In a Silver Tent

I'm trying a different style of writing here, so I'd be keen to get your feedback - and please vote if you like it!

I parked the car and hid the key nearby - you should never take it with you in case you drop it.

Laces tight, harness firm, on my way. I know this track well.

Magpies and currawongs are calling. Crows are cawing in the distance. A few cicadas have started, but without their companions joining in, they quieten down. The gum trees rustle in the breeze and give off their characteristic smell - it's a Friday afternoon but it hasn't been so hot that the air has dried out, so the wattles and gums are scenting the breeze. Sleepy lizards are sunning themselves. Nothing moves but the high leaves on the trees. You may have guessed by now, we are in Australia. I am in a national park, a piece of ancient wilderness preserved against the white man's greed.

I know a waterhole not far from here. In the bush, water is scarce, but this place, a bend in a stream, has both a swimming hole and fresh water running into it. Unbelievably, it's also not well known. The ranger signs don't mention it, and I like it that way. A quiet, solitary weekend is what I want. Uni is stimulating, fun, engaging... but I need a break now and again. My old pack, old boots, a few bits and pieces to sleep on and to make meals with, and I'm ready for some simple camping. The harness feels good, my legs know how to step over the many roots, my hands know which trees to grab to steady myself. I'm pushing the pace so I get more time in the water.

The first clue you are getting closer is the run of water over stones. You can mistake it for the gum leaves stirring if you're not expecting it. Then the track goes down into a small gorge. Then hand-made drystone steps make a zigzag down to the waterhole. The beautifully-made steps look a little odd so deep in the old, unspoilt bush. Nearly there.

Someone is already there. Because of the steep terrain I can see, almost from above, a woman's curvy shape slipping through the water. She has short hair and pale skin. She is naked. I guess she hasn't heard me because the steps let me walk more softly.

I'm not great with girls. Or strangers. Or naked girl strangers. But there is a way out of this. The track moves off to one side and out of sight of the pool. I can stamp a bit and break a few twigs to let her know I'm coming down.

The water at the bend is neck-deep and the size of a couple of backyard pools. Down one side is a shelving beach of sorts, made of sand and smooth round stones. Other rocks, some as big as a car but all smoothly rounded, are in the river bed.

When I get down to the grassy bank above the beach, the woman has not got out. She is in the deep water, watching me. The usual walkers' greetings feel very odd, with one of us with pack and boots and one stark naked. I'm wondering if I should leave and keep going, but there's nothing else on the track to go to. And I want the swim.

"Why don't you come in? If you've got this far you should at least wet your feet!" I'm quite startled by her comment and can't reply at first.

"Usually, there's no one here, but I've shared this place once or twice before, so I won't mind if you don't mind." Her voice is deep for a woman's, with a faint lilt to it. It's beautiful.

"My boyfriend and I love this spot. Loved this spot. Good water, private, some level ground for camping behind you - but I reckon you know all this already."

"Yeah, that's where I always put my tent up."

"I reckon we can find room for two. Now, get your pack off and relax!" How could she tell I was so nervous?

* * *

For dinner I had pasta and a meat sauce just about thawed out. She had chick peas, pitta bread and lots of dips, and wine. Sharing your meal is common enough, but I'd never had wine when camping before. It's great. We don't speak much, to my relief. Some walkers will swap stories for hours, but she and I seemed to be more the quiet types. We'd made a small fire to sit around.

"The boyfriend and I would come down here. There was no one. Just us, and the sun, and the water." She smiled as she thought about it, then gave half a laugh. "It was great, like our lives together. He did whatever he liked with me and I did whatever I liked with him.

"Then it went... funny. Dull. Same old same old. Didn't take quite enough care with each other. Don't you make that mistake! And don't let her do it either!" She flashes a smile at me, then went still as rock.

"He dropped me. Said some bullshit like, we needed to grow. We were stifling each other. I was holding us back. Or something. Sounded like bulldust to me." There was a long pause.

