Marooned In Paradise
By Anon Allsop

A young boy traveling with his Grandmother across the ocean encounters a great storm, suddenly washed upon a deserted island frightened and alone, he must brave the loneliness and survive. Everything seems to change when another young man is washed ashore a few years later, will they get along...can they both cope while, "Marooned In Paradise"

I stood holding onto the rail as the wild seas swept across the deck with the fury of a great storm. One of my small hands firmly entwined in my Grandmothers own for dear life. I had spent my entire life with this woman since my parents and brother passed away from Smallpox epidemic just after I was born. I was told that she was reluctant to take a small baby in but, when no other family members stepped forward, to her home I went.

Grandmother was an odd woman. She kept to herself and that was pretty much the way she raised me. Until I was ten and she decided to make this sea voyage, I had never been around any people other than those whom she had hand picked. She defended me like an angry lioness when anyone who she didn't know would come near. Over time, I became used to it, and the strange ways she behaved were nothing new.

I looked up into her face as she studied at the Captain. For the first time in my life I could see a hint of fear. Up until now they had spoken quietly, his mouth hovering just beside her ear. I watched her recoil and scowl, "What do you mean...taking on water?"

The Captain quickly glanced at me. "Ma'am...the boy." She frowned and gripped my hand tighter.

"How long?" was her short reply.

He looked down the deck as his crew struggled to maintain the ship's buoyancy. "At the most...an hour." He frowned and looked into the sea as the storm created towering mountains of water, each one seemed destined to swamp our listing craft. "Maybe less..." He wiped the spray from his face.

"I'll trust that you will see us to safety Captain," she yelled above the thunderous wind.

"I'll do my best ma'am. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a ship to try and save!" With that he turned and rushed back to his crew, frantically trying to lower the life boat.

As she stood silently and watched them lightning would flash, reflecting on the water that streaked down her face. She was like a statue, strong and stoic standing in the torrent. I stepped closer to her and peeked around her skirt at the futile attempts of the crew to right the small ship.

"Grandma, are we going to die?" I yelled out to her as the wind fought to carry the crew away.

"No child, the Captain will protect us." She tried to smile but fear clouded her face. She watched as items began to slide across the deck and wedge into the rail of the ship, then tightened her grip on my hand. The Captain was moving back toward us, he was slipping and sliding as the great waves washed across the deck, only his firm grip on the rail kept him from going overboard.

"We're taking on water too fast!" He looked back over his shoulder and watched as a great wave struck almost tipping us completely over, one of his crew frantically clung to the rail as two of his fellows were trying to pull him back up.

We watched wide eyed as this life and death struggle played itself out before our eyes. Tears streamed down Grandmother's face as she pulled me tighter, I knew that we would most likely meet a fate similar to that of the struggling crewman. With a shrill scream, he dropped out of sight, his voice being swallowed in the thunderous roar of the storm. Lightning split the sky as torrents of rain pummeled the deck and those unlucky few still standing. The captain's shoulders slouched, he looked back toward the bouncing life boat, then toward his remaining crew and the two of us still aboard his little Schooner.

He braced himself to make a major decision that would affect everyone aboard his ship. "Get into the boat...let's get the hell off this sinking ship!"

The crew all exchanged glances and started to climb down the rope to the only hope of salvation we had. The Captain had my Grandmother and I sit in the very center of the long life boat. At each end were crew members manning the oars with him seated at the very back.

"Get the boat away from the Schooner or it'll pull us under when she goes down!" he shouted above the wind at his crew.

I clung to Grandma as the crew pulled frantically on the oars. I couldn't tell if we were moving, but it seemed that one moment we were on top of a mountain...the next second below it. We no sooner moved away from the ship than the long masts swung down and touched their tips into the water. Once they did, a great wave slammed down and the little white schooner was lost under the sea. The Captain sadly watched, then turned to shout encouragement to his men.

"Get her nose about, head her into the waves!"

"We're trying, but she won't turn!" one of them shouted back, his voice being carried off by the storm. A jagged shard of lightning lit the dark sky, streaking from left to right overhead. I buried my face into Grandma's long skirt.

The little boat struggled up one wave then down the next, seeming to cry out into the face of the storm, "You can't capsize me!" It only made the great and powerful tempest more angry as it pummeled our little craft with it's fury. My short hair was pasted to my head from the cold spray, gone was grandmother's great, elegant hat. One long oar snapped like a twig, almost sending the crewman who had manned it overboard. If it weren't for the Captain he surely would have been lost.

We had fought the wind and waves for the better part of an hour when I heard a gasp from one of the crew behind us. I glanced back toward him and followed his eyes to a towering mountain of water, poised just above our little boat. Grandmother screamed, causing the Captain to quickly turn and look over his shoulder. The wave seemingly held its form forever, then with the thunderous fury it fell against us, almost overturning the small sanctuary we were seated in. I came up coughing and sputtering, somehow Grandmother had held onto me. I quickly looked behind me and saw that only three crewmen were still seated in the boat, two were clinging to the side. Grandmother was trying to help one poor fellow back in. I looked toward the Captain, he was gone, his seat vacant and still. Including him, eleven were missing. In all, only Grandmother, three crewmen inside the boat, the two clinging to the side and I were left.

Grandmother shouted at me, "Chris, stay there...hold onto anything you can." I tightened my grip onto the seat I was on. She looked back at me and her face turned a ghostly white. "Oh...Lord!"

"Hang on! Hang on! Oh God help us...HANG ON!" one of the men in the water screamed out hoarsely as huge wall of water crashed down enveloping the entire boat. All I heard after that was a muted scream...then silence. Salt stung my eyes as I treaded water clinging to an oar that had struck my chin when the boat was swamped. I held on for dear life, screaming for Grandmother. "Grandma!" I called out... nothing, only the hungry roar of the storm could be heard.

"GRANDMA!" I tried again coughing as the salty water was swept into my mouth by a great wave. I tightened my grasp upon the long oar, as each wave sought to pull it from my small hands.

"GRRRAAANNNNDDDMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAA!" I screamed.

I was alone.

For one long day I held that oar, so tired that I was afraid to sleep...with sleep comes relaxation...to relax now, would mean certain death. The storm had abated during the early morning, but as the seas calmed, I could spy nothing as far as the eye could see. I knew even at my young age that my Grandmother was lost, ripped from my own life as had the parents I never known. Here I was, a young boy at the tender age of ten, alone. Would I survive? How would I live if I did? Who would care for me?

I could feel my eyes begging for sleep. "Maybe if I locked my arms around the oar I could rest?" I thought to myself. I gripped the oar and let my head lower to rest upon the bend of my arm. Sleep came quickly.

At one point, I felt myself losing grip during my sleep, the oar suddenly pulling away. In a startled terror I lunged for my makeshift savior, it danced just beyond my fingers mocking me. I again lunged toward it only to have it move away. A third try brought it into my grasp, thankfully I pulled it closer to me. That was enough of a scare, I would fight sleep until I could fight it no more.

The great glowing sun climbed slowly across the sky as I floated, bobbing wherever the waves would take me. I became terrified as I watched it slowly settle into the ocean and night claimed the sky once again. It wasn't fear of the dark...it was fear of sleep, and with it... what would come.

The night drew on quickly, soon stars dotted the sky. I picked out some of the constellations that Grandmother had shown me to pass the time away. I could see Orion and the Big and Little Dippers, if it weren't for my predicament, the sheer beauty of the night sky would have held my interest for hours. I could feel my eyes growing heavy, sleep was fighting for my very body. I shook it off and began to count the stars, being only ten I stopped after the first couple hundred, as this was only making me more sleepy.

I began to hum quietly as I realized the seas had calmed to almost a lake like stillness, for that I was thankful. I mentally went through every song I knew, trying to exercise my mind. At one point I jumped, and looked fearfully around. A great rushing sound coming to my ears. What had startled me so? I studied the blackness surrounding me... was something there? I felt something touch the bottom of my foot, this caused me to quickly pull my foot up. Was it a shark or some sea creature from the deep?

I felt tears stinging my eyes, I didn't want to die... out here... alone!

Then again, I felt the bottom of my foot being touched. Startled, I frantically raised them higher. I began to move quicker in the water, seemingly pulled by some unseen force. Again I felt my knee being struck by something, I pushed it away being carried by the sudden current. Almost at once, my bottom struck something soft and a great white wave slammed into my face tearing the oar from my hands. I fought against my would be attacker for my oar, without it... I was dead. Lunging for the spinning lumber I realized that I was standing, slowly I looked around as another wave slammed into me causing me to become rolled in the tide.

I gathered myself up and fought for the shallows, each wave striking me as if it didn't want to relinquish me from its watery grip. I hurled myself up onto the sand and lay panting for air, my muscles crying out from the pain of the last two days. Try as I might I couldn't raise myself to my feet, I laid there crying until sleep claimed me for its own.

The sun upon my young cheeks and a breeze as soft as a kiss woke me, I raised my head and looked around. Tall swaying palms danced in the breeze, as the waves kept rhythm to their song. I looked along the beach and sat up slowly, my muscles crying out in pain. The waves rushed in, crashing upon huge jagged rocks just beyond. "How did I get through those?" I wondered.

I rose to my feet and began walking up the beach, hope springing into my heart I called out as loud as my ten year old lungs could muster, "GRANDMA!" I turned and faced the other way, again I shouted, "GRANDMA!" I listened, the only sounds I could distinguish was the wind throughout the palm branches and the thundering surf against the rocks behind me.

I walked on at intervals calling out, "GRANDMOTHER!" The utter isolation washed over me and I fell into the sand crying. The fear of what I knew was weighing heavily upon me, I pushed myself up and continued. "CAPTAIN!" I shouted. Nothing but the Palms and surf for miles and miles did I see. I knew that unless I pulled myself together, I was dead. I was a pretty resourceful boy, I could do it... I could survive.

I found a hole in the side of a hill, high above the water line. With a hint of fear I climbed inside, the opening just a hint bigger than I was. Once inside I found myself in a small chamber about the size of the coach Grandma and I took to the Schooner. The ceiling extended high overhead, twigs and leaves lay along the floor. I found a few small animal bones laying among the leaves, about the size of a small cat or rabbit.

Even to an ten year old this little cave felt right, it was dry, out of the wind and gave me a great vantage of the ocean. If anyone moved near the beach, within a mile each way, I would see them. I spent most of the day cleaning the cave of its previous occupant. By late afternoon I was so hungry I couldn't stand it, hunger necessitated my venturing out of the cave for food.

