I Don't Believe In Ghosts
It was a clear night, visibility was good even with the thick canopy of leaves above their heads. A gentle breeze whistled through the woods as the couple made their way, following a seemingly invisible path with ease. They walked hand in hand, only it was the girl who was leading, pulling her boyfriend along for the ride.
"Come on, don't tell me you're scared of the woods Chris" Kathy Collins giggled at him. She picked her way through the trees with a grace honed by years of dance and gymnastics. While her boyfriend Chris Wilkinson stumbled and fell with all the grace of a lumberjack in the ballet.
"I'm not scared of the woods alright, I just can't see where the hell I'm going." He answered, his pride slightly damaged by the lead she had taken.
Kathy giggled as she deftly jumped over a raise tree root. Chris promptly fell over the same root and almost lost his balance had Kathy not caught him. "Well just try not to break anything, I've got a surprise for you." She flashed him a smile and kissed him passionately. Her tongue gently stroking his, circling it before she pulled back and began to walk once again.
"I can't wait." He answered dazed, his movements suddenly lighter and more agile. It was as if the kiss and given him an extra level of mobility.
They walked in relative silence; Kathy was humming under her breath, a jaunty yet unrecognizable tune, and the standard nocturnal orchestra played on. Chris didn't know how far they were into the woods, but they had been walking for almost twenty-five minutes by the time they stopped… really stopped.
"Where are we?" Chris asked. His eyes, slow to adjust to the darkness not seeing Kathy until a gust of warm early summer wind created a hole in the canopy allowing a slither of silver moonlight to illuminate her naked body. Framing it in a delicate brilliance that Chris would remember forever. "Oh…" He began before Kathy leapt into him enveloping his mouth his hers.
They had been dating for almost 6 months, but had yet to sleep with one another. Kathy had made it clear when they first met that she was a Virgin and wanted to wait until she was certain she had met the right guy. Not necessarily Mr. Right (forever) by Mr. Right (first time). They went to different schools and had met in the local shopping centre food court and as the months had progressed they had become all but inseparable.
"Are you sure?" Chris asked, speaking between the kisses that rained down on him.
"Uh-Huh" Kathy moaned. She had already unbuttoned his shirt and was busy pulling the belt away from his trousers. One of her hands had already slipped beneath his shorts and was massaging his swelling affection.
"Here?" He asked again, not wanting to admit that he wasn't exactly feeling at ease with the surroundings. Yet in spite of his concerns he went with it, cupping her budding breasts in his hands, kissing them gently with a delicate touch that defied his overall size and muscular stature.
"It has to be" She said, dropping to her knees, as if she were somehow attached to his falling underwear. Dry twigs cracked as she settled on the ground, and Chris noticed in the midst of it all that the wood was silent.
"Has.." Chris wanted to ask, but his words died as he felt her mouth swallow his engorged love for her. "Okay" He panted.
They made love on a bed of pine needs and woodland debris, it was peaceful and more romantic than either dared dream their first time would be, and once it was all over, they lay with each other, limbs intertwined, the passion of their kisses not lessened by the act. Their love was real, it was true… it was freeing.
"Don't get me wrong here Kath, but what made you change your mind? I mean last week you were still undecided and we've not done anything other than normal all week." Chris was puzzled, but certainly not complaining. He stroked her blonde hair, tucking a loose strand behind her ears. Her earing glinted as another moon beam broke through the foliage roof like a spotlight, highlighting only them. They were a family heirloom she had told him once. He had never seen her without them.
"It had to be tonight. I just couldn't wait any longer." She smiled and kissed him. "Call it a spiritual awakening." She whispered, her breath still not fully caught up with her. She kissed his chest, his neck, and finally his lips and she felt his love for her rise up once again.
"I don't believe in that sort of thing, but if you do, then that's fine by me. I can be open-minded." Chris joked, running the tips of his fingers up and down her back, tracing the delicate curve of her spine.
"What's wrong Chris? You don't believe in ghosts?" She asked, the question was blunt and while not a mood breaker by any means it was certainly more formal than he would have liked.
Chris took a deep breath, he may have been young but he knew enough to always think carefully about his answers. "Um.. well not really. Sorry."
"That's ok." She whispered, now it sounded as if she was crying. "Just do one thing for me." she asked – yes she was definitely crying now – "close your eyes and think of me, think of us." She kissed him again, and slid down his naked body kissing him intermittently as she went.
Chris closed his eyes, he felt the wind wash over him, it was cool and refreshing against his sweat glistened skin. Kathy's embraces grew lighter, teasing him and when they stopped he thought nothing of it.
At first.
"Kathy? Baby?" He called out, opening his eyes. The forest was dark, and he was very much along. "Baby where are you? Kathy?" Chris called, not panicked but certainly concerned. He got no answer.
He walked, his bare feet crunching and cracking the twigs and leaves that had covered the small clearing they had made love in. Suddenly, his feet his something larger, an old tree branch or so he thought. It was wet and slimy, and broke when he stood on it. "Kathy?" He called out again, panicked now. A strange feeling on unease washed over him. A gust of wind blew, harder than the previous ones, and a thick ray of sliver light lit him up. It was then that he saw it.
The body was half buried by the woodland fauna, haphazardly buried in a shallow grave. The skull and one arm had been uncovered by scavengers, hungry for a juicy meal. Chris gagged, but managed to control himself, until he saw the earings. The small diamonds caught the moonlight perfectly.
