking down the path of the river..... her mind struggling...... panicking ....what should she do?...
where should she go?...
She looked up at the balcony of the hut .
Simon looked down at her ,he moved as if he was going to come get her....
A fresh panic gripped her.... she had nowhere to run except into the darkness and forest.......
The seconds of indecision ticked by as if in slow motion.....
It was the roar that made her spin around... the terror wild in her eyes ....was it some fearsome animal or what..??
The moonlight once so beautiful to her eyes now only served to heighten her anxiety...
making all the foliage and rocks around seem dangerous and predatory...
The roar got louder and at the same time her brain identified the sound...the giant wall of swaying mud hurtled around the bend of the river bed!
There was no time to run...
No time to yell for help ...
Heather could not move anyway .....transfixed by the death approaching her ......
Her last thought and her last vision were of Nick ...as the mighty wall slammed into her body and carried her away
Simon stared in disbelief and horror as he watched her body dissappear beneath the heaving black mass .....
He screamed her name and slid down the muddy pathway but the force of the swell drove him back...
He couldn't see anything....... and scrambled back up the path to the hut....... it was safer but afforded him no better view....
His heart was thumping loudly in his chest and he knew he was to blame .....
If he had just kept his hands to himself she would never have run.
Frantically he raced into the hut and grabbed the radio handset punching buttons without the least idea what he was doing...
"Come brain function for christsake.....!!"
There was no answer just hissing...
The storm disrupting the communications.........he ran outside again .....
The swell had settled .........the river bed now a calmer sight..a brown river in it's place
she was still gone......
She could be miles away by now ....he slid down the path once more and ventured along the bankside calling for her ...
For two hours he searched calling her name in the brooding moonlight..
The silence eerie
No animal sounds ....nothing ........no wind ......no rustling of leaves .....just empty silence....
All the time he searched he cursed himself for his stupidity......
By the time he got back to the hut the first few fingers of dawn light were appearing
The storm had passed but the sky looked to be covered in low dense cloud . ..
Any other time they would have called it a 'beautiful mist'..but not today ..not today
Simon tried the radio again....
He reached base and his panic was evident as the voice on the other end repeatedly
asked him to calm down and speak more clearly.....
A little happier that a rescue team had been dispatched .....he sat on his bunk not knowing what to do.
Should he continue the search alone or wait for the professionals?
He ran his hands through his hair and fought back his tears of shame.
Slowly he stood up and walked out onto the balcony where he had found her sleeping before.
His eyes scanned the once idyllic view.....now it looked like a mud strewn blanket ....
he sighed and whispered into the sunrise "I'm so sorry Heather .......so sorry"