"He said something funny once. He looked at me on the bed and said, "Your bush..." then stopped himself. But he had this look on his face. Distaste? Disgust? I'll never know. What was he looking at online, when he had me for real?" I could hear the hurt in her voice.

'Big Yellow Taxi' popped into my head, and I start singing softly,

Don't it always seem to go, That you don't know what you've got till its gone?

And together: They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

We laugh gently, amongst trees not yet in a tree museum. She stares at me. Everything seems to go quiet. She leans forward and kisses me softly, slowly on the lips.

* * *

My tent is very simple, just two hoops to make a dome. I usually don't bother with pegs unless its windy. A bright moon gives the world a pale grey gleam, nicely matching my silver outer fly. I'm not sure if I'll sleep, with the light and all the feelings going round inside me. I was looking forward to isolation, then I got company, then a sort of companionship. And a kiss...

But I do sleep. I know this because I was woken up by the zipper on the tent. A shuffle, a pause, a shuffle and she is in the tent with me. I'm not great with girls at the best of times, and this is really weird. Do I... what? I've no idea at all. I can't think, all I can do is peep up at the silhouette against the moonlight, a graceful figure. I pretend I'm asleep.

There's one last, long hesitation as she's looking down at me. Then I'm surprised again: she snuggles in behind me, wriggles into the sleeping bag so her head is against my back. Her breathing is tense. I am right out of my depth here, but I can tell she is looking for comfort. I lie still and let her lie there, forehead on my shoulder, her body lining mine, breath faintly tickling my spine. Her breathing eases.

It's much later in the night, I must have slept again because I've woken up again. There's a little hand come round my waist and I'm holding it in mine. It's warm.

* * *

Sunshine. Normally in a tent I sleep lightly and I'm up early, but I suppose the strangeness of last night (and two glasses of wine?) has thrown the old habits out. The magpies have already started and the cicadas are getting going in waves of shrill sound. The tent will get too hot soon, but not yet. Then the zip opens.

"Good morning! You looked like a cuppa-tea-first-thing kinda guy!" She was smiling at her amazing psychic powers.

"Actually, yes, I drink tea, but only when I'm camping. Thanks." Tea in bed is a delicious luxury for a solo camper. We sip quietly.

My tent is silver and green. The silver reflects the Australian sun well (for a tent) but colours go funny inside. Her pale skin has taken on a silvery hue. She has strong, dark eyebrows over eyes that are either intense or laughing ironically, a small nose, the barest hint of pits on her cheeks, a mop of straight hair with a few strands out at a silly angle. She's sitting, looking at me over her mug of tea.

"Thank you for last night. I dunno what it was, I needed the feel of someone against me. Someone kind. You seemed to understand me, and wouldn't try and take advantage of me. But I knew I could trust a Joni Mitchell fan, anyway!"

She smiles. Tiny lines around her eyes and mouth enhance the effect.

She puts out her hand and strokes my cheek. I can feel electricity in the air. She leans forward and kisses me again, as softly as before but longer. She sits back.

Without taking her eyes off me, she slowly unbuttons her shirt. I see her silvery pale breasts closely. They are smallish with a small crease underneath. Each areola stands out from the curve of her breast, making a perfect circle around a tiny nipple. As she sits, her belly button is a dent in a crease across her stomach. I can't say a word.

She tugs at my t-shirt and I peel it off. With my arms up she kisses me, harder this time, her tongue brushing mine. Tingles are racing all over me. She runs her hands down my arms, through the underarm hairs and onto my chest. She rolls my own tiny nipples in her fingers, then sends them down to my underpants. I take them off and lie with my cock standing harder than I've ever seen it. She runs her hand up my chest again, down, around my balls and onto the shaft. She strokes once or twice and I come, a spurt of white semen into the air.

"Ahhh... God, sorry... I've never... with a girl... or anyone... before..."

She speaks so softly, not like her usual voice. "Don't be sorry, it's all right. Lots of boys do that early on. And it'll come back soon. So I'm your first? This'll be more fun than I thought!" The beautiful smile again. It warms me, along with the glow and relaxation of a really good climax.