I really didn't go very far as I located a bush with strange green striped fruit hidden among thorny branches. It looked like a gooseberry bush, I carefully picked one and placed it into my mouth. The jet of juice that shot inside my mouth was like heaven, it was a gooseberry bush. I began to pick several of the little round berries and dropped them into my shirt as I held it like a bowl.

I carried my bounty back to the cave, where I crouched like some ravenous bear over the small pile and stuffed them one at a time into my mouth. I ate until I could eat no more. After eating, I gathered some soft leaves and carried them inside and began to make a bed, long before dark I curled up and slept.

Sometime during the night, the boiling of my stomach caused me to wake. I crawled through the little hole and staggered out into the moon lit grass, I needed a place far enough from the cave to use as a bathroom. With a great spewing rush, the waste left my body.

"Note to self..." I grunted. "Too many berries causes diarrhea." Once done I left my rancid pile and found my way back to the cave. I was determined to find more fitting food in the morning.

As the sun lit a path across the cave I opened my eyes to the new day. I smiled, knowing that I had cheated death one more day. Clambering out of the hold I set out toward the swaying palms, hoping to find food that would sustain my life for awhile longer.

For five long years I survived on that little piece of ground. I couldn't know for certain that it truly was five years... but I had grown taller and had to chisel out the opening a bit more to allow my body access to my home. I have lived on small long crawling bugs, grubs and fruit. I have taken to eating what few fish I catch or small birds I kill with stones, raw. In essence, I have reverted to my stone-age ancestors that lived long, long ago.

My shirt is nothing but tatters and has since been relegated to being twisted into a long thin rope. My pants have no longer fit as well and now I am wearing only a soft hide from an animal I had found when a storm knocked it from a tree. It could have been a monkey, but I was too young to remember.

I have fashioned a long, lightweight spear to fish with and have set about trying to create a bow. If only I could devise something to use as a string, the arrows would be relatively simple.

It never really seems to get cold here, only a handful of times it is cold enough to see your breath but they are few and far between. I have gotten proficient enough that I feel I could kill some smaller animals with my long spear... but for now, rocks will do.

Over the span of time I've been here, I have investigated this land that I call home, I have since found fresh water only a mile from where my cave is. I'm not far from the fruit I have come to enjoy nor the animals which I find tasty. I have set out at different times to investigate this island and have estimated that it is around two or three miles long and about a mile or two wide, and it has everything I could ever need. I tried to remember back when I still lived with my Grandmother, those days seem long ago. I sighed deeply, my chest heaving from the effort.

I squinted across the great span of water as I sharpened the point of my spear with the side of a shell. I smiled, knowing that my Grandmother would have been proud could she see how I survived. I was lean, maybe 5'6", not an ounce of fat. My sun bleached hair was left long and only brushed my shoulders. I pushed it back as I continued to work on the spear in my strong hands. It felt good to by a strong young man, healthy and full of life.

I slowly stood upon my sinewy legs, the muscles flexing with power. I lifted the spear to test the balance and thrust it out before me a couple of times. It was a good spear, light and strong. I smiled to myself as I headed down toward the beach to fish.

As I trotted out upon the sand I noticed something laying down further along the beach, near the edge of water. Cautiously I made my way to the misshapen image. As I moved nearer I could see that it was human, like myself.

I slowly approached and touched it with the blunt end of my spear, it rolled onto its back. It was a boy, like myself only a few years older. I watched his chest, I could make out the steady rise and fall of his breathing, he was alive. I looked along the beach in both directions, nothing was different, it appeared as if he arrived here much the same way as I had.

The water was at low tide and I could see that he needed to be moved otherwise he would be carried away when the tide returned soon. I gently touched his large hand and then took the other in each of my own hands, tugging him up the beach to the safety of the higher ground.

From a small dried gourd suspended from my hip I dribbled fresh water into his parched lips, he coughed and gagged awake. His eyes fluttered open and he quickly shifted away from me. "Who... who are you?" His sudden movement startled me to my feet, spear pointed at him threateningly.

I tipped my head at him, it has been so long since I have heard another voice besides my own. Again he asked, "Who are you... do you have a name?"

I swallowed to clear my throat, the words coming slowly to my mind. "Chris. My name is Chris."

He smiled slowly. It wasn't a menacing smile... but rather a pleasant grin. I lowered the tip of my spear. "Did you save me?" He looked down toward the water.

"I... I just pull." I couldn't make my lips form the words I knew were in my mind. It had been so many years since I really spoke aloud. He looked at the marks in the sand where they moved up out of the water to where he lay now.

"Thanks... thanks for doing that." He smiled again, causing me to smile as well.

I helped him to his feet, he was a good foot taller than I. We walked back down the beach, his arm draped across my shoulder for support. "You live far?" He winced as he spoke, I looked down to see blood trailing down his shin.

"You're hurt." I pointed to his wound. "Rest here... I'll get bandages." I lowered him to a large rock jutting from the sand and trotted back up toward my cave.

I gathered a bit of the cloth left from my shirt and dashed back down to the beach where I left him. He watched me run across the hot sand and smiled as I slowed to a walk just prior to reaching him. "Why do you smile?" I asked in wonder.

"I just never thought I would survive the wreck... then, to find this island with you on it." I looked around as he talked, I could see nothing special about the island.

I laughed and squeezed a gooey plant sap onto his wound. "This helps heal." I glanced up and he was still smiling at me. I scowled. "Did you strike your head?"

He felt his forehead. "I don't think so, why?" I shrugged, not sure why the boy kept smiling at me. Once finished wrapping his leg, we again started up toward my cave. At the top I sat him down and he leaned against a large rock.

Over the next several hours I could see sweat beading his forehead, he finally rolled his head to me and blinked. "I... uh, I don't feel well." I stepped over to him and laid my hand on his head, I wasn't sure why I did that other than it was something my Grandmother used to do to me. I wasn't even sure what I was supposed to be looking for, but at my touch I could feel the overheated warmth of his skin. He swallowed hard. "I think I've got the fever... my leg is infected."

I held out my little gourd for him and he took a drink. "I'll gather some leaves that I found help with pain." I trotted away quickly and returned within a few minutes. "Here, chew on this while I clean the cut." I began to untie the bandages as he closed his eyes and chewed the leaves I had given him, they would help him sleep. It didn't take long, while he slept I was able to clean the wound properly and put more plant salve on it. When I finished I moved a few feet away from his sleeping form and crouched down to the ground, studying him.

He was quite tall and nicely built. He had larger hands and feet than mine, but that was to be expected as he was much taller than I was. I looked at the little dusting of hair across his chest, it was sparse but noticeable. I looked at his arms, also dusted with the brown hair like his chest. I looked at my own, I could see a few light hairs but nothing like he had. My eyes traveled to his legs, strong and muscular... here the hair was prevalent. I glanced at my own and frowned, I had a light dusting almost unnoticeable without a closer examination. I stood up quickly and scowled, why could some boys look so much like men and others like... well, like little boys.

I stayed by him all night long, making a bed of grass for him just outside the cave entrance where he rested. Not once did I enter the cave and leave him alone, I felt the need to protect him from whatever would harm him while he slept. By morning I could see that he was feeling better, as I opened my eyes they were met with his gaze. This time I smiled. "You feel better?"

He smiled back. "Better than I have in quite a long time." He began to try and sit up. I went over and helped him. He watched me walk back to my grassy area and sit. "It's Chris... isn't it?" I nodded and tossed him a fruit, he watched me peel the strange skin from its outside.

He cleared his throat. "Chris... how long have you been here?" He gestured with a piece of the peeling. "You seem to know your way around here pretty good."

I looked around and shrugged. "I've been here for a long, long time... I was very young when I washed up on the shore." He pushed his lower lip out a bit and nodded. I watched him for a minute, he seemed to want to ask more but for some reason he didn't.

"Why do you ask... is there more you want to know?" I took a small bite of my fruit and began to chew.

"Well... I just can't believe how a girl could survive alone here for so long." He looked around himself at the trees swaying under the sun. "You just don't see many girls that could do what you did."

I frowned at him. "I'm NOT a girl!" He seemed surprised to hear that as I scowled my displeasure. I folded my arms and turned slightly away in disgust.

"Uh... I'm sorry... I just thought..." He let his voice trail away.

I shot him an angry glare. "I have always been what I am... since the day I was born!" He looked quickly away, ashamed at what he had just said. "What would make you even think that about me?"

He bit his lip and slowly chewed the fruit in his mouth. "Well... you just look like a girl." I tightened my jaw and looked at the ground. He continued, "Your hair is long like a girl's." I felt the ends of my hair and frowned at his comment.

He sighed. "Look... I didn't mean to say what I did... I'm sorry. He smiled and tried to get me to look at him. I wanted to scowl but as soon as our eyes met... I broke out in a grin as well, a grin that I forced from my face.

I stood up and leaned against the wall. "How dare he think I'm a girl!" I thought. He slowly began to raise up to stand, I quickly shot back at him. "You better stay still or you're going to cause it to bleed again."

He hesitated and slowly sank back down to the ground. "Are you mad at me?"

I shot back, "No, I'm not mad at you..."

He nodded slowly and smiled. "You're mad at me." He had a hint of a laugh in his voice.

I glared at him breathing deeply. "I'm not mad!" I growled, stamping my foot against the ground causing him to laugh. "Stop laughing at me!" I stormed away from him and went to the beach to think.

I found a cool pool of water and sat on a large rock next to it. "How could he possibly think I was a girl?" I wondered as I looked into my reflection. I stared into the face that I had seen for many, many years. It was true that I wasn't as big as him, nor did I have the great fuzzy hair like he did. But I was a boy... that I could prove.

I looked at my hands and thought about his, my fingers were long and slim from the hard life of the island. His were large and bulky from disuse. My neck was slender where his was thick with muscle... an obvious trait of our ancestors. I looked at my chest, I remembered my Grandmother having a great bust that jutted out before her body. I was nothing like that... "Ha!" I was as flat as he was... but he had these little round nipples where mine where larger and somewhat darker.

I sat and sulked for about an hour, looked back up toward the cave and frowned. He had hobbled to the edge of the steep hill and was looking down at me... the fool. I stood up and cupped my hands around my mouth, trying to project my voice. "You keep moving around like that and you'll start bleeding again!" I waited to see what he would do. He leaned against a great rock wall at the path's edge. I twisted my mouth into a sneer. "Serves you right if it does start bleeding..." I knew I didn't mean it, but of course... I didn't say it loud enough for him to hear.

