Fiction by Straber

Part 3 - Chapters 7-9

Chapter 7

After school (and after getting a few snacks from the nearby gas station), we set off for the library at a leisurely pace, ranting about certain teachers and assignments, talking about the latest movies and music, and discussing sporting events we’d seen, among other things. However, there were a few things I wanted to get out in the open before we left the library in the evening.

“April, I want to talk to you about something that I’ve been thinking about, even worrying about. And I’m betting you’ve thought about it, too,” I added. “It’s about arousal.”

Sounding relieved, she said, “Yeah, I have thought about it, and I’m glad you’ve brought it up."

“I’m still at a point in my life where it happens without warning, but also sometimes even the slightest thought can trigger it, thanks to finicky hormones. What I’m trying to say is that, well, I don’t see too many girls our age at my camp, and this situation will be a little bit more private than being immersed in the group atmosphere of shared social nudity in a large community setting,” I said, attempting to sound as mature as possible. “So if you’re all right with me going nude and it happens, I’ll roll over or whatever and we’ll ignore it. Deal?”

“Sure, that’s a deal,” she said approvingly. “That was very mature of you to bring up, Gary. I really appreciate your honesty and consideration of my feelings. I’m sure I’ll be nervous but I don’t think I’ll have a problem with you going nude; besides, I want you to have a good time.”

“Well, if you feel uncomfortable at any time, just say the word and I’ll get dressed. I want you to be as much at ease as possible tonight, too. And I’ll have no problem if you want to turn around and leave, any time.”

“Thanks, Gary. You’re such a good friend,” she said.

We arrived at the library, and started with what we had told our parents we’d be doing: investigating a few books and working on our homework. However, it was a good thing that I didn’t have too much to do, because I was really anxious to get out there and share with April the wonderful experience I knew nude stargazing to be. As soon as the sun began to go down, we packed up our homework, checked out a few books, and made our way into the meadow and up the small hill. We spread out our blankets on the side of the hill that was out of view from the library, the parking lot, and the road, and watched a beautiful sunset, waiting for the stars to come out.

As dusk began to unfold, I asked April if she minded if I disrobed. Immediately after my question, she visibly tensed up. She said nothing for what had to be at least a good minute, and finally I decided to try to break the awkward silence.

"April? Are you okay?"

She inhaled quickly, seeming to come out of a trance. "I'm okay, Gary," she said with a clear tone of sadness. "It's just that... that..."

"You're not comfortable, are you?" I asked gently.

She sighed. "Right. I mean, this whole afternoon, I was trying to psyche myself up to taking the plunge and going nude with you." She paused for a moment. "But now I feel, I don't know... I mean, I'm not scared or nervous, exactly," she said, obviously searching for just the right word. "I just don't think we should do it. I think I would feel kind of trapped, or, that is, restricted, I guess."

"Hey, that's totally okay. I definitely don't want you to feel stressed or uncomfortable. Let's just take in the stars for a while," I said, trying to help her relax.

"Thanks, Gary. I definitely like that idea," she said, lying back on her blanket to take in the heavens above. "You know I think there is a big meteor shower coming up in a week or two. Maybe we could come back here and check it out."

"Cool!" I said, lying back also. "Do you think you would want to go nude then?"

"Don't get me wrong, Gary, I would really like to try going nude outdoors with you. But we're here on this hill after dark, deliberately hiding from view. I want my first experience going nude outdoors, and going nude with you, to be somewhere we can roam around, far and wide, you know? Under a warm sun, a whole landscape open to us, instead of being tied to this one small area." She turned to look at me. "I want to go nude in the valley."

"Whoa," I said, a bit stunned. Then, carefully, "You trust me that much?"

"Well, you're confident that you'll be able to help me teleport, right?" she asked.

"I'm pretty sure, yeah, but that's not what I meant. I meant do you trust me enough to feel comfortable nude and alone with me, completely cut off from the rest of the world, and, of course, from your clothes, too?"

"Actually," she said, "I was thinking that you could try to take me with you with my clothes on, so that I could get a feel for the valley and then decide once we got there whether I wanted to go nude."

"Hmm. It's definitely worth a shot. But I don't think we could leave from here, even if I stashed my clothes in my backpack and we put our stuff by that grove of trees. What if someone found our stuff and moved it, or worse yet, looked inside and tried to figure out how to reach someone else who could get our stuff back to us? I'd definitely be in a tight spot without my clothes then."