She's on her side now, playing with the come on my chest. Then she gets up and gives me another long kiss. Bent over me, she offers her nipples to me and I kiss and suckle each one. Her breasts are such a different shape hanging down. She takes a nipple and draws across my face with it, tickling my ears and teasing my lips. The breast is wonderfully soft, the nipple hardens then softens by turns. She rubs it against my cockhead and down the shaft, which starts the tingles again. She smiles to see the enjoyment I'm getting, which adds to the tingles.

"Boy, you're skinny!" she says with a laugh.

"I prefer to think of myself as slim, thanks very much!" I'm answering back - shows I'm relaxing!

"Skinny!" She glares, but she's laughing. Suddenly she rustles off her panties and kneels up, just fitting in the tent. Her breasts are high above me now, but I'm right beside her thick patch of pubic hair, as dark and defiant as her eyebrows. There's a new scent, sexy, that tugs me in close.

"I hope you're not upset by the question, but you do know what's down here, don't you."

"I've seen a few pictures, and... watched a few videos."

"I'll bet you have! Thanks Mr Internet! Well, just remember, this is real, not those silly porn fantasies." Real?? This is so far from my reality I'm going to be guessing the whole way!

With her panties off, she straddles me and slowly lays her bare skin against mine. The sensation fills my body and my nerves are charged. I can feel her breasts are cool but there's warmth in her crotch.

"Stroke my back," she whispers. When I run my hands down her she seems to lengthen as she stretches. "MmmmMMMmmm, verrry nice! A bit of nails." When I run my nails down her sides, over her hips and over her buttocks, she throws her head back with pleasure. "AAAaah, that's great! Again! Again!"

She's biting her lip and squirming on me as I draw patterns on her back, or stretch down and graze behind her knee. I run my nails up into her hair and she shudders with arousal. "Don't. Stop. Please." She can barely say it. My hands don't stop exploring this wonderful naked body.

One of my new favourites is to go up from her elbow then into her armpit. She can't hold herself up then and flops onto my chest. With my hands now in mid-air I bring them down at random places on her back. I feel her waiting for it... and I get a little cry and squirm from her when I start again. I am loving this, and so is she.

I steal into the hot place between her thighs. She starts to rock her hips as I rustle into her hairs and feel the sticky dampness. Her thighs are strong, gripping my hips with some force. My fingers can only find folds of warm skin and slippery wetness. I can't make sense of it. The videos aren't helping here!

Rescue is here. She looks down at me with heavy-lidded eyes. "I need you inside me! Move!" I'm pushed aside so she can lie on my sleeping mat. Now I'm above her. I'm kneeling above this amazing aroused naked woman. Her green-silvery skin shines, with darker flushes on her chest and face. Her nipples stand proud above her little breasts, flattened out on her chest. Little movements make them dance. Her hands are stroking my arms tenderly. I manage to speak.

"G-Gorgeous!" She smiles warmly, her dark eyes darker in the odd light. I hesitate. "Should we have, y'know, precautions?"

The smile again. "That's good of you to ask. I'm on the Pill, and I'm guessing you're okay. Are you okay?" I nod. I'm a total virgin, so I guess I'm okay, just in awe of all this. I can't stop looking up and down her body. Her ribs stand out more when she lies down.

"You're skinny!" I hear myself teasing.

The laughing glare again. "Just fuck me!"

She brings up her sturdy thighs and spreads her knees. I can make out details in the dark tangle in her centre. A cleft. Labia peeking through. It's all real. She gracefully spreads the hairs to reveal her thick outer lips. Her scent is stronger now, and when she wriggles her fingers in to spread the lips the scent is stronger again. Tangy, arousing.

Her inner lips are bright pink and shiny with moisture. She manages to beckon me forward and my cock is there.

That sliding in. The easiest thing. Warm and slippery and fitting so perfectly. My cock inside a vagina. I sigh, "Aaahhh!" at the exact moment she does too. We look into each others' eyes and laugh gently.