I folded my arms and turned my back to him. "What do I care if he thinks I'm a girl... I can deal with that. I just won't talk to him." I glanced back up the hill to see if he was still there, he was.

Still upset that he was watching, I continued down the beach to a secluded area I could think, a place out of sight to him. As I stood there watching the surf roll in, I thought about why it bothered me so much. "Why should I care..." I muttered to myself. "I've only known him for two stinking days!" I bent down and gathered a few shells, tossing them one at a time into the swirling water.

"Is it because I'm small that he thinks the way he does?" I threw another shell as far out as I could. "I'll bet there are other guys out there who are small like me." I bent back down and picked up a few short white shells about as long as a section of my finger, they were pointed at one end. I was about ready to give them a heave but stopped myself and just held them in my hand.

"I'm not going to let him bother me... If he doesn't like me... well, that's his problem." I spun in the sand and began to head back toward the cave. My stride was confident and with a note of conviction. "I'll show him... he..." I stopped in my tracks and scratched my head. "Did he ever tell me his name?" I recalled my conversations with him from the moment we met. I could recall no time where he gave me his name. I would make that a point of immediate discussion. I shook my head and continued my march to the cave.

By the time I had made the steep trek to the hill where my cave was he had returned to the grassy area I had set up for him last night. He looked up at me uneasily. "Hey... uh, Chris?" I sat down an leaned against my rock, realized that I still had the shells in my hand and dropped them into the ground. He waited for me to acknowledge him but I set my jaw and continued to play with the shells.

He made a slight frown and continued anyway. "Look Chris, I'm sorry if I offended you." I said nothing. "I'm just not used to seeing a guy who is... well so small." I glared at him and still said nothing. "I guess I'm not earning any points with my apology, am I?"

I brushed sand from my knee. "You call that an apology?" I replied without looking.

"Okay... I'll just drop it. You're a guy. That's that." He slowly shook his head and looked into the sky.

I smiled inwardly, I had gotten my way. At least he admitted what I knew was true. I waited for a few minutes before asking him the question I had thought about when I was angry. After a great pause I spoke without looking, "You know my name... you never did give me yours." Only then I gave him a glance.

"I'm sorry... that was real callous of me." He smiled and picked up a twig. "My real name is Andy... my friends call me Butch." I needed to get one subtle dig and waited as if I was contemplating on what I should call him and he interjected. "Chris... you can call me Butch."

Ah, here was my grand moment... a chance to hit him hard, the thought caused me to grin rather slyly. "So Andy, how did you happen to end up on MY beach?"

His eyes lowered a bit and focused on the sand. Bingo... score one for me! "I got washed from the deck when we hit a small storm." I wasn't sure if the sadness he was showing was because of what happened to him... or the blatant and obvious use of his Christian name.

There was an uneasy quiet between us for several days. His wound mended slowly and I felt responsible to care for him. I made sure he had fresh grass and kept him from moving around and re-opening his leg wound. After a week I let him began to put more and more weight on it until he could go around with relative ease. I would still get those strange stares once in awhile, but I ignored them for the most part.

By our second week together we actually had patched our differences and began to act somewhat civil to each other. I would still catch him looking at me and when I noticed, he would quickly turn away. I watched him from the safety of my large rock while he swam in the little cove nearby, surprised by his athletic ability in the water. His shirt was laying a few feet away from the water along with the pants that he had on, only swimming in his underwear... thankfully hidden just below the waterline.

I watched him standing with his back to me, water slowly dripping down his back. "He did take good care of himself," I thought.

I walked up the beach a little way and found a small patch of gooseberries, one at a time I picked them and ate the small green berry. After awhile I heard him behind me. "How long you been eating those things?"

I glanced over my shoulder at him. "Since I got on this island. Why?"

He took one out of my hand and examined it. "What are they?" I quickly snatched it from his hand and popped it into my mouth.

"Gooseberries." He picked one and tore it open, smelling the inside.

"You sure this isn't what's making you look like a girl?" I put my hands on my hips and glared at him, shaking my head in disbelief.

"I thought you said you were going to drop that?" I threw my handful in my mouth and chewed them in spite of what he said. "You'll never change will you?"

He shrugged and smiled. "Go on and eat them then... I don't want any." I picked two more and tossed them down. "Besides... I don't mind."

I paused in mid chew. "What's that supposed to mean Andy?" His only reply was a quiet shrug. In anger I picked another quick handful.

"Look Chris, I just wanted to point out that..." He watched me eat the last of those in my hand and walk away. I noticed that he was wearing his pants but still held his shirt.

"That... What?" I shot back over my shoulder, I heard him groan.

"Well... Christ Chris, just look at you!" I stopped and spun toward him.

"Do you really have to?" I growled. "I'd rather you didn't look at me at all!"

"Who am I supposed to look at Chris? There's only two of us on this stinking island!" he shouted, his voice echoed against the rocks.

"That's right Andy... only two of us... and one of us has a real problem!" I turned my back to him and continued to stomp through the hot sand.

"I don't have a problem Chris... you do! And if you can't see it... you're freaking blind!" I said nothing back to him, but replied by quickening my pace. He suddenly appeared beside me, having run to catch up. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. "Look Chris, if you want to look like that... keep on eating those berries, I don't care." He held my shoulder and forced me to look at him. "But... you got to realize what they're doing to your body!"

I frowned and yanked myself from his grasp. "What the hell are you talking about Andy?"

He rubbed his rough whiskered chin. "Well... other than the hair on your head... you're bald." I shook my head at him and frowned. "And your skin is soft and smooth like a girls... like my sisters was." I turned my back to him, frustrated with the way he was carrying on.

He continued to talk softly. "Chris, you are... getting a figure like a girl." I said nothing, only glancing at my shadow. "Don't you remember your Grandmother? She was most likely curvy like that... like... you are becoming..."

I spun and glared. "Leave my Grandmother out of this!"

"No... no... no... I meant nothing about your Grandmother... I'm just trying to point out that girls have narrow waists and wide hips." He pointed toward my slim waist. "Well... like that!"

"So I'm fairly small." I sighed in frustration. "Is it a crime to be thin?"

"No... no it's no crime to have a figure... if you're a girl!" He threw his hands in the air and watched me storm past. "Look Chris... It has to be those berries. I haven't eaten a single one, look at me... do I look like a girl?"

I continued to ignore him and walk away, he had run again to catch up, I glanced at him. "No Andy... you don't look like a girl." I looked at the shadow I cast into the sand. Andy was right, I did have a figure, somewhat like a girl.

"It has to be those damn berries Chris... It just has to be." We walked the last few steps in silence as my mind raced, finally I pulled up short causing him to almost walk past me.

"Okay Andy... I'll stay away from them." I folded my deeply tanned arms across my flat stomach. His eyes darted down, then looked away in embarrassment.

He slowly raised his hand to me, in it he held his shirt. I looked down. "What's that for?" He placed it into my hand and continued to look away. "What's wrong?" I demanded.

He bit his lip. "Geeze Chris..." His eyes fixed on mine then darted down again causing me to look down as well.

"What the heck is wrong?" I was starting to get angry.

"Please, put on my shirt Chris." I looked down growing angry at him, then threw it back into his face.

"I haven't worn one of those in years, why should I start now?" He picked it up from the sand where it fell. I put my hands on my hips and waited for his answer. I could tell he was uncomfortable, but he finally looked me directly into the eyes.

"Chris... you're growing breasts." I looked back down at my chest as he continued. "I've noticed that... well, since that first day I got here... " He looked away, then back. "And... uh, they're getting bigger." I slowly raised a hand to my chest without thinking.

"No... no way." I shook my head. "You're wrong!" I didn't know what to think as he stood nodding his head slowly. I looked down at them, they did look a bit puffy.

"Please Chris... wear the shirt." He again placed it into my hand. I pushed his hand away and frowned.

"If what you say is true, I'll not give in to it!" I folded my arms to cover my chest. "I'll wear that IF... and when I decide that I should. NOT when you think I should!" I frowned at him for even suggesting me to hide my body from him. "I haven't worn one since the first year or so I got here, I'm not used to feeling any clothing on my chest... and I'm not about to wear something just because YOU think I should!" I planted both feet defiantly in the sand and scowled at him, I could feel my jaw clench and relax several times as I stood facing him, he slowly dropped his hand and nodded.

"Okay... Chris." He sighed and began to walk past me.

"Why are you so concerned by what happens to me anyway?" I wondered aloud.

He heard me and stopped. Turning to face me he slowly shook his head. "Because I'm a guy and... well with you looking like a girl..." He let his voice trail away.

I laughed and pushed his shoulder almost causing him to fall backward. "Don't tell me that whatever those berries are doing to me, you're now suddenly becoming interested?" I chuckled as he stood there on the path, I walked past laughing.

"Don't laugh!" he scolded. "I don't want it any more than you do!"

"Then don't look!" I shot back with a tiny ounce of venom.

"How the heck can I NOT look!" he shouted after me.

I quickly climbed the hill to the cave and kneeled next to my rock, he glanced at me and walked past in a huff. I laughed to myself at his odd behavior, then crawled into the opening of the cave. I knew he was watching because as soon as I bent down, he groaned pitifully.

For the next few months we ignored each other, each trying best to do our own thing. I would catch him stealing glances at me and in a strange, warped sort of way... enjoyed it. I was troubled because even though I had stopped eating the berries I continued to change, albeit slowly.

My body troubled the both of us although Andy said nothing, my hips continued to get wider as my waist narrowed. His embarrassed glances said volumes as he tried his best not to show his fascination the further the changes continued. Over that time, my legs still never grew anything more than light fuzzy hairs. I was bothered by that fact and wished that my body would right itself and suddenly let me develop as I was supposed to. I became embarrassed for Andy to see me and started to hide more and more when I went off to relieve myself. I had never really let him see me before, and now after all this, didn't want him seeing me... ever! I think he was just as embarrassed as me, he would go away by himself for great periods of time as well.

I found myself sitting on my rock hidden away from view, watching the surf rolling in and out as it had for many, many days. I pulled my knees up into my chest and cried, I didn't want this to happen to me... so why was I being cursed? I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand and placed my small feet into the sand, leaning forward I bent to pick up the long spear I had made.