April took a moment, and put a hand to her chin, thinking. "What we need is an excuse that gets us to a place that's private, one that no one is going to stumble on or even seek out deliberately."

"Well, you know I often take walks into the forest near my house in order to teleport to the valley. Maybe we could establish a habit of taking walks together after school, since we're good friends - our parents would only think the best of it," I said, proud of my idea.

"That's a good idea," she said, smiling.

"And don't forget: there's no cell phone reception out there, so our parents would just have to trust in our strong friendship and sense of direction and time while we were out there," I added confidently.

"Perfect. I think that makes for a strong option for safe and secure teleportation," she said brightly. "Now I'll just have to be brave and tell my parents about my exploration and that I want to try out the social nude recreation experience at your campground."

"Take your time," I said. "Make sure you're completely ready to present it to them. Maybe wait until at least after we've gone to the valley a few times."

"Okay, I will," she said. "Well, I think we'd better be getting back to the library - it's almost time for us to be picked up."

We got up, grabbed our backpacks, and headed toward the library parking lot, sharing the anticipation of our eventual attempt at mutual teleportation and the discussion April would have with her parents.

Over the next two weeks, April and I had study sessions at each other's houses so that our parents could see our friendship develop and become comfortable with our walks into the forest when she was over at my place. Then, on the Monday before Thanksgiving, we decided to attempt the mutual teleportation. As we got closer to the point on the trail where I would stop to undress and stash my clothes in the hollow tree, April became really quiet, and once we stopped, I looked at her and asked her if she wanted me to undress on the trail or off the path next to the tree. She blushed a lot and said, "It's fine right here, go ahead," turning away a bit and looking up into the colorful fall leaves still clinging to the trees.

"Maybe you'd be a little more comfortable if you closed your eyes," I said gently. "It's totally cool with me." She smiled, and closed her eyes. I disrobed, and then, naked before her, I said, "Okay, you don't have to open your eyes, but I'm ready, so if you'll let me take your hands, we'll give this a try. And I hope it works."

She nodded, and I took her hands in mine. Her face was still a bit red, which made me smile softly, although she couldn't see it. "Now, listen as I describe the valley. Really focus on your five senses and imagine what you would taste, smell, hear, and see. Think about how it all would feel."

I closed my eyes too, saying aloud all the amazing things I'd sensed before in the valley. I tried to imagine April's presence there, too, right in front of me, holding my hands, her eyes still closed. It became something of a trance, what happened to me. At first I felt a bit of that sharp mental pain as I tried to picture April with me, but then, moments later, the pain was gone, and I was in the valley.

But my hands held nothing; April wasn't there.

Chapter 8

Immediately I started to panic. What had happened? Where was April? Had she gotten a bit lost by my descriptions, and maybe been teleported to another part of the valley? I looked around furiously. I called out her name. No answer.

I ran to the top of the meadow hill, scanning as far as I could see, bellowing out "April!" Still nothing. Only the wind and the leaves and the water whispered to me. A few birds were chirping. Then I recalled what had happened to me the first time I teleported: my clothes had held me back. They had kept me from leaving the trance and truly opening my senses to the new environment. What if the same thing had happened to April? What if she was still in the forest back in Oakwood, possibly hurt or unconscious from the trance, if indeed she had felt what I felt? I ran to the forest so that I could teleport back to her as quickly as possible; the forest in the valley was not too different than the forest back home, so it would be the easiest way to effect a fast return.

Within seconds, I was back on the trail. I didn't see April, and then I really started to get scared. I thought of going to the hollow tree to get my clothes and throw them back on, but then I realized I couldn't waste any time. I called out to April, startling a few nearby crows into leaving their roosts in the trees. Since we hadn't ever gone too much further than the point on the trail closest to the hollow tree, I wildly thought that maybe she had never left the forest, and had only begun to walk back toward my house.

I sprinted down the trail, calling out her name every few breaths. If she wasn't there in the forest, I had no idea what might have happened to her. Then, after a sharp turn in the path, I saw her standing in the path, still dressed, motionless, looking right at me as I rounded the curve. She look stunned, like she was about to cry.

"April," I said, gasping for air, "are you alright?"

