Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:35:19 -0500 From: numlfl C Subject: A New Life This story is the property of the author. You may keep a copy on your computer for personal enjoyment, however if you wish to publish or distribute the story then you must get the permission of the author. A New Life By Chris As Tina lay in the hospital bed, her mind was filled with pain as it had been since she was first diagnosed with bone cancer four short years ago. It was on her fourteenth birthday that she got the awful news. The pain she had then only grew worse over those four years. She had been through so many different treatments, some of which helped in the short run while others only made her feel worse. Each time she thought that she had the cancer on the run it would come back stronger and harder to defeat. But with her mother's help and her families help, she kept on fighting because that was her nature. She always wanted to win every race that she ran and this was no different, it was a race to the finish and she was determined to win like she had almost all of her other races. However on this dark rainy night, she felt like she was lagging behind all the other runners and she was having a hard time catching up. She was having trouble getting her breath; it was like it was taking everything that she had within her just to draw a breath. As she lay there, her mind went to that place that her mom and she had talked about since she had gotten sick. Her mom would sit with her on those nights that she was in real pain and couldn't sleep and they would talk about how they would go there when she got better. Her mother promised her that they would stay there for as long as she liked. They would even pack up the whole family and move there if that was what she wanted. This always made her feel better in the past and she hoped that it would do so this night. She could feel her will weakening but she just knew that if she could get through the night then she would make it and become better again. Once she had her mind fixed on that place, she began to feel the pain begin to ebb away. Slowly her breathing became easier and she got to feeling better than she had in such a long time. This wasn't uncommon, when she thought of her special place, but this time the pain was going completely away. There was no pain; Tina then knew that everything was going to be okay. She opened her eyes a crack and through that crack, she saw her mother weeping and she could see that her mother was holding her hand next to her heart yet for some reason she couldn't feel her mother's hand. She looked at her father who was standing next to her mom and he too had tears in his eyes. The only other time that she had seen her father crying was the day that they were told that she had cancer. She moved her eyes to the foot of her bed and she saw her little brother who wasn't so little anymore as he was a star linebacker for his high school football team. He was holding onto her little sister, the sweetest sister a girl could ever hope to have. Her sister looked so scared and Tina so wanted to comfort her, tell her that it was going to be okay. She was feeling better, she was getting well, the pain was gone. She wanted to tell them all to be happy for her and that there was no need to cry. She was better, the medicine was finally working. She wanted to shout her joy but she couldn't get her mouth to work, all she could do was to give her loving family a faint smile. She heard her mother let out a sob that Tina couldn't understand, and then she closed her eyes... Tina heard the waves crashing onto the beach as she slowly woke up. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her body and it felt so nice. She felt warm and she slowly realized that there was no pain in her body. She took in a deep breath, feeling the air easily fill her lungs; it was no longer a struggle to breath. She slowly opened her eyes and she saw the orange sun breaking through the early morning fog and lifting up over the ocean. She didn't think that she had ever seen anything so beautiful in her eighteen years of life. She slowly rolled onto her back, feeling the warm sand underneath her body and it felt like she dreamed that it would. She just knew that her mother had made good on her promise of taking her to an isolated beach where she could run and swim all she wanted. She just wished that she could remember getting here. That part was a little confusing to her. "Morning," Tina heard a strange, yet comforting voice, come from somewhere off her right shoulder. Tina quickly sat up, looking back to where the strange yet sweet sounding voice came from. There she saw a petite young lady sitting on the sand. She appeared to be somewhere around her own age. She had black hair that just covered her neck and her light blue eyes seemed to draw her in and they gave off this caring look. "Who are you? And why aren't you wearing any clothes." Tina asked her. "My name is Winifred, and you're not wearing any clothes either." Winifred told her as she gave her a shy smile. Tina looked down at her body and she realized that indeed she wasn't wearing any clothes. She had been so caught up in being at her special place and that she was pain free that she failed to realize that she was naked. She quickly pulled her legs up against her chest trying to hide her nudity. "Where is my mom, she's supposed to be here with me?" Tina asked this strange girl. "I don't know, I guess that she is where she is supposed to be." Winifred told her. Tina thought for a moment and she went back to the last thing that she remembered before waking up. She could see her family standing around her bed and how sad that they were. It took her mind a few moments to grasp what had happened, she knew the reason that the pain left her body was that she had died and that was why her family was so sad. She felt her heart ache as she began to cry already missing everyone that she loved so much. She put her hands to her face crying, softly at first then harder. A moment later she felt that Winifred was sitting beside of her and she was rubbing her back. She felt herself being pulled against Winifred's body and she let her hold her as she cried. Tina cried until her tears ran out, then she pulled away from Winifred, looking into her eyes. "Are you an angel?" She asked. "No I don't think so; I'm just a girl." She told her. "Is this heaven?" Tina asked. "I don't know." She replied. "Well what is this place called?" Tina asked trying to figure out just where she was. "I don't know." Winifred replied. "God what has happened to me?" Tina cried out as her frustration with the lack of knowledge about her circumstances. "You died and you came here." Winifred said simply as if this was all that anyone could or would want to know. "I know that!" Tina cried out. "What I want to know is how I got here and why I am here." Winifred looked at her with trepidation as she said, "I don't know the answer to those questions. Would you like some water?" Tina gave her a funny look as if to say, "Why are you talking about water when all of this has happened to me and I need answers." But then Tina came to the realization that she wasn't going to get those answers from Winifred. "Yes some water would be nice." Tina said to her and that got a soft smile from Winifred. "Come on up to my little home." Winifred said as she stood up. Tina looked up at her standing there naked in the morning sun. Her skin was so smooth and tan. And she stood there looking so comfortable in her nakedness. The one thing that did seem weird to her was that she didn't shave her armpits or legs. Tina thought that was weird but then everything was weird to her right then. Winifred dropped her right hand down for Tina