My eyes happened to glance downward toward my chest, the gravity slowly pulling at the accustomed weight captured my attention. They were bigger. Strange I hadn't noticed before this. I slowly raised into a standing posture, each little mound drug the skin down upon my slender chest. I felt myself sigh with disgust.

Throwing my spear into the soft sand I buried my face into my hands. "But... but I quit eating the berries..." I cried, looking down at the two little mounds gently resting on my chest. "It was supposed to stop!" I fell into the sand and bawled like an infant. I sat up, sand still clinging to my cheek. "If Andy notices this, he'll think I'm still eating the berries." I looked toward the little bushes growing along the edge of the forest, the bushes that we now thought started all of this transformation in me.

I suddenly stood and ran toward them with the fury of an angry beast, grabbing the first with my bare hands and began to pull it from the ground, its little thorns digging into my palms. Suddenly worrying that maybe the actual plant was the cause I let go and stepped back away from it, the sticky sap mixing with the tiny droplets of blood from the scratches. "Oh no... what have I possibly done?" I winced in pain.

I quickly cleaned it from my hand and tried to not show my concern as I headed slowly back to the cave. Andy was sitting trying to put a point on a long spear. He looked up as I walked around the corner, arms folded trying to hide my growing bust.

"Where you been?" He continued to sharpen the stick. "I'm going out hunting... want to come along?" I didn't say anything. He noted my being sullen. "You okay?"

I felt tears welling in my eyes. But blinked them away, he laid down the stick and stood up looking closer at me. "What is it?" he asked with concern in his voice. Cautiously, he walked over as if he was creeping in on some young bird in a nest.

I wasn't going to say anything at first, but holding it in was too much to bare, I let my arms drop and waited for him to say something. "What... what is it?"

"Can't you see?" I cried. "They're still growing!" I lightly pulled at the skin causing the flesh to bounce. He only looked into my eyes.

"I noticed... but I wasn't going to say anything." He sighed deeply. "I thought it might stop when you quit eating the berries."

"So did I," I cried softly. "But... today when I realized they were getting bigger... I became angry and..." I was trying to choke back the emotion in my voice. "I did this!" I held my hands out for him to see.

He took one of them in his own huge palm. "What caused that?"

"The branches of the bush... I got something all over my hand and it scratched me." I rubbed one sore with my finger. "Now I've gone and got more of that stuff into my body!"

He watched me crying and stood there confused, he looked around and rather uncomfortably hugged me. I pushed myself away. "What was that for?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "It just felt like the right thing to do."

I stepped back, unsure of what I was feeling. "Well, don't do it again... it was... strange being on the receiving end of that."

I was more confused than ever as I felt an odd feeling permeate through my chest and into my crotch. It felt good, but not knowing why I had it... and associating it with the close proximity of Andy, I never wanted to feel it again.

He twisted his mouth as he rubbed his chin. "Have you noticed any other differences lately?" His eyes seemed to rivet to my chest. I covered myself with my arms again.

"I'm not really gaining any weight... no matter how much I lift or do," I thought aloud. "I still don't have hair on my legs or body for that matter... at least, nothing like yours." He looked down at his arms and chest, then again to mine.

"Yeah, I noticed that too." He frowned. "Your voice hasn't really dropped like it should by now." I touched my throat and realized that I did indeed sound like a girl. Funny how you never really notice those types of things.

He walked back over to his spear and sat down, laying it across his lap. "Have you... ever... you know, changed down there?" I knew what he was getting at and frowned.

"I am the exact same as I always have been... down there!" I shot back with a hint of sarcasm.

He smiled and nodded, continuing his work. I sat down and was watching him, his strong chest muscles flexing as they worked. He had really toned well since his arrival to my Island, and lately, I've been noticing him more and more. "What was happening to me?" I sighed frowning.

"What was that? Did you say something?" He looked up at me, catching me in an admiring gaze of him... I felt my face grow warm.

"Nothing." I adverted my eyes quickly, hoping that he didn't notice.

I thought about what he had asked... about down there. I didn't lie about not changing 'down there'. Well... I hadn't been truthful either. For the last few years I have noticed a bit of light hair in that area and most recently, it has been getting darker like my bleached hair used to be. I leaned against the rock and propped my foot on another, I could feel him watching me. I wondered what was going through Andy's mind as I sat. I glanced quickly at him, he looked away.

I watched him from the corner of my eye, he thought I wasn't paying attention. I saw him reach his hand between his legs and push as he sat up, I assumed to try and get into a better position. I grew frustrated and stood up, he watched me walk past and head back down the path.

Even before I got to the bottom I could 'feel' him coming up behind me. I turned just as he appeared. "Where you going?" he asked.

"For a walk," I replied quickly. "Want to come along?"

"Sure... I got nothing better to do." We must have slowly walked along the beach for a mile when he suddenly asked, "Chris?"

"Yes Andy."

"How old do you figure you are?" I felt his eyes on me but never looked up.

"I don't know, maybe 15... why?" He kept staring at the sand as we walked.

"I remember when my sister April was about the same age."

"And... what does that have to do with me?" I asked, feeling his eyes on me again.

"Have you ever wondered how far this will go?"

I looked down the shoreline. "All the way around," I stated factually.

"Not the beach... the changes." He bumped my hand with his own.

I looked down, then back at him. "I'm not sure... why are you asking?"

He walked on for a few more steps. "When my sister April reached that age she started to... well, like boys." I recoiled in shock. "I don't mean that will happen to you..." he said as we continued to walk, this time though I was deep in thought.

"Well, she... around that time..." He watched me. "She got bigger in the chest pretty quickly..." I found myself looking down. "If that happens to you... I... I'm not sure how I'll react... to it... to you."

I frowned at him. "We both know those berries are causing these changes. I don't want you treating me any differently as... well, as things happen." I tried to control my mounting frustration through my voice.

"But what will happen if you... well, do change down there?"

I looked down at the little pelt wrapped around my bottom.

"It hasn't changed yet," I reminded him.

"But if it does?" he asked quietly.

I stopped and looked into his eyes for almost a full minute, neither of us speaking. I finally broke the silence. "If it happens... which I doubt that it will, we'll cross that issue at that time... not before."

He nodded, then began to walk again stopping only to pull me along. "If your changes keep happening... making you more girly..." I waited for him to finish. He seemed to be thinking about what he was going to say.

"Then what?" I prodded him for a continuation of his comment.

"Well, if the changes continue... I'm going to have to find somewhere else to stay." I stopped in my tracks and felt my throat tighten.

"But why?" For some strange reason, I felt tears welling in my eyes. He saw and pushed his hands into his tattered pants.

"Well... I'm eighteen and a guy and..." He looked around. "You're looking like a girl and..." I could feel my jaw drop, as I contemplated what he was trying to say.

"You wouldn't do anything with another guy..." I found my voice long enough to ask him a question.

He shrugged. "It's lonely here... and, well... I have needs."

Sudden fear leapt into my mind. I don't know what I would do if he were to leave me alone now. My own eyes dashed wildly, trying to look for answers that weren't there.

"Look Andy... whatever your needs are... WE can deal with them as they arise." He fought an embarrassed grin and waited for me to continue. "I'm not sure what a girl would do in our predicament." I felt a welling of tears in my eyes. "I'll try hard... Please Andy, don't leave me now." I felt tears begin rolling down my cheeks. "Don't leave me alone." Before I knew it he had pulled me close and pressed his lips to my forehead with a tender kiss. My body seemed to melt like soft fruit in the sun.

He sighed as he looked down into my eyes. "Thanks for the offer Chris, but... it's too soon. I'm not sure I could ever get intimate with you... in that way!" My eyes danced from his gentle gaze to his warm lips, then back again. "It's just strange and I don't think I could... love another guy."

I nodded and dropped my arms from where they had encircled his neck. "I understand." I wasn't sure what to do now, I felt sick that I made an advance at him... a guy for that matter. Then, to have him spurn my sincere request was almost too much to bear. I turned slowly and continued to walk, he followed beside me.

I heard him clear his throat. "I know I kind of led you on a bit back there Chris... " I only looked at him, he gave me a small smile and continued. "I still think it would be better If I moved out of the cave."

I shook my head. "No, I'll move out... you can have it."

He laughed. "Now how would I look if I made you move out of the only real shelter on this whole island?"

I never looked up. "About as foolish as if I made YOU move out..."

"Touche. I get your point," he replied softly.

"So, how we going to do it? I mean, who gets the furs and who has to make their bed outside the cave?" he continued.

"Why should either of us sleep outside the cave?" I interjected using my hands as a way of making my point. He lowered his brows and gave me a questioning look, I continued. "Why can't we go on sharing the cave as we always have?" I watched his surprise.

"Well... it would be unseemly for two guys to share a small cramped cave like that!" Andy shook his head in disagreement.

"You said it yourself-" He stopped and seemed to look everywhere but at me. "Who's going to see us... remember, we're the only ones on the island!"

"True. But, Chris - the more you look like a woman, the more I'm going to want to take advantage of that!" He sat down on a large bolder, seeming to study my reaction to his comment.

I wasn't sure what he meant but ended up letting it pass. He reached out and pulled a leaf from a bush. I thought for a moment. "What will happen if the changes won't stop?"

He let his eyes drop to the sand, I watched his Adam's apple bounce. "I like you Chris. That's not a lie, I have ever since just after we met." He began to tear at the small leaf, with nervous energy. "I'd like to think I would just... continue to be a friend to you."

I nodded slowly. "That's fair." He rose up to his full 6'5" height and looked down at me, smiling. "But you never really answered my question. I know we would still be friends... but I wanted to know what you would do if the changes didn't stop?" He looked uneasy.

He tossed the leaf on the sand. "I'm not sure what I'll do Chris." He pulled a lock of my hair away from my face. "I don't really know what I'd do."

I stood there, wondering about him... about me... us. He paused as he waited for me at the edge of the path we had been on. "Uh... Andy, you go on. I need to do some thinking."

He nodded, giving my shoulder a gentle caress as he looked around. "Be careful around here..."

I looked on both sides of me. "Why? I've never found anything that would harm me around here!" He motioned for me to follow him and pointed out a small puddle of black bubbling liquid that smelled really bad.

I wrinkled up my nose. "What is that stuff?" He laughed and pushed a stick into the bubbling mixture. The stick came out, before I could question he took a pelt of his own and tied it to the other end of the stick. I watched as he slowly pushed it into the opaque fluid and pulled it out dripping with the thick substance.