She lies with her eyes closed, smiling, with the fine lines around her mouth enhancing her smile. I'm slowly thrusting into her, bumping gently on her pubic bone. My cock is sending sparks through me, I'm feeling a bit dizzy. When she strokes my arms and chest I'm more dizzy.

She opens her eyes and pulls my head down to kiss me again. "You're going so well, but I'm not made of glass, y'know. Fuck me harder, my cunt can take it!" She's rolled her hips up and somehow her toes are tickling my sides. It makes my hips jerk and I start pushing harder. Her breathing gets in time with my thrusts. Something animal is rising in us as we buck against each other. The come on my chest is mixing with our sweat.

She puts one hand in my neck to lift herself slightly, while the other wriggles between us. I can just feel fingertips brushing my cock, then her fingers pushing into her clitoris. As I ram into her she strums her clit, her whole body quivering. Her breasts quiver to her tension and my pounding.

Something's building up in her. Her skin shines with sweat, her breathing is panting, her muscles are standing out. Then her hand clutches my neck.

"GggaaaAAAAaaah! Oh fuck! Fuck! So good!" Her cunt is rippling against my cock. Her wet pussy feels even wetter. She falls back on the sleeping mat, gasping for air. I can't believe I'm still going, but her orgasm has pushed me close to the edge. She gives me her warm smile.

"You, are fucking incredible. I hope you come like I just did. Come in me! Come in my cunt!"

Her words, her smell, her hands on my buttocks are sending me over the edge. I can feel her fingers pulling my cheeks apart as I thrust into her cleft. A fingernail scratches round my anus. It's like sparks going into me.

I explode. With a great gasp I push into her cunt as far as I can and pour my semen into her. She holds me in as my hips shudder, my whole body shudders. A warm rush fills me as my body relaxes. I just manage to lower myself onto my elbows and not flatten her underneath me. Her skin is faintly damp against my cheek, and has a faint scent: flowers? Her perfume mixes with our smell of sex. She strokes my back as my breathing settles down.

* * *

I've never had breakfast naked before, in a national park or anywhere. It seems so natural, now. I'm sitting cross-legged on the grass eating muesli, feeling the sun above and the grass below. She comes over, puts my bowl to one side and snuggles into my lap. She gives me a long, deep kiss, then goes back to her cereal, but still sitting in my lap. I find my bowl and work out a way to eat around her.

* * *

We are now swimming together. Outside the tent, her skin is now its proper pale colour, almost shining in the sunlight. Her breasts float, making almost perfect hemispheres topped with hard little nipples. I try and catch them with my mouth, but the wet skin is too slippery and she is laughing too much at all the water I'm taking in.

Sitting on the sandy shoal, I notice how similar our pubic hair is. A soft tangle of curly hairs, with tiny water droplets sparkling on them. A natural look. I flick some of the water off her hairs. She smiles. She rolls on her side towards me, hand on my hip.

"I need to thank you. I need to thank you so much. You've made me feel so good, so sexy and alive. You've freed me from... him. Thank you, from my heart." She's blinking back tears.

"You are a good lover. A considerate lover. A great fuck. Part of me wants to stay and fuck your brains out. And part of me knows, this stops here. We leave it here, in this paradise, as it is.

"I'll leave here now. Let me pack up first. Don't follow me. Stay, and enjoy yourself here. Be the good person you are. Remember me, 'coz I sure as hell won't forget you!" She leans forward and kisses me softly, slowly on the lips, the same as our first kiss, except this time there are tears on her cheeks.

* * *

I'm alone now, the solo camper I usually am. The shadows are getting longer, a breeze is taking the warmth from the day. My thoughts race around, then stop dead, then run off again.

Fuck. I've just fucked someone. It was incredible. Was I used? Well, yes a little bit. But I was consenting, hell, I was right in there! What should I expect? Was I just a Good Samaritan with benefits? Her silvery-green breasts sliding on her chest. She felt so fine, will anyone else match? No. Yes. This is such a beautiful campsite... need to get some water soon...

In the evening, in my tent, I realise I don't even know her name. But I have her memory, and her scent in the sleeping bag.