to take to help her up. Tina sat there for a moment trying to figure out how to get up and still keep the important parts of her body covered. "No one will see you and if they did, no one would pay any mind that you are naked." Winifred told her. Winifred said this so confidently that Tina began to believe it yet she wasn't quite ready to give in going around naked, "But I'll get sunburned, it has been years since I have been able to get out in the sun." "You won't burn here, there is no pain." Winifred said just as confidently and this too Tina felt like she had to believe her. Tina knew she had run out of excuses so she reached up her right hand to Winifred's hand. Winifred's hand was small and seemed to fit naturally into her hand. She could feel the calluses on Winifred's hand which gave them a rough feel yet there was also an softness to them. Tina liked the way Winifred's hand felt in hers but that too confused her as had everything else had since she had woken up on the beach. As she got up, she waited for the pain to return but it didn't. Her joints flexed as they should and once she got to her feet, she felt strong, stronger than she could ever remember feeling. When she realized that she could walk on her own, without any help, she took her hand away from Winifred's hand as that was confusing her and she was already too confused. She looked up and down the beach and found that Winifred was right, there was no one to see her, yet she still covered her breasts with her right arm. "Come on," Winifred said as she took Tina's left hand before Tina could use it to cover her pussy. Tina smiled at her and she wanted to take her hand away but she didn't, she let Winifred lead her up toward a decent size hut, it looked like the huts that she and her mother had seen in the travel books and magazines that they looked at as they talked about their dream vacation. There was large tropical leaves covering the top and there was what appeared to be some type of bamboo shoots that made up the walls. It didn't look so sturdy when she first saw it but as Winifred led her closer to it, she saw that it very well built. She saw that there were several chairs sitting on the outside as well as a large basket filled with what appeared woven cords of some type or another. When they got to the front of the hut, Winifred pulled up one of the chairs for her. Tina saw that the frame was made of what looked like bamboo and then the cords that made up the back and seat. Tina sat down carefully afraid that it would collapse but she found that the chair, like the hut, was very sturdy and was well crafted. "This is a lovely chair, did you make it?" Tina asked her though from all the chair making material scattered around the hut, it was obvious that she had. "Yes I did and thank you." Winifred said as she came out of the hut carrying a little leather pouch that obviously had the water and she had several bananas. "Thank you," Tina said as she took both the water and a couple of bananas. "I figured that you might be hungry too." Winifred told her. "Thanks," Tina told her as she took a small sip of the water afraid that it would come right back up on her as everything she had eaten or drank the last few days of her life back on earth. She felt the cool liquid go down her throat and waited for it to upset her stomach but after a moment, she realized that it wasn't going to. Once she came to this conclusion, she began to realize just how hungry and thirsty she was. She took a larger drink of the water and when it sat on her stomach, she drained the rest. "Oh my, you were thirsty weren't you." Winifred proclaimed. "Oh yes I guess I was and hungry too." Tina told her as she peeled back the banana and took a big bite. "I can see that." Winifred said with a big grin and then she got up taking the pouch back inside her hut. As Tina was finishing the first banana, Winifred gave her the pouch back, filled with water. She took a smaller sip this time and was able to taste how good the water taste, better than any bottled water that she had. "This is great water, where do you get it?" Tina asked her. "There is a stream nearby that I get it from." Winifred told her. "Do you boil it to make sure it is safe to drink?" Tina asked hoping that the answer would be positive. "Oh there is no need to do that, it is safe to drink." Winifred told her as a matter of fact. "How do you know?" Tina asked her becoming a little worried about all the water that she had just drank. "I don't know how I know, I just do. There is nothing here that will hurt you." Winifred told her yet again. "You keep telling me that but yet you can't tell me how you know that." Tina said feeling just a bit frustrated with Winifred's answers or lack of answers again. "I'm sorry." Winifred told her and Tina saw the sad smile on her face and she felt bad about questioning her so but she felt like she had to figure it all out quickly. "No I'm sorry, it is just that this is so new to me and I don't understand any of it." Tina told her. "I understand, I guess I was the same way when I got here." Winifred told her. "When did you get here and how just how long have you been here?" Tina asked as she peeled the second banana and began to eat it. "I don't know, a long time I guess. I really don't keep up with the days as they pass." Winifred told her. Tina wasn't surprised at this as soon as she asked the question, she noticed that there was no watch on Winifred's arm and she suspected that they wouldn't be a clock inside of Winifred's hut. "Okay," Tina replied as she continued to eat the banana and drink her water. She was still thirsty and since she had drank so much water already, if she was going to get sick from it, it was already too late to stop now. They both sat there for a bit as Winifred began to eat one of her bananas and Tina began to look around getting a real look at where she was for the first time. The beach seemed to go on forever in both directions and the ocean seemed to be so pretty and clear. It really was just like what she had dreamed about for so long as she suffered through her illness. There were no sand dunes and the beach went up to what appeared to be almost like a rich rain forest with lush vegetation and lots of palm trees that gave way to much larger trees. "Would you like for me to show you around a little?" Winifred asked tearing her away from her thoughts. "Sure..." Tina said then she realized that there was no place to throw away her banana peels. "What do I do with these?" she asked. "Oh let me have those, I'll put them on my garden." Winifred said as she took the banana peels as she stood up. Tina gave her the peels as she stood up and she started to cover herself again but then she realized that it was just her and Winifred there and Winifred had already seen her naked. So she just stood up and she saw that Winifred was pleased that she wasn't trying to cover herself amymore. Winifred first took her inside her home. The floor had been made with the same bamboo that the sides of the hut were made though they had been worn smooth. There were two small beds one on each side of the house. The beds were more like wooden cots that someone had put together and then the cord type stuff that Winifred used on her chairs to make the sleeping area. There were a couple of homemade blankets on each bed and no pillows, she noticed. On the shelves that had been made of the same type of bamboo as the floor, were old pottery type cups and bowls. All in all, the place was very homey and comfortable. "Did you build this?" Tina asked. "Oh yes, it took me a while to get it completed but I like it." Winifred said proudly. "Well it is lovely, I like it." Tina said and she saw that made Winifred smile broadly. "Does someone live here with