"Follow me!" I did, we walked back to the ocean and he inserted the stick and animal skin into the tumbling surf. "Look at this," he said as he pulled it out of the swirling water. I watched in amazement as he held it out before my eyes, every little bit of hair was gone from the pelt.

"Is it hot?" I asked.

"Not at all, here touch it." I hesitatingly poked at it with my finger. "It's not hot at all, is it?"

I slowly opened the pelt up and turned it over in my hand. "With that stuff, we could make clothing out of the skins and remove the hair with it!" He nodded slowly.

"Yeah, that might work." He pulled the bare skin from the stick and handed it to me. "Here, you keep it!" I held the thin skin in my hand, marveling at how complete it removed all the hairs.

He began to walk back up the beach then stopped and waited for me to catch up. "You going to continue on your walk, or are you coming back to the cave with me?" My reply was to point down the beach, away from the cave.

"I have a lot to think about." I watched him frown. "Don't worry, I'll be back before dark." He nodded and gave me a little boy smile. "Really, I'll be careful."

He gave me another long look, there was a touch of concern in it. "Okay, I'll see you at home." I watched him turn and walk along the beach, heading back toward our cave.

I slowly began to walk up the beach for another few feet and realized I was still holding on to the animal pelt. I wanted to know more about the strange substance that was bubbling from the ground. I headed back to where we had been standing together, there I found the small black puddle. The black liquid pool was about three feet long and probably around as wide. I searched for a long stick, I found one about as long as I was tall. "This should work," I spoke aloud.

I dipped the tip of the stick into the murky liquid and raised it to my nose, the smell was putrid. "Whoa, that smells like dead animals!" I coughed from the stench. I touched it lightly and rubbed it against my thumb. "Feels like some type of animal fat."

I wondered just how deep the little pool was. I lifted the stick up by the end and slowly drove it down into the strange substance. At about the halfway point, the stick suddenly snapped in two and I was propelled forward from the force I had been pushing. I caught myself on the other side of the pool, grabbing frantically at the grass that grew from there. Both knees buckled under the sudden weight and I felt my tiny feet lose balance and drop into the gooey matter.

"Oh..." I screamed as I fought to extract myself from the seeming substance. Only after a great struggle I pulled myself to safety. I lay next to the putrid tar and gasped for breath. I sat up and slowly stood to my feet, looking down I watched the opaque liquid rolling down my body.

I realized that if I didn't get it off soon, it was going to remove the hair from the pelt around my waist... unless I could get to the water quickly. I began to run down toward the beach, as soon as could I dove head first into the water. Sitting in the shallows, having the surf beat me about the head and back as I tried to wash the foul smelling liquid off me. I swam out past the rolling surf and stood, the mixture had gotten as high as my collar. I slowly washed the clinging substance from my body, once satisfied I waded back toward the beach.

I looked down at my pelt and groaned, the hair was completely gone. I knew then that I would have to explain what had happened to Andy. That was something I wasn't looking forward to.

I frowned at myself for being so stupid. "He'll never let me go out alone." Looking back toward the cave I groaned, then started to slowly walk back home.

I was dragging my feet until I got home at almost dark. He only glanced at me when I walked past. "Glad you're home... I was getting worried."

"I told you I'd be fine," I mumbled as I leaned against my rock. I could feel him studying me, becoming afraid that he would notice the pelt around my hips.

The sun was hanging low over the water, I turned to face into it. I could feel his eyes upon my back. Suddenly he was lowering himself next to me. "Sure is pretty isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," I agreed.

I could see him lower his head as if he were looking at my pelt. "You went back to the pool... didn't you?"

I nodded slowly. "Am I in trouble?" I tried to reply sarcastically, making him feel like a fool. He said nothing for about three minutes.

"Took off all the hair didn't it?" He smiled.

"Yeah, I guess," I concurred.

"I'm not speaking of the pelt..." He had a hint of a laugh in his voice.

I looked at him, he was looking at my leg. "What are you...?"

He only pointed. "You took every bit of hair off your legs." He smiled. "Maybe you'll learn when I tell you to stay away from something the next time!" He smiled and tried to hide it. "So... how did you fall in?"

"I was checking to see how deep it was and when I leaned...." My voice trailed off as I realized that I was telling him what I had done.

"And it broke..." He chuckled. "How far did you go in?"

I scowled at him. "To my neck!" He wasn't very good at hiding his amusement.

His eyes were laughing almost as much as he was, after a moment, he began to gain control of himself. "Did it hurt?"

"No, not really," I replied. "It just scared me a bit."

He touched my shin and rubbed the area. "Feels smooth and kinda slippery."

"Try walking with it all over yourself," I replied as little bolts of electric energy drove straight into my chest and crotch from his touch. I covered myself when in shock, my nipples stiffened and seemed to grow. "Stop that!" I growled.

He laughed. "Why... does the lack of hair and my touching you make it tickle?"

I nodded my head. "Something like that."

He kept watching my legs and finally announced. "Well... it looks good on you!"

"Oh, thanks... that's all I need to hear!" I shook my head and placed my elbows on my knees. From the corner of my eye, I could see his eyes move to my chest. I felt uncomfortable and folded my arms to hide these protruding objects.

He began to fidget, again pressing his hand subtly between his legs for positioning. Then after a few moments he stood up. "I... I have to go to the bathroom."

I leaned back, placing my hands behind me and looked up to him. "So why you telling me?" I laughed. "It's not like you need my help... is it?"

He smiled and hesitated. "No... that'll be alright. I think I can manage." I watched him walk away, his movement was strange and almost comical.

I turned back toward the sun, resting my hand against a thigh. He was right, the feeling was strangely silky and smooth. Not one single hair was on either leg. I still had a sparse bit on each arm but none of the tiny hairs around my nipples had remained. I held my arms aloft, gone too was the little bit under each of them... only the hair on my face and arms survived the strange bath.

After maybe a minute, Andy walked back up next to me and sat down. I glanced over at him and then looked back into the setting sun. "You weren't gone long."

He nodded. "Yeah, I don't mess around when I have to go..."

I smiled. "I can never get done that fast!"

"Well, when you gotta go... you gotta go. Besides, when I do go... I don't mess around." He laughed when he realized that he had repeated himself.

I leaned back and drank in the beautiful sunset, and thought to myself. "Why does Andy always disappear after we talk about the changes I seem to undergo? Is he that embarrassed by what changes occur on my body?" I glanced over at him, he was again looking at my legs. "He always seems to disappear suddenly after I catch him looking at me... why is that?"

I smiled and stretched one leg out and bent the other at the knee, the movement was also watched diligently by Andy. He tried not being so obvious, but I still noticed his gaze. I felt his eyes rivet upon my body as I slowly stood up, he rested his hands on his lap. "You going to come in?" I looked across the water, the sun was almost behind the horizon and the light would only last about a half hour longer.

"Uh... no, I want to sit here for awhile." I shrugged my reply and headed into the cave where I began to prepare our evening meal in the little light that was left. As I did, I glanced from the cave opening at Andy's back and sighed at the superbly defined muscles that were evident. Again I felt the strange electric chill roll across my chest and down between my legs.

I really have no way of knowing how much time had passed. If I were to guess, I would say a year or year and a half had gone by. We both settled into an uncomfortable relationship, each of us desperately watching the other when we thought they weren't looking. I had become used to his stares, and almost welcomed them. In fact, I would go out of my way to send him scurrying into the forest for great moments at a time... and all I had to do was move, in just the right way.

He was having problems talking to me, without trying... he would suddenly excuse himself and go off into the 'restroom', somehow I secretly think he's up to something else, but have never really followed him. I know if I started to do that, it would only prod him to try and spy on my bathroom... and I didn't want that.

I stood in the rolling surf with my waist and above out of the water, Andy was nowhere to be seen. I felt behind me for the string and slowly untied the strange contraption from around my slim waist. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before I grew the sagging round breasts of a woman, nor was I wrong. They had become so large in fact, that I was compelled to support them with a make shift halter that held them from swinging freely. Only when I slept did I remove the animal skin from my chest. Andy never really said anything more about my changes but I know they trouble him to no great end. He often goes off by himself for long periods of time to... as he says, 'get a grip on himself.' I'm not sure what he means by that, but I just take it as he says... and leave it go.

I crouched down and let the salty water suspend the pendulous orbs, cooling their confined surface with gently caressing water. I have never gotten any hair to re-grow on my body in the areas that I had doused with the black sticky substance. I was able to 'save' the hair on my crotch, mostly because the animal skin kept the strange liquid from setting in the curly hair there.

I finished my swim and slowly began to walk out of the water just as Andy walked up, his eyes locked upon my swinging breasts in the late afternoon sun. I headed up to where he was standing and began to tie back on the halter made from animal skin. "Hi Andy, what you up to?" My soft voice seemed to purr when he was around, he smiled and shrugged trying to not show his interest.

I lifted up my hair and he tied the back for me. "I like your hair long like that Chris."

"Really? I was thinking about cutting it later on." I let it go and felt it tickle the small of my back.

"No... don't do that," he replied quickly. "I like it just like it is."

I shrugged. "I'll think about it." I smiled and picked up the thin fishing spear I had leaned against a great rock. I could almost feel his eyes on my round bottom.

We walked slowly along, me just ahead of him. He was whistling a happy tune when I suddenly bent to pick up a shell. He looked up at the last minute, just as he ran into my bent body. His hands dropped the spear into the ground and he caught himself just before we both tumbled into the sand. Both arms were wrapped around me with his hands cupping my swinging breasts. I stood up, he did likewise.

I looked down at his darkly tanned hand as it enveloped my breast, I wanted to yell at him to remove it... but I said nothing. I think we were both too surprised that it happened in the first place. I felt his thumb slowly brush the long, slowly expanding nipple. I felt my breath being crushed from my lungs as his head bent forward to kiss my exposed neck.

"Uh... Andy..." I gasped. His hands continued to gently massage my breasts.

"Please..." I moaned. "What are you doing to me?"

His breath rolled across my ear, sending shivers down into my crotch. I felt his hands lower to my hips, slowly I turned in his grasp to face him. "I was afraid of this." His breath barely above a whisper.

