Cali and the River

It was after lunchtime when Cali arrived at her destination. The trip had taken two hours and the road was good. Great, thought Cali.  No holes in the gravel road.  The trees lining either side of the road, cast motley shadows making the holes hard to see.  Pooh to that, thought Cali, much better this time!  This trip was smoother, though no less dusty. When Cali opened the boot of her car the interior and all the contents were covered in brown dust. Oh well, not to worry. Cali was happy whilst unpacking her car and soaked up the quiet, with only the bird calls and the soft sound of the river to be heard.  Cali was in awe of the beauty and the peace of the old sawmill village, even though she had been coming here for years.

With the power and water to the cabin turned on, and the car unpacked, Cali was able to sit with a coffee and absorb the smell of the native frangipani growing behind the cabin.  A kookaburra flew down and perched on the chair where Cali’s feet were resting.  His beak was scratched and dented from years of whacking his prey against the tree branches. Aww, you want some sausage, Cali asked the kookaburra, as she hand fed the old bird.

Cali’s friends would be arriving throughout the afternoon. Until then, the village was empty.  Before that though, Cali fancied a trip down to the riverbed. It was the first week of spring and the air temperature was as warm as a summer’s day.  A cool swim is just what I need, thought Cali.  A strange yearning to go to the river by herself flitted through Cali’s mind. Whistling, Cali walked to the end of the road running through the village, and stopped at the bridge which crossed the river.  There were stinging nettles and Cali carefully stepped around them to make her way down the steep slope to the riverbed, positioning each foot into a crevice.  It’s so dry, thought Cali. No moss to side step this time.  Jeez, we need rain.

The river was the lowest Cali had seen in a long time. The rocks and pebbles were exposed and the pools of water were clear. It was so quiet. A slight breeze was rustling through the trees up high. Cali sat and put her feet in the cool water. The minute she did this, Cali heard a whisper, or was it the wind?
  
The whisper was a woman’s voice and she said “Tell me your name?” Cali wondered if she had gone mad; well madder.  There was not a person in sight and the voice sounded odd. Choosing to ignore the voice, Cali stripped off her clothes and gingerly eased herself into the water. A little way up, the rocks were formed into a rounded seat, and the water gushed over as a miniature waterfall. Cali swam over and sat with her back to the water. Sitting there naked was a sensual feeling Cali liked. The whisper came again, “Tell me your name?” it asked.

“Whoever you are, my friends are just up near the bridge,” Cali spoke quietly. Well, that’s just brilliant, Cali thought.  Now I am speaking out loud to the wind.  Suddenly a figure emerged out of the water in front of Cali. It was a woman’s figure made of small and medium sized river rocks. The rocks were smooth and round and highlighted the curves of the woman’s body.

Cali made to run and the woman of the river spoke.  “I know why you are here. The river runs through your body as it does mine. Sit down and we will speak. Don’t be afraid.”

Thinking she must have climbed onto the warm rocks, fallen asleep and was dreaming, Cali stayed where she was. When things couldn't get any weirder, a man made of tree emerged from between two she-oaks. He was tall with hard, strong looking limbs.  He sat down in front of Cali and said “We are here to befriend you, not frighten you.  We have only a few who can see us and speak to us, and it’s been a long time between friends.”

Cali allowed the serenity of the river to wash over her, and listened to the stories told by her new friends.  This is a whacked out dream, she thought.  As they spoke,  the new friends moved closer to each other. Cali leant back closing her eyes, and felt the water running between her thighs and over her nipples. The woman of the river sat behind Cali and gently held her, and the man of the trees moved himself towards Cali. The three molded together. Cali experienced a rush of warmth through her body that was at odds with the cool river water. When she opened her eyes, Cali was alone. 

Whoa, hold on a damn minute, what was that? Cali quickly rock hopped back to the bank of the river, and made her way up the slope to the bridge.  Squinting at the bright sun, Cali heard another whisper in the wind, “We are always here, come back one day. You are most welcome”. Cali heard a car coming up the dusty road and quickly dried herself off with the towel.