you?" Tina had to ask as she pointed to the two beds. "Oh no, the other bed is for guests." Winifred replied. "Do you get many visitors?" Tina pressed on. "No, it is just me most of the time; I rarely have anyone stop by." Winifred told her and she said this like this was the way she preferred it to be. Like she didn't want people around, yet as Tina looked into her eyes, it was like somewhere deep inside of Winifred was trying to tell another truth. "Well, I'll try not to bother you too much. I just need to..." Tina was saying when Winifred interrupted her. "Oh no, you're no bother, you can stay as long as you wish." She said quickly. "Thank you, I'll try not to wear out my welcome." Tina said as she felt like that she needed more answers than Winifred could ever provide her with. "You won't." Winifred said, and then she went on to say, "Come on; let me show you my garden." "Okay, but may I have some more water first? I'm still a bit thirsty for some reason." Tina told her. "Sure," Winifred said as she went to a large pouch filling the water pouch that she had with fresh water. "Thank you," Tina replied as she took a sip. "Did you make everything here?" Tina asked her. "Most of what is here was given to me." Winifred told her. "They just gave it to you; they didn't charge you anything for these things?" Tina asked of her. "No why would they?" Winifred asked as if this was a stupid way of doing anything, asking for something in exchange. "I don't know." Tina replied feeling a little stupid for asking yet it seemed to be an obvious question to her. "Come on and let me show you my garden." Tina then said as she took Tina's hand and pulling her back out the door. As soon as she was back outside, Tina again surveyed the area for anyone who might see her naked. Seeing that there was no one around, she let Winifred pull her on around the side of her home and toward the back. Tina expected the see the garden right in the back; however Winifred kept going on into the woods. First there were banana, pineapple, and coconut trees that gave way to more hard wood trees. They walked along a well worn path deeper into the woods. They had gone a good ways when Winifred stopped. "Hold on a minute, I got to pee." She said as she veered off the path. Tina realized that she too had to pee so she followed her saying, "I think I do too. All that water that I drank has gone through me." "It tends to do that." Winifred said with a smile as she looked back at her. Winifred went a few steps further before stopping. Tina looked around for some type of outhouse or something as she knew from seeing the inside of Winifred's home that she had no indoor plumbing. Winifred stooped down and began to dig a small hole with her hands in the sandy ground. Then before Tina could look away, she squatted over the small hole and began to pee. Tina was so surprised that Winifred was so casual about peeing in front of her and she was so surprised that she couldn't help but to watch. Winifred soon finish and she covered up her little hole before standing up after the last drops of her pee fell from her pussy. "Your turn." Winifred said as she stepped away. Tina really didn't care much about peeing in front of Winifred but then need to pee was becoming more urgent and Winifred wasn't stepping away. However Tina did step a few feet away and dug her own hole. She then turned her back to Winifred before squatting over the hole. She had never peed this way and she could only hope that she hit the hole that she had made. Knowing that Winifred was watching her from behind, made it harder for Tina to pee but soon she felt the first drops begin to fall and then the flood gates opened. It felt so good to pee and not have it sting from the medicine that she had been taking. She peed and peed and peed until at last her bladder felt empty. She stayed squatted over the hole for another moment making sure that the last of her pee had fallen off her pussy lips then she covered the hole before standing up. "I have never peed outside before." Tina said as she turned around. Winifred gave her a funny look as if saying "Where else would a person pee." However she didn't say that but instead she said, "Oh okay." "What if you have to.. ah..." Tina started to ask but wasn't sure how to finish her sentence. "Poop?" Winifred asked with a small smile. "Yea," Tina said as she felt her face go red. "You do the same thing." Winifred told her. "What about wiping yourself clean?" Tina just to ask; no matter how embarrassing it was for her to do so. With her illness, she had always tended to have messy bowel movements. "I always use the soft leaves of these plants to do that." Winifred said as she pointed the plant out to Tina who had to reach down and feel of them. She wasn't sure what they were but they were soft and slightly wet to the touch. They also left a nice scent on her fingers that Tina couldn't place. "There is a use for everything here isn't there." Tina told her. "Yes there is. That is why I love it here, everyone and everything has a reason for beign here." Winifred told her. "I'm beginning to see that." Tina told her as Winifred started them back down the path to her garden. A few minutes later, the woods opened into a small clearing that looked to be about a hundred feet by a hundred feet. "Here is my garden." Winifred said proudly. "What all are you growing here?" Tina asked as she saw that the garden was divided up in small square areas with each area containing different plants. "A little of everything from corn to green beans to tomatoes, and over on the far edge, I even got a peach and apple tree." Winifred told her. "I bet this takes a lot of work to maintain." Tina told her. "Yea, I come here a couple of times a week to tend to the garden and to harvest what I need. The rest I share with the animals." Winifred told her. "How do you keep them from eating it all since you have no fences around the garden?" Tina asked of her. "When I get what I need, I always put some under the apple tree and the animals know that is their food." Winifred told her. "Why don't they just take it all?" Tina asked not believing for a second that would work. "We all share here, including the animals." Winifred told her. "Okay," Tina told her but not believing what Winifred was telling her but she wasn't going to argue. "Since we're here, I might as well do a little work and that way we can have fresh vegetables today." Tina told her and she proceeded to walk into the garden. She went first to the corn, looking around the stalks before she went down between them to pull a few weeds that dared to grow around her corn. Tina had never been around a garden so she stood there for a moment not knowing what to do. She then saw Winifred glancing up at her and she knew that Winifred expected her to do something, so she went to Winifred was and started to copy whatever Winifred did. To her relief, this seemed to please Winifred. As they worked, Winifred would pull a few items from each of the different vegetables making two plies, one being larger than the other. Once they had gone through the whole garden, Winifred began to gather up the items she had placed in the larger piles. These she, with Tina's help, placed in and around the apple tree. As they left the tree, Tina noticed a couple of deer and raccoons waiting a few yards away. She also heard some rustling in the woods behind the tree that she figured was some other animals waiting for their food. Once the animals had their share, Winifred gathered up the few things that she was keeping for them. These Tina helped to carry them back to Winifred's little home on the beach. The whole time that they worked in the garden, Winifred did little talking. Tina was quickly realizing that Winifred wasn't