"Of what?" I asked. Closing my eyes in the pure enjoyment of the moment. He slowly moved into me and kissed my chin. "Are you sure?" I asked in my soft feminine sounding voice. "I'm not sure of anything right at the moment." He spoke with a sigh. His hand slowly touched my face, fingers trembling with emotion. He suddenly stepped back, putting distance between us. "I... we can't." He frowned. "It wouldn't be right."

"Who cares?" I shouted. "We've been on this little piece of dirt for how many years now? We've been through huge storms, driving high seas, hot dry spells." I looked at the forest. "Biting insects, strange animals... why can't we show affection to each other? Haven't we been through enough?"

"Well, because we're both guys!" He picked up his spear and started around me.

"But you're forgetting... one of us looks like a girl!" I reminded him.

He rolled his eyes and looked toward the woods. "Go on home, I'm going to the bathroom." I made a face at him as he walked in amongst the palms and ferns. I knew he wasn't going in to the restroom, but I wasn't about to find out what he was doing.

I headed on home and began to fix our supper, by the time he arrived home I had everything ready. With the absence of fire, we ate everything raw. It might seem strange to the civilized world, but animals have been doing it since time began... and if you get used to it, it's not that bad. We finished just before dark and cleaned up, then took our places at the rock where we could watch the setting sun.

I felt my gaze drawn to his long lithe legs, muscular and sinewy. I so wanted to let my slender hands touch the light hair that grew upon his thigh. He noticed my eyes. "What you thinking?"

I looked back over the water in embarrassment for him catching me, then decided that since I had to be 17 or 18 years old by now... I would just speak my piece. I smiled and looked again at his chiseled legs and stomach. "I was just wondering what that felt like." Pointing to the hair that grew on his legs.

"Feels like hair, I guess..." He laughed. I continued to look at him, letting my eyes drink up his statuesque physique.

Even before he could stop me I gently reached out and laid my hand among the hairs on his thigh. He squirmed and pulled his leg away. "What the heck you doing?" He frowned.

I tried to come up with a convincing argument. "Do you realize just how long it's been since I have had any hair on my legs?"

"Ever since you fell into the black pool." He laughed.

"I just want know what it feels like again." I slowly began to reach out. He stopped my hand.

"If you touch my leg... then I get to touch yours." He frowned.

I thought about his request, it sounded reasonable. With no warning I grabbed his wrist and placed his huge hand upon my thigh, he looked at me questioningly then gently moved his hand along the length toward my knee.

I felt air being slowly sucked into my lungs, again the odd electric jolts upon both of my pendulous breasts and crotch. This time though, it was centered more between my legs. I tried to ignore it as my breathing quickened, I was afraid that he would change his mind if I were to say anything so I hurried up and placed my slender hand on his leg. The little hairs tickled my palm.

His voice broke. "It... it feels slippery... sort of silky smooth."

"Do you like it?" I asked, sounding hopeful.

He looked into my eyes, his hand slowly began to work it's way back up toward my crotch, I gasped. The sudden sound made him pull away. "No... don't stop!" I pleaded but he suddenly stood up and headed into the forest again.

I sat pouting until the sun dropped below the horizon, I had wanted to wait until Andy returned but he never did, so I headed into the cave and sat down upon the furs that made my bed. I reached behind me and untied the bow that held the back of the halter together, then quickly untied the one higher, behind my neck. I threw it on the floor above my head and rolled with my back to the center of the room, sometime after I drifted off, Andy returned and laid down upon his sleeping furs, falling quickly asleep.

By morning, even without opening my eyes I could feel the warm sun shining through, into the cave. I was laying on my left side, enjoying the light breeze gently working its way through the little opening. I slowly opened my eyes. Andy was laying on his side facing me, resting his head upon his right hand.

I smiled, he let his eyes glance away as he suddenly sat up and crawled through the opening. I tried to talk but he left too quickly. By the time I had crawled out behind him, he was already almost to our forest of palms.

I stood there watching him as he disappeared into the ferns, then with a frown, began to ready our breakfast. A while later, as I was finishing the preparation he returned carrying a few fruits he had gathered in the jungle. He watched me for a moment then re-entered the cave. I shook my head as he came back out of the opening carrying a piece of white cloth.

He stood in front of me and twisted it in his grasp. "I... was wondering..."

"Yes?" I wanted him to get to the point.

"I was wondering if you would consider wearing this when you sleep?" I looked down at what he was holding.

"It's the shirt you tried to give me long ago..." I took it and held it out. "It'll look like a tent on me."

"I know, but... I'm afraid that I'll not be able to..." He fidgeted and looked away, causing me to smile. "You just need to wear it when you sleep... Okay?"

I was about to throw it back into his face, but his pained expression caused me to reconsider. "Okay Andy, I'll do it for you." As he handed it to me he glanced at my swinging pert breasts, he had that same, strange look on his face.

I didn't even say a thing, slowly pulling the shirt down over my head. It fit pretty tight across my bust, both of the nipples were pushing out like little mountaintops. I pulled the material down to my waist, it hanging around my middle making me feel like some ship's bell. "Is that better?" I sighed.

He bit his lip, rolling his eyes and sighed. "I don't think anything will ever... be better." I squinted at him, trying to figure out what he meant.

I sat through our breakfast saying nothing, by the time it was over, I needed to go off by myself and think about our whole situation. As I started down the sandy path toward the beach I heard Andy start walking up behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, causing my long bleached hair to swing.

"Care for company?" he asked shyly.

"I'm sorry Andy... I just need to think." He stopped in his tracks, I felt like I had hurt him deeply. "It's not you... well, it is... but it's more me."

He stood in the center of the path watching me walk away, saying nothing. I felt as though I had just drove my spear through his heart. Part of me wanted to go back and get him by the hand, the other part of me wanted to put as much distance between us.

I walked and walked along the beach, from time to time I looked back to see him still standing on the path. I could feel my heart sink, I couldn't imagine feeling lower than I was right now. Finally after my continued walking, I had carried myself past his range of vision.

Seating myself upon a great flat rock near the edge of the surf I contemplated my strange feelings of late. I sighed and rested my chin on my knees, pulling them into my chest. I couldn't explain to Andy that I was feeling strangely frustrated, I wanted to be around him all the time. I felt he wanted to be around me as well, but every time we seemed to pull close... he would change his mind and run away.

I couldn't help what those berries had turned me into, some kind of freak... half man half woman... well mostly woman. I knew that I was receiving strange feelings toward Andy, feelings that only a man and a woman should share. I wiped my eye as a tear began to form and collect on the lid. I sighed and placed my forehead on my knees, a tear fell onto my thigh and began to roll.

I felt utterly hopeless, I was a woman now... and yet, not a woman. I dropped my feet to the ground and slowly stood up. I wandered out to where the surf gently was washing against the sand, there I waded, slowly walking through the shallow water, back toward the cave. "How could this happen..." I cried, wiping my tears away with my fingers. I was so afraid that if I were to make some kind of advance, I would chase him to the far side of the island. I walked along the beach, with the water washing across my bare feet. Looking back up toward the path, I could see him still sitting in the sand. "Why?" I wondered.

I really wasn't sure what I wanted from Andy, folding my arms across my round bosom, I thought, "Companionship, a friend, lover?" I sat in the sand near the water's edge, tossing tiny shells into the surf. I laid back and cried, covering my face with my slender hands, feeling confusion and anguish building deep inside my heart. I must have laid there for half an hour when I heard soft steps beside me. I looked up, tears still gathered in the corner of my eyes.

"Hey... what's wrong?" Andy spoke with concern. "You okay... are you injured?"

His comment seemed so stupid that I laughed, hiding my face with my long slim hands. He smiled, but still watched me with concern. "Did I do something wrong?"

He sat down next to me and watched the surf rolling for a moment. I remained laying... watching him. He finally noticed and smiled. "I could see you were upset about something... care to talk about it yet?"

I replied truthfully, "I'm not sure." I started to sit up and he scooted under me and pulled me down so my head was laying on his lap. He gently pulled my hair out from under me and let it lay on his leg. I watched him, watching me, he had a playful smile dancing on his lips.

"I bet I know what the problem is..." He ran his fingers through my long hair laying gently on his lap. "Because... to be truthful... I think I'm having it too."

I tried to raise myself up but his tender kiss pushed me back down. "I've been wanting to kiss you for so long..." He smiled slowly.

"Have you?" I asked trying to not sound hopeful.

He smiled, showing the dimples set deeply in his cheeks. "No matter how many times I try and convince myself that you are a guy... I see your magnificent body and... well, have to get away." His face flushed with a hint of red.

"Where do you go?" I whispered, smiling.

"You should know..." He bent down low and kissed my lip, pulling it inside his mouth gently.

I gazed deeply into his eyes, his sudden playful attitude surprising me. Finally he spoke, growing serious. "We can cuddle, if you like..."

I shrugged. "Okay..." He laughed and kept looking into my eyes questioningly.

"Just... okay?" He tried to hide his amusement. "You don't have a clue to what I'm saying... do you?"

I looked up toward him, smiling as he was and felt my heart melting. Gradually I sat up and leaned against a rock, he moved so he could sit beside me. I found myself drawing in the sand. "Andy?"

"Yes Chris." He smiled and tossed a shell far beyond my sight.

I pulled a stray lock of hair from blowing in my face, tucking it securely behind my ear. "What is it about me that you like... that, sends you into the woods?"

He chuckled softly and stretched his legs out. "Chris, if I would ever meet a girl like you... out there..." He pointed toward the horizon. "I'd grab her in a minute." I smiled, retrieving the stray sun bleached hair swaying before my eyes.

"And, because I am... or, was a guy like you..." I struggled to find the right words.

"Chris, I... I just can't." He frowned and tossed another shell. "Hell Chris, I'm several years older than you..."

I looked at him and shrugged. "So?"

His expression was somewhere between amusement and surprise, he shook his head and brushed sand from his lap. "You just don't get it, do you?

"What's to get? Am I so repulsive that you can't stand to be around me?" I was trying to hide the smile in my voice.

He chuckled. "Hardly... and that's the problem." He looked at me without speaking, I tried to playfully ignore him.

I was the first to speak after a long pregnant silence. "Can we at least be friends?"

He wiped his forehead with his first two fingers. "Sure Chris."

Again a long silence. "If I WERE a girl... what do you find the most..."

"Attractive?" he interrupted.

"Sure," I replied, pulling another stray hair, floating in the gentle breeze behind my ear.

