Use caution when inflating something or it might POP.

“Okay, I'm on the bed and naked and you aren't ravishing me. What's the surprise, Richard?”

“We can ravish later,” he said. He gave her a peck on the cheek. “First, you have to close your eyes.”

“Okay,” she said. His face was inches from hers and she did not want to stop looking at him. But she did what he said. She inhaled and his scent filled her nostrils with joy.

He shifted his weight and she almost rolled into him. “Keep still,” he said as he slipped off the bed.

CHAOTER 61
The morning dawned in a lighter grey than the previous one had offered, and I assumed that meant rain. To my surprise, after I had dealt with my morning necessities, it turned out to be a dry one, the clouds having retreated well above the three thousand foot level. I started a couple of kettles heating, and that, along with the sound of the toilet flush, seemed to stir people up.

The Sundial
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I have always been drawn to the sea, and I guess that was down to my father. He was a ships’ engineer and I saw little of him when I was very young, but whenever he was home he would bring strange objects and stories from the places he had been. It seemed as if his life was like a fairy tale. I wanted to follow him.