much of a talker and that was becoming another thing that bothered Tina about her. Tina had always been a talker and right then, she needed to talk and she also needed even more was for someone to answer her many questions. Once they were back at the little hut, Winifred built a fire in her rock fireplace and using a metal pot, that was definitely old as Tina could tell from the blacked bottom and the dents on it, Winifred then took a handmade knife and cut the corn off the ears and she put some other vegetables in the pot with the water. Tina didn't think that the mixture of vegetables would taste so great together without some sort of meat to add to the flavor. However, Winifred did add some spices or something from some small containers that she had on one of the shelves in the hut. As the concoction cooked, the aroma of the mixture made it to Tina's nose, making her hungry. When Winifred dished her some out in a small bowl, Tina was ready to eat and to her pleasant surprise, it tasted great. She told Winifred this getting a shy smile from her. After their lunch was finished, Winifred said that she was going to work on the chair that she had started so Tina sat in the doorway where she would be protected from the sun to watch her. Even thought her skin didn't show any signs of getting sunburned, she still didn't believe that she wouldn't get sunburned as pale as her skin was. "So how do you make the chairs?" Tina asked her hoping to get Winifred to talk a little. "It's not too hard, it just takes a long time to make each chair, it would take even longer if I did something fancy, I just make regular chairs that are halfway comfortable." Winifred told her. "Well they look nice to me, so how do you do it?" Tina told her. "Doing the frames is the hardest, those I have to cut down some bamboo and let it dry out until it's nice and strong and that is what I use for the frames as you can see. Then I weave some sea grass into cords that I used to weave into the backs and seats." Winifred told her. "I was wondering what that was, I noticed that it was what was on the beds which you made too didn't you?" Tina asked. "Yea I did everything that you see here, well except for the small things like the bowls, pans and knives and stuff like that." Winifred told her giving her a shy smile. "You've done a good job to have done it all by yourself, I'm impressed. I don't think that I could do anything like that." Tina said honestly. "I'm sure that you could if you had to." Winifred told her. "I don't know." Tina said and she really didn't think she could do all that Winifred had done. "So how long you been here?" Tina asked as she watched Winifred begin the weave the sea grass rope to the bottom of the chair thus making what would be the seat. "I don't know, a while I guess." Winifred told her. "Well what year was it when you died?" Tina asked her. "I don't know." Winifred told her. "How can you not know what year it was when you died?" Tina asked her disbelievingly. "I just don't!" Winifred said showing a little frustration of her own at Tina's questions. "I'm sorry, I just I am still a little confused by everything here. I just want to make some sense out of it all." Tina told her. "It's okay; I guess I was probably the same way when I got here." Winifred told her yet Tina wasn't so sure of that. She seemed so sure of herself and what she was suppose to do while Tina had no clue as to what she was here to do and she was definitely far from being sure of herself. Tina didn't see any use in trying to pin Winifred down to when she died so she went back to asking her about the making of the chair that she was making. Winifred seemed to be freer in answering Tina's questions about the chair making than she was about everything else that Tina really wanted to know about. Winifred didn't seem to be in any hurry to complete the chair; she took her time weaving the sea grass rope into the seat of the chair, which she didn't finish until it was time to fix supper. Winifred again made a mix of vegetables in the same pan and while Tina hadn't done much that afternoon, she found that she was very hungry. Once they had finished their supper, Tina offered to clean up the pan and that pleased Winifred, she saw. She took the pan down to the edge of the beach, using the water coming in to wash the pan and then she used the sand to clean off the black from the fire that was on the bottom. When she brought the pan back to Winifred, she found that for the first time, she had pleased Winifred which made her feel good for some reason. "I need to go get some water, would you like to join me?" Winifred asked. "Sure, I'd love to. I wouldn't mind washing off a little while we are there." Tina told her. "Oh okay, let me get us some soap then." Winifred said. "I'll get it; just tell me where it is." Tina told her as she went into the hut. "It is on the right corner shelve on the back wall." Winifred told her. Tina went over the to shelve where she found a lot of bottles and cups and even a old wooden handled toothbrush with hard bristles but there was no soap that she could see. "I don't see it." Tina called out. "I'll show you." Winifred said as she came on into the hut. She went right to the shelve and pulled down a four inch white square that Tina had seen but since it had no color or scent, she didn't think it could have been the soap. "Oh sorry," Tina said as she blushed a little. She then realized that her days of washing with nicely scented soaps and shampoos were long over. "That's okay." Winifred said as she broke off a small piece, keeping it and putting the rest back on the shelve. "Come on and let's go take that bath and get some water for tomorrow." "I think I got a lot to learn about this place." Tina said trying to cover her embarrassment over not realizing that she was looking for something that by now she should have known would not be found here. "Don't worry, you'll catch on pretty quickly and find that you will grow to love this place as I do." Winifred told her as she smiled brightly. "I hope so," Tina said doubtfully and that served to dim Winifred's smile which made Tina feel worse. "I'm sure that you will." Winifred told her as she took Tina's hand giving it a squeeze then she pulled her toward the door. "Yes I'm sure I will too." Tina said trying to lighten the mood and to help convince herself that this would be true. Tina talked a little about this new world that she found herself in. She was hoping that Winifred would fill in some of the blanks that she needed filled but Winifred seemed to be content to just let Tina talk and she pretty much just listened. They walked toward the garden however as they neared it, Winifred took a right onto another path that Tina hadn't noticed the first time that they walked this way. They had only walked a short distance when Tina began to hear the running water. It sounded like it was running across rocks like you would see somewhere in the mountains but so far she had not seen any mountains around them. They walked for a little longer when the woods again opened and there was the clearest running stream that she had ever seen. "Where does this water come from?" Tina asked expecting Winifred's normal answer of "I don't know." "There are mountains to the north of here and the water comes from them. I heard that there is a large river west of here but I haven't seen it. This gives me all the water I need and a place to bathe." She said pointing to a little pool in the center of the stream. "Cool, have you been to those mountains?" Tina asked excitedly. "Oh no, I just heard about them. This has all I will ever need or want." Winifred said completely serious. "I'll have to go see those mountains one day." Tina said still excided to see there was much