She stared at me, and I saw her eyes fill with tears. She sort of crumpled to the ground, half-sitting, half-falling down. I ran to her and sat down beside her, unsure whether to take her in my arms or maybe just to take her hand. I decided to wait for a few more cues from her body language.

"April," I said again, "what happened?"

She sniffled a bit and said, "Oh Gary, I nearly made it. I felt the pain in my mind that you've told me about, and I felt your hands disappear. But I couldn't get there. And now I think I know why." She stopped crying and looked up at me. I waited for her to continue. "I couldn't get there," she said, "because my clothes kept me from feeling everything you described. Like, I could sort of see the trees and the grass and the sky, but I was distracted a little by how my clothes felt on me. It was like they were constantly disrupting my attempts to hear the birds and the stream, to smell the leaves and the air, to feel the sun and the wind. A real, clumsy distraction, you know?" She looked back at me, imploringly.

"Yeah," I said. "I know exactly what you mean."

"And I was worried you wouldn't realize what had happened, and maybe you'd just look around the valley for awhile. I was so ashamed that I decided not to wait for you, to just go back to your house and, I don't know, tell your parents we had a big argument or something..." She trailed off, starting to sob again. "But you came back for me," she said, a small smile on her face.

"Of course," I said. "I had to know you were safe."

"But why are you still naked?"

"I didn't want to lose any time finding you," I said, serious as ever.

She was silent for a few moments. Then she smiled, wiped the tears from her cheeks and hugged me. "That means so much to me, Gary. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said. "And you're sure you're alright now, yes?"

"I'm fine, yeah," she said, letting go of me. "But I feel a little ashamed that I didn't try to join you. I was worried that after you disappeared, even if I took off my clothes, I wouldn't be able to get to the valley on my own."

"That makes sense. I'm sorry it didn't work out like we had hoped," I said glumly.

"Yeah," she said. But then she stood up and, with a changed tone of voice, said, "But you know what? I think we should try again. I mean, you have shown so much care for me, Gary, and I really want to teleport to the valley with you. I know now what I have to do to go with you."

"You mean going nude? You're okay with that?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm really nervous, but I'll do it. I trust you, completely."

"Thanks, April. We can do this. Together. I'll be right with you the whole time."

We looked at each other intently, and then her eyes brightened a little and she nodded in the direction of the trail that would take us back to the hollow tree. We started walking that way, silent at first. But then she took my hand and laughed a little. I laughed, too, and we talked a bit more about how to make the trip clearer and easier to do together. She asked me a few location-based questions, just to help her imagine more clearly how the valley looked and felt as I knew it to. When we reached the stopping point on the trail, I told her maybe she would feel more comfortable if she undressed behind me, and then took her clothes to the hollow tree herself. I'd keep my eyes closed, and when she was ready, we could try to teleport again. She hugged me again, holding me close. I gave her a gentle squeeze, and we let go of each other. Then I smiled and turned around, closing my eyes.

I heard the soft rustle of fabric and the sound of a zipper, and then heard April take a deep breath and say, "Okay, Gary, I'll be right back."

I heard her make her way through the brush, some of the fallen leaves crunching under her feet. When she got back, she thanked me again, and took my hands in hers.

"Alright, April, are you ready?" I asked her. I had decided to keep my eyes closed, and I could tell it bolstered her a bit.

"Let's go," she said softly, barely above a whisper.

I began to describe the valley aloud again, and this time, as the oakwood began to slip away, I felt her squeeze my hands.

But just before I could squeeze back, I felt her take her hands away from me. It made me open my eyes really quickly and blink a few times in the dazzling light of the sun in the valley. I was a little dazed at first, and quietly called out "April?" praying furiously that I hadn't lost her again.

I heard her voice from what sounded like a few yards away. "Gary! Look!" I turned in her direction, and my voice caught in my throat. What I saw nearly took my breath away.

Chapter 9

April had moved away from me, closer to the edge of the forest. She had her back to me at first, but then turned toward me to get my attention.

"Gary," she said, "do you see that?" She turned back to look into the forest. I heard her, but still I was speechless. I wasn't yet ready to believe my eyes. She's here, I thought. April is actually here, with me, in the valley! I was beside myself with joy.

"Isn't she beautiful?" April asked.

I was looking intently at April when I replied, still in somewhat of a trance-like state, "Yes, she certainly is."