He smiled uncomfortably, raising his eyebrows and blowing air from his mouth. "You're really trying to put me on the spot, aren't you?" I smiled smugly at his response, causing him to push me over with his elbow. "Okay. I'm doing this under duress." He laughed.

He looked me up and down slowly, then pointed to my blowing hair. "I find your hair extremely attractive. It's not real long... but, long enough." I found myself touching my hair, smiling at his fidgeting. He continued. "And your... well, what else can you call them but breasts..."

I looked down at them, hiding under his shirt. "What about them?"

His face blushed. "They're perfect. Not huge, but not small either." His complement made me happy as he continued. "You have really supple and sexy legs too!" I looked down then froze, quickly looking back up toward him.

"Sexy?" I asked, not sure on what the word meant.

He laughed and pursed his lips in thought. "Well... uh, sexy... means... making the opposite sex aroused."

Now it was my turn to frown. "Have... have I ever aroused you?"

He laughed and looked quickly away, I could see him trying to summon his courage to answer my question. Finally he cleared his throat, trying to hide a smile. "To be honest, all the time Chris... all the time."

I shrugged. "Okay..." He laughed and kept looking into my eyes questioningly.

"Just... okay?" He tried to hide his amusement. "You don't have a clue to what I'm saying... do you?"

He hung his head at my answer. "Chris, do you realize that if you were a 'true' woman, we'd probably be having sex all the time!"

I slowly looked toward the sand, not really understanding our conversation.

I sat up and turned to face him, still not sure if the smile pulling at the edge of his lip was something to be angry at him for. I thought quietly for a moment, then folding my hands around my sleek legs and spoke. "I've been on this island since I was a little boy... what would I know about sex?" I tilted my head and looked away, my mind racing like a hurricane. "Just what is... this word sex mean?"

He began to laugh, I felt my face flush with anger. "Hold on, I'm not laughing at you." I had started to get up, intending to storm off toward the cave. "It's just that I always thought you knew by the way you were behaving."

I turned with my back toward him, squinting, and tilting my head slightly over my shoulder. "And just how was I behaving?" He knew I was upset. "Really, tell me... I want to know what I have supposedly done!" I demanded.

He sighed, his breath tickling the back of my neck causing my nipples to swell. "The way you parade around without nothing covering these... " I felt his hand gently caressing the underside of my breasts, his touch causing me to gasp. "How could I NOT be sure... that you didn't know what you were doing to me?"

"And what was I doing?" I turned and looked over my shoulder again, causing him to laugh aloud.

He said nothing, slowly standing up and pulling me along with him. He turned me to face him, I wouldn't look him in the eye. Andy looked down at my chest as he held his hands upon my sides, close to my chest, using his large thumbs to tickle my erect nipples. I could feel my heart race from the pleasure he was giving me, the confusion washing over me like a tidal wave. I couldn't say a thing, the air steadily leaving my lungs said volumes. "Is... is this sex?" I whispered, my throat cracking with emotion.

"No... not at all, but it is a part of it." I felt him gently sliding his hand under the bottom edge of the shirt I was wearing. He very tenderly ran it against my tight stomach. "I'll probably regret this..." he sighed.

"Regret what?" I asked, looking down, while he slowly lowered himself to the sand, holding my hips he pushed his head into my nipple. I could feel his tongue tracing slow circles around the ridged nipple, my knees felt suddenly weak. "Is this..."

"No..." He moaned while kissing and sucking upon one of the large round nipples perched at the end of my breast.

He drew me down into the sand, pushing me back while still tenderly kissing my breast. My long fingers found their way into his wavy hair, I gasped at what he was doing to me. "Where you came from... was this what women did when having sex?" He put his hands along each side of my cheeks, I moaned as he pulled me into a deep tonguing kiss.

Slowly he drew his head away. "You talk too much..." I knew he meant nothing by it as he again buried his soft lips into my neck causing me to tilt my head back. My hands snaked around his head and drew it down again to my aroused nipples, he stopped and frowned, causing me to suddenly look up.

"What is it?" I begged.

"It's happening again." He sighed, then looked up to the Palms swaying along the ocean. "Uh... Chris..." He slowly stood up, leaning strangely against a large rock. "I... need to go."

"What? What is it Andy?" I wondered with concern. I stood up along side him. "Is something wrong with you? Why are you walking like that? Did I hurt you?"

He laughed. "I think you know full well what's wrong with me..." I again felt the frustration mounting in my heart. "I'll be back... in a bit." He laughed as he began walking away.

"Wait Andy... maybe I can help you somehow?" He looked up toward the sky and smiled, quickly trotting toward the Palms. I couldn't figure out for the life of me what was wrong with him as I watched him trotting into the jungle, stooped like an old man.

I sat down on the rock and waited, after a long while he walked back down to me smiling. "You feeling better?" I asked.

"Pretty good... now." He grinned and winked at me. He stood looking at me for the longest time saying nothing, then finally he shook his head and gave a short laugh.

"You weren't lying when you said that you really didn't know what sex was?" His smiling was making me angry.

"You know I don't," I frowned.

"All these years and you never paid attention to the animals?"

"I look at them... just before I kill and eat them." I shrugged.

"In all your years here, you never saw two of them like this?" He moved behind me and pulled my hips into his, I found myself closing my eyes and sighing.

"Well?" I then realized he was still fishing for an answer.

"Sometimes..." I stepped away and looked back, eyes growing wider. "Is that sex?" I said with a gasp.

"Well... yeah." He smiled.

"Does that mean we have just had sex?" I felt like a child asking such inane questions of him.

"No..." He looked away, his face reddening from embarrassment. "When a male and a female are naked... and they do that..."

"Then... that's sex?" I asked, not sure.

"It's not sex until the male shoots his load into the female." He laughed and shook his head.

"How is this possible?" I asked him.

"Well... in humans... a male and female are different, down there. Not like us..." He coughed and pushed his toe into the wet sand.

"We can't have sex because we are alike... down there?" I asked softly. He nodded and threw a shell far out beyond the rolling surf.

"Is that why you go off to the jungle?" He glanced at me quickly. I continued, "... You go away from me so you can... shoot your load?" I watched him fidgeting. "Such a strange thing to do?" I thought.

His face was bright red now, still I had one more question to ask. "Why is it that you have never asked me to help you... shoot your load?"

He laughed hard, looking away shaking his head. I frowned mostly because it seemed he was making fun of me, my anger began bubbling to the surface. He wiped his eye and chuckled softly. "You sound like you have never done this... for yourself?"

"Never..." I responded.

"What do you do... when you... well, when you're aroused?" He slowly stood, grinning.

"What's... aroused?" I asked, causing him to fall into the sand laughing. I grew mad and began to stomp back toward the cave, his laughter spurring me on.

From behind me I heard, "Aw, Chris... come on!" I felt my face flush with heat. "Come on Chris... I'm sorry!" I never looked back, heading away... until I found the sanctuary of the cave.

I gave him the cold shoulder for the rest of the day, at bedtime I lay down, purposefully leaving the shirt he had given me on his bedding. He looked at it and tossed it above my head. "For being a guy... you sure behave like a woman." For my response to him, I rolled and faced the wall.

I decided that I was going to be mad at him the rest of my life, I smiled and closed my eyes knowing that by morning... it would be as nothing had happened between us... or so I hoped.

I sat up quickly, a scream caught in my throat. Looking around in the darkened cave, only moonlight eked into the opening. Both my breathing and heart were racing from a dream. I looked over to Andy trying to see if I had awaken him. He was still sleeping like a baby. I raised a trembling hand to my head, a light damp sweat dappled the surface of my skin.

I recalled what I could about the frightening dream, still vivid in its excitement. I remembered my Grandmother was in it and we were laughing and happy on the ship, then just as suddenly we were catapulted into the raging waters of the ocean and I tried to hold her to the surface but I couldn't. She slipped from my grasp and slowly sank from sight, only... as she drifted lower in the water, she changed from Grandmother to Andy. Again, I looked at the sleeping man, my throat tightened with a sob.

I was so scared I trembled, the dream was too real. I touched my cheek, I felt a wet tear that had run down toward my chin. I quietly laid back down, the dream's images of my Grandmother formed in my mind, then slowly became Andy. He was drowning, I tried to grab him, and pull him to safety. I could only touch his fingers as he dropped down, the inky blackness of the ocean swallowing him. I again sat up, wiping my eyes with the shirt he had given me. I held it in the dim light and looked at the ball of cloth in my hands, then looked over as Andy rolled to his side.

My fright was too real, I trembled as I sat with my knees into my chest. I looked back over at Andy, sleeping comfortable in his dreams... I only wished I could sleep with visions of peaceful dreams before my minds eye like he was doing. I suddenly felt cold and alone, slowly, hesitantly I moved to his bed and laid down at his back. I sighed deeply, the feeling of his protective comfort enveloping me in a peace as only he could do. I closed my eyes and for the first time that night, fell into a deep and restful sleep, knowing I was near the one person who could protect me... even in sleep.

Morning returned slowly, the first hints of daylight began to brighten the sky with hues of yellow and orange. I opened my eyes gradually, warm and content, I sighed deeply. I could hear Andy's heart beating strong, my ear laying against his warm chest. His hand was gently laying on my lower back, cradling me in his protective embrace. I felt him stir, his hand moved against my back, then up to my shoulder blades. Tenderly, I kissed his chest, thankful for the closeness that his body provided after the ordeal of my dream.

I gently looked up into his face, slowly his eyes opened in surprise. "Chris... wha... what're you doing?"

I hugged him with the arm draped across his broad chest. "I had a terrible dream... you had drowned." He raised his head, looking at where a tear had fallen against his skin.

"You're crying..." he whispered, as he began to rub my back.

"It was just so frightening. I was afraid to be alone." I could feel tears again rising to the surface.

"Don't cry..." he whispered. "Are... are you still feeling afraid and alone... beside me now?"

"Not any more... not laying here with you." I smiled and raised up, kissing his cheek.

"Chris... " He closed his eyes and swallowed. "You... here next to me..."

"Yes?" I asked.

He sighed and brought his right hand up, laying it across his stomach. I jumped as his fingers came into contact with my breast. He began to pull his hand away, I stopped it with my own. "No... it's okay."

His lip quivered. "Chris... but... we're both..." I placed my finger against his lip to silence him.

"It's okay... I don't mind Andy... really." His eyes glazed over, the corner welling up with caught tears.

