Down By the River

My toes curl around the smooth pebbles as the cool water flows over the tops of my feet and swirls around my ankles. A few leaves float past and a small fish darts out from between the stones before quickly disappearing further downstream. I’ve been sitting on this bank for about twenty minutes and my bum is beginning to go to sleep. I shift a little to let the blood flow. You’ll be here soon.

I close my eyes and inhale the rich, earthy scent of the forest floor and the peaty water. The stream takes a meandering path through the trees. I’ve chosen a shallow spot but I know there are places where it runs deeper and faster. My emotions are like this river: I may feel relaxed now but I know it won’t be long before I quicken and traverse new depths. My body is like the water too: moisture already beginning to pool between my thighs in anticipation of your arrival; my mouth alternately dry when I think of what is to come and then salivating with desire.

Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up. The light is beginning to fade and I’m afraid of being alone in the dark.

The snap of a twig underfoot alerts me to your arrival. Your first command swiftly follows, “Don’t turn around. Stay just as you are.” I can hear you busying yourself behind me. Some of the sounds are familiar: the zipper of a bag being drawn back; the...