She looked back at me again with a puzzled look, which snapped me back to reality. I saw then what she was looking at: a young doe, grazing on the green grass of the meadow, a few yards further down along the edge of the forest. The doe raised her head, briefly looking at us, and then continued grazing, not the least bit alarmed by our presence.

"Gary, are you alright?" she asked, turning and starting to walk back to where I was standing. I realized I must have looked pretty foolish, almost like a deer caught in the headlights. I decided to play it off coolly, first looking at April for a moment, then quickly glancing toward the doe, before adding, "Oh, and so is the deer."

It was obvious that she immediately knew I was trying to be a little playful; she laughed and said "You're sweet."

I smiled, then changed my tone to a serious one and asked "So, April, are you okay? With us? Like this?" I gestured with my hands, indicating my nude body.

"Yes, Gary," she replied, equally serious. "Believe it or not, I'm good. With us. Like this." She gestured in a similar way, indicating her own body, affirming her comfort with our shared nudity. I smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. She went on to say, "Now that I'm here, I can't imagine experiencing this any other way!"

She turned toward the sun, which was majestically shining down on the sole oak at the top of the hill and then brought her hands to her mouth and gasped, her eyes lighting up when she saw the beauty of the hill, as wide and excited as I'd ever seen them.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, jumping toward me and briefly taking my hands. The next thing I knew, she was laughing like a child and dashing up the meadow hill. I smiled in amazement, truly overjoyed that we made it, and that she was happy.

She was halfway up the hill when she turned around and saw me all the way back close to the trees. "What are you waiting for, slowpoke?" she yelled to me. "Come up here with me!"

I jogged up the hill. At the top, I found her arms spread wide, her eyes closed, taking in the sun and the breeze. There we were, two good friends, nude together, gazing out at the beautiful valley, smiles on our faces as bright as the sun. We raced each other to the lake, and April won by a long shot, already waist deep in the water by the time I got there. We enjoyed conversation and silence alike, totally at ease with our shared nakedness and immensely enjoying the feeling of freedom from the busyness of school and from the metaphorical weight of clothes.

“Gary, you were absolutely right – this is unbelievable,” she exclaimed almost breathlessly.

“It’s quite an amazing feeling, isn’t it?” I said, thrilled that she felt that way and that I had finally found a kindred spirit outside of camp with whom to share the experience.

“Yeah – I’ve never felt so comfortable with my body or so in touch with nature. I guess it helps to feel the warm breeze or the cool water flowing all over me. I feel so much more relaxed and relieved like this than any time before while wearing clothes,” she said, chuckling.

We splashed around in the lake for awhile, and then dried off on one of the huge rocks along the shore. Afterwards, we followed the stream from the lake into the forest. April looked so beautiful and natural, gracefully strolling through the soft earth of the forest and gleefully starting a splashing war with me in one of the deeper pools of the stream.

As we sat on a fallen log stretching across the stream to dry off again, I wistfully started thinking about the experience. My joy in having her there with me knew no bounds. She had truly become a dear friend, and that I was able to share this special place of mine with her meant worlds to me. After I tried to articulate these feelings to her, she shared her own with me.

"This place is so magical, Gary. I am honored that you were willing to share it with me. Thank you for giving me the courage to try nude recreation for the first time. You've set a really great example of how perfect and non-sexual shared nudity can be." She paused, and then smiled brightly. "It's going to be so great, coming here on our walks."

"You're welcome, April," I said. "I'm so glad that it worked, that we could do this together. I can't wait to do it again, either, but..." I said, trailing off.

"But we need to be getting back to your parents', right?" she asked reluctantly.

"Yeah," I said, "sadly enough."

She and I got up from the log and walked into the forest a bit. We held each other's hands, and I briefly described our return destination. Somehow I knew, though, that it wouldn't be difficult at all for us to get back to the oakwood together.

Once we were back on the trail, she said, disappointedly, "It’s too bad we have to put our clothes back on, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is,” I agreed. “Now you can see why it's such a great feeling, being in a place where clothes aren’t at all necessary!”

“Yeah. I just hope I can experience that feeling with lots of people, by visiting your camp,” she sighed. “I’ll let you know how my parents react as soon as possible!” she said cheerfully.

We dressed, walked back to my house, and finished our homework together, a palpable aura of grateful tranquility surrounding us.

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