He slowly pulled my chin so I was looking directly at him, leaned in and kissed me tenderly. I could feel him shaking with excitement... or fear.

As we laid there together, one of my smooth legs draped across his, I slowly moved my fingers against the tangle of hair on his chest. He smiled, his eyes searching the questions in his mind. I kissed his neck and laid my head back against his thick chest. I felt him sigh, his hand found its way into my hair, now bleached light from the sun.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, as a kiss danced on the top of my head.

"I'm sure Andy..." I closed my eyes and smiled. His hand tenderly caressed my breast as it spilled out against his chest, the feeling caused me to gasp from pleasure. The little jolts of pure excitement raced into my crotch, then back to his tender touches upon the breast. My voice, almost a whisper moaned. "...Pretend... pretend that I'm a woman. Your woman, Andy."

He rolled me over onto my back, his great weight trapping me under him. "From this day forward..." He lowered his head and kissed me. "You know we can never go back..."

"I don't care.. " I cried softly. "I'll do anything to prove my love for you..." I kissed him again as he lowered his face to mine. "Even sex."

He took his hand and gently pushed each of my silky smooth thighs apart, laying his own between. I felt him rock slowly, back and forth. His eyes eased closed, my own breathing was labored and raspy. He pulled my legs up so I could place them behind his back as he continued to thrust in our imaginary 'sex'. I could feel a strange building... down there. I knew I was about to experience my own 'shooting' of sorts.

Suddenly, a great wash of pleasure enveloped my body. I felt myself spasm and jerk, my voice grunting in a strange animalistic way. His mouth close to my ear sighed. "Was that your first time?"

I nodded. "Did you do it too?"

He shook his head. "No... not this time. I'm afraid I'll have to do it... well... by hand."

I turned his face toward mine. "Show me... I'll do it for you." He gave me a small smile.

"Are you serious?" he whispered, kissing my soft lips.

"I'll do anything to make you happy." He looked down at my hand laying on his chest, slowly he dwarfed it with his own. Gently, he directed it down past his stomach where it stopped above his crotch, hovering.

"Chris... are you sure?" His voice trembled.

I forced my hand down pulling his along, what I felt caused me to pull away quickly and sit up. "I'm sorry Chris... I never should have let you..." he spoke, his face turning red. I stared at his waist, then looked back into his face. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.

In an almost inaudible voice I gasped. "What happened?"

He sat up and looked down the length of his body, the tenting of his animal skin evident to what was 'going on'. Smiling. "That's what we call an erection." He studied my face, twisted in concern. "Haven't you ever had an erection?"

I touched my breast. "Here... but never there!" I moved my hand toward his animal skin covering, hesitantly tracing my fingers on the bulge. I pulled at the strings of leather that held the sides together, and let them drop away.

As each tie fell away, his towering pole sprung into the air. I gasped at the sight, gently fingering the round end with my small hand. He cleared his throat to get my attention. "You act like you've never seen one of those things..."

I couldn't pull my eyes away from the great throbbing muscle, I leaned toward it looking closely and whispered to him, "That's because I HAVE never seen one of these things!" I touched the great tower, he closed his hand around mine, slowly moving it so that the skin drug against the sinewy shaft.

Suddenly it dawned to him what I had just said. He stopped my small hand from its motion. "What do you mean that you've never seen one of these?" He raised his head, a look of curiosity crossed his expression. "Chris? What do you mean..."

I sat up, still looking at the strange sight of it bouncing in rhythm of his beating heart. "What are you?" I asked.

He laughed, then gave me a strange look. "You can't be... you... you're serious... aren't you?" I nodded methodically, touching the tip of it like it were a venomous snake about to bite.

"But... but you're a guy... surely you have..." He sat up, and turned my chin to face him... "Don't... don't you look like that down there?"

I shook my head. "Not at all..." I whispered still looking at his long muscle.

"Chris... take off your animal skin..." I frowned, it seemed that he didn't believe me. Then reassured by his look, began to untie the sides of my pelt. As the material fell away his eyes widened. "My God Chris... you... you've changed completely!"

I straightened up. "I didn't change... you're the one who changed!" Again I stole a glance at his organ. "I've always been like this... Grandma said that all boys were built like this."

A slow smile crossed his face. "Your Grandmother... for whatever reason, led you astray." I looked down at my swinging breasts, then let my astonished gaze drop to my own crotch. "You've always been a girl... since birth!" he continued.

"But... but I grew these?" I argued. "It would be impossible for Grandma to lie!"

"All girls grow these, some faster than others." He cupped one and kissed the tip causing me to tremble.

I looked at him, then down to the unfamiliar item between his legs whispering, "I'm really a girl?" He nodded his response, smiling. "I've been one all along?" Again he nodded smiling.

"You know what that means?" He scooted closer pulling me into his kiss. Slowly he again lowered me onto my back, his fingers began to stroke inside my own crease, now slippery and wet. He again pulled my legs apart, I raised them up onto his back. He gently pushed his muscle into the wet space between my legs. I felt it begin to enter, a gasp filled my lungs.

He paused for a moment then pushed again. I felt a strange stabbing pain inside. He let me catch my breath, then slowly began to push further. I felt as though he was turning me inside out, both of my nipples had grown long and stiff. He continued to move his hips, faster and faster as we each began to pant and moan with each thrust. I could feel my eyes rolling back into my head as he kissed my exposed neck.

Suddenly I felt my body twitch, my own legs trembling from the thrill. It started in my toes and fingers, slowly working toward the opening where Andy had penetrated my body with his spear. I gasped and twitched as a giant bolt of unimaginable energy coursed through my veins. At the same moment, Andy jerked and I felt him twitch inside of me, a great warmth slowly enveloping us from within.

I found my voice. "Was that... you shooting a load?" I pulled his hips in, driving his shaft deeper inside my body.

His breath came out raspy. "Yesss..." He lowered his face to mine and kissed me. "God Chris, that was wonderful." I pulled him down into a kiss, he ran his warm hands to my hips and held me there. Whispering in his ear, still panting from our exertion, "Now you won't need to run off when you are... aroused?"

He smiled. "Never again Chris." He kissed me, pushing his tongue inside my mouth to mingle with my own. Gently he pulled his head away, smiling he gave a short laugh.

"What's so funny?" I whispered, kissing him on the neck.

He smiled and kissed my chin. "We thought it was the berries that was changing you..." I thought about it and smiled too, he continued, "This is probably the best thing that could have happened!"

"Why is that?" I wondered aloud.

"I thought I was turning... uh... different." He looked at my 'aroused' breasts. "Thank God I wasn't. And the best thing was that the attraction I was feeling toward you was real!" He lowered his head and kissed my upper chest tenderly. "And... normal."

I frowned thinking aloud, "Why do you suppose my Grandmother hid my real identity from me?"

He looked thoughtful, raising his body off of me and then laying by my side. "We may never know why she did that." He brushed my hair from my face. "All that matters to me is that I was wrong... thank God."

I smiled, and winked, rolling onto my side. Thinking back, I concentrated about any little nuance that may shed some light on why she would have told me that I was a boy. Then as if a bolt from the dark. "Oh..."

"What is it... what's up?" Andy waited for me to answer.

I looked quickly into his eyes. "Grandma always said that men had everything better than did the women." Andy seemed to catch on, almost as quickly as I did.

"And she told everyone... including you, that you were a boy!" I nodded, looking down at my breasts. "But surely she would have realized that you would develop some day?"

I sighed. "You would think."

He reached up and held my soft shoulder. "We'll never have the answer. You know that don't you?" I nodded, looking away from him. "Hey... don't be embarrassed about something that you had no control over." He sat up and hugged me. "At least we know why we were becoming so attracted to each other."

I laughed, he gently began to push me back down. Our lips touched, with no more weight than a butterfly's wing. He held me tenderly, pinning me to the furs. He smiled slowly, giving me a longing look and whispered, "I think I'm becoming aroused again."

As he began thrusting into me, I whispered in his ear... gently touching the inside with my tongue, driving him into a sexual frenzy, "This time... you won't need to rush off to the jungle."

He kissed my cheek, gently rocking me with our sexual rhythm. "Never again... Chris... never again." I looked at him, smiled, pulling him into me with my smooth legs.

I crawled out from under my lover's arms, enjoying the warm tropical sun shining into the cave opening. It had been five months since we had discovered my identity... well, that of my being a true female. Our love only grew from that point on. We each had something the other wanted... something that only we could provide. I looked at him sleeping, he was everything I had hoped he would be. I couldn't imagine ever being without him or his love.

Although I'm still troubled by my Grandmother's deceit, I have decided to move on. There is nothing I can do about it now, but as Andy had said... we'll probably never know the real reason for doing what she did. But, since my landing on this beautiful little rock, I have come to accepting my being a woman, and knowing that I would be one till the day I die... one more hurdle meant nothing more at this point.

I crawled through the opening, my stomach scraping against the rock wall. Finally outside I stood up and let the gentle breeze wash across my almost naked form. I began to ready our morning meal when I heard a slight movement behind me and looked back as Andy peeked through the hole. "Hi Love!" I whispered, his returning smile sending a little thrill through my body. I turned back to the morning meal I was about to prepare as he crawled through the opening.

"Good Morning Sunshine." He drew himself to his full height and hugged me from behind, tenderly kissing my shoulder. "How you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I said grinning as he gently ran his hand across my slightly swelling stomach. The motion caused me to look down. "I guess that's what happens when you stay out of the jungle... isn't it?"

He laughed, kissing my neck. "You don't mind too much... do you?"

I turned and faced him, kissing him on the mouth. "Not at all..." He pulled me into a hug.

"Just be glad we didn't figure it out sooner..." He laughed, kissing the top of my head.

"And why is that?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Imagine how many little ones would be running around here?"

I smiled contently. "I wouldn't have minded." He had grown quiet, I looked up at him thinking he would be looking back at me, instead his eyes were fixed across the sparkling blue water. I turned to see what he was looking at.

In the harbor, a sleek white sailing ship was anchored. My eyes were drawn to where a small boat had been pulled up onto our beach, I quickly glanced back at Andy, trying to contemplate what this meant to us. Slowly his eyes lowered to mine then back to the little family playing in the sand at the waters edge. We knew what we should do... what we had to do. As if to emphasize the point, we both looked down to my stomach. Andy nodded slowly and gave me a quiet smile.

Hand in hand we began the long walk from our cave, down to the beach below. Putting our happy little island cave behind us forever.