more to this place than what she had seen so far. "Okay," Winifred said and Tina thought she heard some sadness in her voice. "Well let's go take our bath." Tina said as she put down the pouch for the water that they would collect later. Tina took a step into the water and she immediately said "Fuck that's cold!" as she jerked her foot back out of the water. Winifred let out a giggle as she covered her mouth. "The water comes from the mountains so it's supposed to be cold." "Yea I just figured that out." Tina said as she slowly put her right foot back into the water. "Shit!" she said and Winifred giggled again as she stepped on into the water going to the little pool and sitting right down. "Yea show off why don't you." Tina said and then she smiled at Winifred to show that she was just kidding with her. "It is better to just walk on in and sit down. You'll get used to the cold water quicker." Winifred told her. "I don't know about that." Tina said however she did just what Winifred told her to do; she walked quickly over to where Winifred was sitting in the cold stream with the water going up to just under her breasts. Tina sucked in her breath and sat down. "Fuck that's cold!" she cried out. "Give it a minute and you'll be fine." Winifred told her giving her a soft smile. Tina gave her a smile back not believing for a moment that she would ever get used to water this cold but then her body began to adjust to the cold water and she realized that Winifred was right. "It is feeling warmer." Tina told her. "I told you so." Winifred said as she slipped her head under the water and then immediately coming back up. She then stood up and began to wash her body. Tina wanted to just sit in the water for a while but she knew that Winifred was all business so she sucked in her breath and slipped under the water, coming back up gasping for air as the cold water hit her chest and head. She then stood up taking the piece of soap from Winifred and began to put soap on her body. They exchanged the piece of soap between them as they washed leaving their hair for last. Once Winifred was finished washing, she walked up to the bank and picked up an old handmade comb, running it through her hair getting the tangles out. When Tina finished, she joined Winifred on the bank taking the comb and using it to get her thick hair combed out. She was afraid that her hair would break the teeth on the comb but it was obviously stronger than it looked. Once she got her hair straight, she joined Winifred at the little waterfall, where she was letting one of the pouches full with water. Tina took the other pouch and began to let it fill. Tina wanted to stay around the little stream for a while; however Winifred hurried them back down the path that they had come. Tina wanted to ask Winifred what the hurry was but she didn't however she was taking a bit slower pace than was Winifred. However as the sun began to set, the light quickly began to disappear. She then knew why Winifred was in a hurry as one could quickly get lost in the woods at night. So she quickly caught back up with Winifred who gave her a knowing smile. When they got back to Winifred's hut, there was still a little sunlight but it was fading fast. They put the water back into the hut and then Winifred began to get her bed ready for sleep. Tina wasn't ready for bed but she did as Winifred was doing not wanting to displease her at this point. By the time that the sun set and it was dark outside they were both snug in their beds. Winifred told her "goodnight" and Tina returned the saying. Tina turned onto her back on the bed which was a lot more comfortable than she figured that it would be. She began to think about her day which had started off with her own death and then her waking up in this strange place. It was just like what she and her mom had talked about yet it was completely different than what she thought it would be. She still wasn't sure that this wasn't heaven but then at times she felt like she was in hell, cast here alone with no clue as to what she was suppose to do. This wasn't what she expected her afterlife would be, not that she had a real clue just what heaven was suppose to be. She just wished that she had someone other than Winifred to greet her. These thoughts went around in her head as her eyelids became heavy and she was asleep before she wanted sleep to come. Tina woke up to the first rays of the sun coming through the open door of Winifred's hut. Tina sat up and stretched waiting to feel the pain that each morning of the last four years had brought but it wasn't there. She was pain free and felt pretty good. She looked at her skin expecting to see that she was sunburn from head to toe but that also didn't appear to have happened. Her skin had a bit more color but that was it. She stood up and stretched again just enjoying the feeling of not feeling any pain. She finally began to believe that Winifred was right about this being a place that had no pain. She walked over to the door looking out to see the orange sun coming up over the ocean. It was as beautiful a sunrise as she had ever seen. "Morning, did you sleep well?" Winifred asked her from where she was squatting in front of the fire where she was cooking another batch of her vegetable soup. "Yes I did, I normally wake up several times a night but last night I slept right on through. That was nice." Tina told her then she asked "How did you sleep?" "Pretty good, I'll have our breakfast ready in a minute." Winifred told her. "It smells good." Tina told her. "I do need to go potty though." "Okay, it'll be ready when you return." Winifred told her as she went back to her cooking. "I'll try to hurry." Tina said as she rushed off as the need to pee became more urgent as well as the need to have a bowel movement. Once she got around the side of the hut and out of Winifred's sight, Tina began to run down the path trying to look for those plants that Winifred had pointed out to her. She didn't have to go too far before she spotted them and she hurried over to where they were. She quickly dug a hole, a deeper one this time, before squatting over it. It still felt weird having to go to the bathroom this way but this was her only option so she took it. It did feel nice to have a bowel movement without having to use a bedpan and then have a nurse or her mother clean her up. After thinking about this, she began to appreciate having to go to the bathroom in the great outdoors. So once she was finished, she took a leaf from one of the plants wiping herself clean. She covered up her business making sure that it was well covered. She then headed back to the hut where she got a piece of soap and went down to the ocean to wash her hands. When she returned, Winifred was scooping out some of her vegetable mixture into two bowls. "So what are you going to do today?" Tina asked as she took a bite of her food finding that Winifred had put in a different spice and it tasted just as good as the other version that Winifred had fixed. "Work on the chair I'm making, like I always do." Winifred told her. "Oh...," Tina said as she thought for a minute and then she said hopefully. "Ah... I was hoping that you could show me around a little." "You're welcome to go ahead. I really need to finish this chair in case someone needs it." Winifred told her. Tina started to mention something about the several chairs that were sitting behind the hut but she didn't. She really didn't want to go off on her own but she figured that if she was going to figured out what this place was all about, she would have to do it on her own. "Okay I'll do that, do you mind if I take that small pouch of water and maybe an apple or two?" "No go ahead, anything here you're welcome to take." Winifred told her. "You don't mind." Tina asked again just to make sure as Winifred had this strange look on her face. "No I don't mind, if there is something here that you want you're welcome to it. That is how things work here." Winifred told her. "Oh okay." Tina told her but she didn't quite understand how something like this could work. If she took Winifred at her word, then anyone could come in and take everything that Winifred had and Winifred would have to let them have it. Tina wanted to ask Winifred about this but she could see that she had irritated Winifred enough this morning. She decided to just let things be and go on about her business. She had been there barely a day but she could see that she and Winifred were never going to get along. She needed to talk and Winifred seemed to like her silence and wanted to be left alone to do her thing. So once she had cleaned up the breakfast dishes and got the water and the apple, she began to walk down the beach, first making sure that no one was in sight. She still wasn't comfortable about anyone seeing her naked. She had decided that Winifred was right and no one else was around but she wanted to limit showing off her body to anyone else. At least she did feel better about not getting sunburn as she had gone all of yesterday and woke up with no sunburn. She started down the beach walking at the water's edge letting the water come up over her feet and feeling the wet sand going between her toes. She could feel Winifred's eyes staring at her back and she resisted the urge to look back. She didn't want to see the disappointment in Winifred's eyes that she knew was there. She took a few more steps before she could stand it no longer and she began to run. Before she got sick, she had made her high school cross country team as a freshman. She was afraid that she would be only able to run a very short distance but as she began to stretch her legs out, she found that she could run like she used to be able to run. She picked up her pace and she felt the fresh air go into her lungs and she remember all her lessons about running long distances. She increased the length of her stride as she ran feeling the air go past her and feeling her body begin to sweat. She felt so good that she let out a cry of joy. She had no idea how far she had run before she began to feel a twinge in her side telling her that her body was starting to reach its limit. She slowed her pace to a trot for a while then she had to stop to gasp for air and let her body recover. She stood there for a moment letting the oxygen get back into her lungs and to her muscles and she thought about what Winifred had said about nothing could hurt her here and that there was no more pain or something like that. She thought for a moment about this and wondered if Winifred had lied to her as her side was hurting pretty good and her thigh muscles were screaming at her. But then she thought about the sun and how she didn't get sunburn and even now her skin was only red from her running and not from the sun. She began to wonder if Winifred had meant that no one would hurt her here nor would she get sick. But that didn't mean that if her ran for miles and miles that her side and legs wouldn't begin to hurt. Again she was reminded that she had a lot to learn about this strange place. Once she got her breath back, she took a drink of her water and then began to walk again. She began to really look around and see what there was to see. The beach looked about the same here as where Winifred had her place, however now she could just see the land jutting out and there were cliffs that she could barely see. She wasn't sure that she could reach them and get back before dark so instead; she decided to go up by the tree line and see what she could see there. She knew that she needed to be careful and not go to deep into the words less she get lost. She decided that she would only go to the point that she could still hear the ocean, that way she could always find her way back. She found that there wasn't much underbrush and she could easily make her way into the woods. She walked for a while, and then found a place to pee. Once that was out of the way, she went on finding some banana trees and she decided that she wanted one. The bananas were too high for her to reach, and she couldn't find anything to climb upon. The back of the tree looked rough but by now she was determined to get one so she went to the base of the tree. She took a hold and began to climb up. The back was rough on her hands and feet but she discovered that she was now strong enough to pull herself up. She slipped a couple of times as she figured out the best way to get up it but once she had, she felt proud of herself for being able to do it. She reached out and slipped a little having to stop and regroup but on the second reach, she was able to grasp a couple of the green bananas and pull them off. She dropped them to the ground before climbing back down. She then found a place under the tree and sat and ate one of the bananas. It wasn't completely ripe but she was hungry and it tasted good. She sat for a while just enjoying the breeze from the ocean and listening to it rustle the leaves. Soon this sound made her sleepy and she dosed off. When she woke up, she saw that it was past noon and so she began her journey back to Winifred's place. She took her time walking and enjoying the fresh air and the sounds of the ocean. She found that she was slowly beginning to get used to the idea of being here alone. And this thought led her to think about maybe it would be better for her to be on her own without having Winifred, whom she liked in a way, but she was just too quiet for her. Tina needed to be around people who talked as she loved to talk about any and everything and that wasn't who Winifred was or would ever be, as far as she could tell. When she got close to Winifred's little hut, she saw that she was still working on her chair. "So did you enjoy your walk?" Winifred asked of her once she saw her approaching. "Yes I did, it was fun. I even saw some cliffs that I want to check out one day soon." Tina told her as she came up to her. This comment seemed to disappoint Winifred which just made Tina want to see them more for some reason. "Well it is about time for supper, I'll need to get it started soon." Winifred told her. "Do you need any help?" Tina asked and that seemed to meet with Winifred's approval. "Sure, I need some corn from the garden, would you mind getting a couple of ears?" Winifred asked. "No, I would love to." Tina said happily as that would mean that she would get to go do something, which was much better than just sitting around watching Winifred cook their supper. "Do you remember where the garden is?" Winifred asked of her. "Sure, no problem." Tina said as she rushed off. She wasn't sure when Winifred wanted to start their supper so she hurried down the path. She got almost to the garden, when she ran upon a wild hog snorting around the ground in the path in front of her. Tina screamed as she skidded to a stop. The hog looked up at her giving her what she thought was a look of annoyance. Tina felt her heart pounding as she had never come across a wild animal before much less one that looked this mean and pissed at her. She stood there trying to decide whether to turn and run but she was afraid that it would run after her and attack her. So she stood still hoping that it would move away but it seemed content to just stay there in her path. After a bit, Tina's impatience with the mean looking pig overtook her fear of it. Plus the thought of what Winifred had told her about nothing here that would hurt her convinced her to do something to get the pig out of her way. "Shoo, get on you stupid pig!" Tina yelled at it. The wild boar looked up at her and snorted. Tina about peed all over herself but she stood her ground, not moving a muscle. The wild boar just stood there giving an irritated snort for what seemed like forever before wandering away. Tina stood there and watched the pig, making sure it wasn't going to turn back on her and when he disappeared into the forest, Tina let out a sigh and then she stepped off the path and peed before she peed on herself. She really didn't have to pee much, just a few drops caused by her fear. She covered the drops of pee up and then headed back down the path to the garden. She got a few ears of corn and started to turn when she heard and then saw a deer standing under the apple tree. She remembered Winifred putting out some of the food for the animals. So she got another ear of corn and picked some of the other things and taking them back to the deer for her to feed upon. On her way back, she stopped, grabbing another ear of corn before heading back down the path. When she got to the point where she had met the mean looking pig, she tossed the extra ear of corn in the direction that the pig went. "Here you go you stupid pig!" She listened for a minute when she heard some leaves moving and then she heard the pig snort again at her. "You're welcome!" She yelled at the pig and then she ran on toward Winifred's hut feeling happy. As soon as she saw Winifred, she started to tell her all about the pig and how scared she was at first. Winifred smiled at her as she listened to her talk so excitedly. Tina talked all though their supper and then after she cleaned things up for Winifred, they went to take their baths. This time, Tina did like Winifred rushing on into the cold water letting it take her breath away for a moment before she got used to the icy cold water. That night as she lay in her little bed, she started to wonder about her future here in this place. She had really enjoyed her day just going out on the beach and running to her heart's content. It was fun; the most fun that she had had in a very long time. Winifred stirred in her bed just as Tina had this thought and that made her think about the disapproving look that Winifred had given her when she said that she wanted to explore her new home. Winifred's look had made her feel bad and Tina knew every time that she wanted to explore, she would get that same look from Winifred and that she couldn't handle. She didn't like disappointing Winifred for some reason but she knew if she stayed here, she would go crazy. She thought about this for a while and she came to the conclusion that she needed to be out on her own. However first she needed to know how to do the things she would need to survive. She did believe now that nothing would hurt her here as Winifred had told her but she also knew that she would need a place to stay and to keep dry and that would require her to build a little hut like Winifred had done. So she would stick around and learn what she could from Winifred and then strike it out on her own. In a way she felt bad about taking advantage of Winifred but she also could tell that Winifred liked to be alone where she could build chairs all day long. The next day she began to, as subtly as she was capable of doing, asking Winifred about how she had built her little home and also how to make the sea grass rope that she used to tie everything together. Winifred gave her a strange look when she started to ask these questions. She did however answer them, though slowly. Tina felt like she was pulling teeth to get her to answer them. It took Tina several days to learn enough to feel like she could make it on her own. On the morning that she was going to tell Winifred that she was going to strike it out on her own, Winifred gave her a surprise of her own. "I need to get some more spices and things from Kimiko, would you like to go along?" she asked of her. "Sure, I'd love to." Tina said glad to get away for a while and she could always put off leaving for another day. Plus she would be meeting someone new as so far the only person she had seen or talked to was Winifred. "Would you mind carrying a chair? I know she would love to have a couple of my chairs as gifts." Winifred asked of her. "No I don't mind at all." Tina told her not quiet understanding the gift thing that Winifred seemed to be constantly making a point of telling her. Winifred seemed to be smiling at her confusion as she got a pouch of water and slung it over her shoulder. They then went to the back of the hut and Tina had to wait until Winifred had gone through all of her chairs before picking out the two that she thought was the best. They set out with both carrying a chair apiece. They were very lightweight yet also sturdy so it wasn't a problem to carry one of them, however it took them until a little past noon to get to a slightly larger stream than the one that they bathed so the chair that Tina was carrying had gotten a lot heavier. There was a small bridge built across the stream and on the other side was a large field with lots of weird plants and flowers. It looked beautiful and the scent from the flowers hit her nose and she inhaled deeply taking in the wonderful scents. Tina wanted to stay there for a moment but Winifred was in a hurry so Tina had to hurry up and catch up with Winifred. There was a path leading through the flowers, herbs, and a mix of vegetables. They went to another hut, like Winifred's however this one was much larger, probably about twice the size of hers. Winifred put the chair she was carrying in front of the hut and she called out, "Kimiko, you here?" Tina put her chair beside of Winifred's chair as she heard from inside of the hut, "Winifred, is that you?" "Yes Kimiko and I brought a friend." Winifred said as she gave a smile to Tina. Kimiko came out of the hut drying her hands on a towel, "Well let me see you child." She said to Winifred as she went to her and gave her a hug and then she kissed her on her cheek. "You need to come and see me more often my child." Kimiko said to Winifred in a tone that a grandmother would use on her grandchild. "I know, I promise to come more often." Winifred said as she bowed her head to Kimiko who stepped back and bowed back to her. "Now introduce me to your friend whom I am afraid that we have dishonored by ignoring her." Kimiko said as she turned to Tina who was able to get a good look at her. Tina saw that while Kimiko appeared to be in her mid thirties with her tan skin and petite frame. She had small breasts that had no sag and she had this bright smile that made one feel welcome. However what Tina noticed the most was that her eyes appeared to have the intelligence and kindness of an elderly person. This was someone who had lived a long life and had learned much from that life. At least that was what came to Tina's mind when she saw those eyes. "Kimiko, this is Tina, she arrived very recently." Winifred told her. "Well you are just as beautiful a child as my Winifred here. Come here and let me get a look at you." Kimiko said to her and Tina stepped up to her but Kimiko first gave her a long hug before she stepped back to get that look at her. Kimiko studied her for a second before her smile turned sad as she put her fingers to Tina's cheek. Tina wasn't sure just what she was suppose to do, but yet the way that Kimiko's fingers touched her, it felt like Kimiko was reaching into her soul. Tina stood there not knowing what to do but the caresses that Kimiko placed on her cheek were comforting. "The pain's gone my child and will never return." Kimiko assured her. "I know..." Tina said as she felt her cheeks become wet for some reason. Then she felt Kimiko take her back into her arms and she heard her say, "You can come and talk to me anytime that you want." "Okay, I will." Tina said as she pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. She felt a little embarrassed crying in front of Winifred who had always appeared so strong to her. "Well I got some soup already made for you girls, come and let's sit and talk before Ebisu comes back and spoil our precious time together." Kimiko said as she went to the stone fireplace sitting just outside of the hut. "Come sit," she said to them pointing to the rugs sitting on the ground to the right of the fireplace. Tina followed Winifred to the rugs where she sat down with her legs crossed in front of her. Tina started to sit down however she wasn't sure she wanted to sit like this in front of Kimiko as that meant that she would really open up her pussy to Kimiko but she wasn't so sure about what was proper, she did as Winifred did and sat the same way. Kimiko brought them both a bowl of delicious smelling soup and a spoon. She went back and got herself a bowl coming back to them and sitting in front of them, she sat down much the same way as Winifred and she was sitting. Tina couldn't help but to glance down and see Kimiko's pussy lips peeking from with the thick black pubic hair and she knew that Kimiko could see her lips just as well. It took Tina a moment to get used to being exposed like this but she soon got used to it. She saw that Kimiko used a pair of chop sticks and she was thankful that she had been kind enough to give her and Winifred spoons to eat with. As she stirred the soup, she saw that along with the vegetables there were pieces of fish. This she liked as she had not had any meat since she had gotten there. Tina mostly listened as Kimiko talked about her little herb garden. Winifred did talk some responding to what Kimiko was saying but not much more than what she would talk to her during any conversation. Tina soon came to understand that while Kimiko did make the spices that Winifred used in her food, she also made a lot of home remedy medicines like things to settle an upset stomach or something to help one sleep at night. This seemed to contradict what Winifred and now Kimiko was saying about her feeling no more pain. Tina knew that her cancer was gone and was pretty sure that it wouldn't come back. But now she began to wonder if there was more to this world and she worried that she would never completely understand it. But then again she never understood the last one either. Tina wanted to ask this wise woman a lot of questions however she held back. She just didn't feel like she should push her questions into their pleasant conversation. They talked long past the time that they had emptied their bowls of food. "I brought you this gift of two chairs; I hope that you will like them." Winifred said formally as she stood up and pointed to the chairs. This was the first time that the chairs had even been mentioned since they had gotten there. "Oh thank you child, you make such wonderful chairs and I'm very pleased to accept your gift though I am not sure I am worthy of such a great gift." Kimiko said just as formally and she bowed. "You are more than worthy Kimiko." Winifred replied as she bowed. "Have you seen the new additions that I have made to my storage hut?" Kimiko asked. "No but I would love to." Winifred told Kimiko and then she followed Kimiko not into her hut but around to the back where there was a slightly smaller hut. Tina followed along and upon entering; she was consumed by all the scents from the herbs and spices contained in jars and bowls along two of the walls. The other two walls had about everything else one would need including a chair like Winifred had made and brought to Kimiko. Tina was sure that this one was also made by Winifred. Winifred walked around checking out what Kimiko had as Kimiko told her what it was. Tina watched Winifred for a bit but then her eyes noticed a scarf hanging on the wall. She went to it picking it up from the table it was laying upon. It felt like it was made from the finest silk ever made and it felt wonderful in her hands. She put it around her neck letting it hang over her breasts. It wasn't big enough to cover either her front or back completely but at least it was something that she could use as cover and was the first thing that she had seen that could be considered as clothing since she had gotten here. Much too soon, Winifred said that she and Tina needed to get started back home. Tina hated to have to put the scarf down but she did, vowing to come back one day soon and get that scarf. "Please wait a moment; I need to check on a spice I am brewing. I'll be right back to wish you farewell." Kimiko said as she hurried back around her hut. Winifred gave Tina a knowing smile but Tina didn't pay much attention to the smile as she was thinking about that beautiful scarf. A few minutes later, Kimiko came back around the side of the hut and she was carrying several pouches and she had the scarf that Tina liked so much. "I have a few gifts for you, I know they are not much but I do hope that you will accept them from me." Kimiko told Winifred. "Thank you so much Kimiko, you are much too kind and I am not sure I am worthy of such gifts." Winifred said as the accepted the pouches and also a knife that Tina didn't notice at first. "You are very worthy my child." Kimiko said to Winifred then she turned to Tina and she said, "I have a gift for you to my child." She then presented the scarf to Tina. "Why thank you Kimiko but I can't take such a beautiful thing from you." Tina told her and then she noticed that Winifred was giving her a look that told her that she had done the wrong thing in refusing the gift, in fact the way Winifred was looking at her, and she had just committed the most mortal of all crimes. Tina then didn't know what to do. "Oh please do take it; I want to present this gift to you my child." Kimiko said to her. "Well thank you Kimiko, I love it." Tina said taking the scarf and that got her another look from Winifred that told her that again she had screwed up but she didn't know how she did. "Now you both give me a hug and be on your way before darkness sets in and you lose your way." Kimiko said and she went to Winifred giving her a motherly hug and then she did the same to Tina who returned the hug from the kind woman. Winifred gave Kimiko a bow that Tina was smart enough to copy and once Kimiko had returned the bow, Winifred turned and began to walk away. The further they got from Kimiko's hut the faster that Winifred walked. When they got to the little bridge across the stream, Winifred was practically running. Tina knew that Winifred was pissed at her but she didn't know what crime that she had committed. Once they were a little ways into the woods, Tina decided it was time to find out why Winifred was so mad at her. "What did I do wrong back there?" Tina asked her. "You took the scarf." Winifred told her not stopping but only turning her head a bit. "Well the look you gave me after I had refused it, I thought you wanted me to take it." Tina told her. "You shouldn't have looked at the scarf like that, that made Kimiko have to give it to you." Winifred told her still not stopping. "Dammit! Stop and tell me what the fuck I did wrong!" Tina ordered as she stopped chasing after Winifred. Winifred went a couple of more steps before she stopped and came back to where Tina was standing. "Didn't you see what Kimiko and I were doing, weren't you listening and watching?" "Sure I was, I was right there watching you both the whole time." Tina said and she saw the critical eye that Winifred was giving her which made her think for a moment. "Okay I thought I was watching you but obviously I wasn't watching you close enough. So tell me what I missed. I liked Kimiko and I don't want to insult her as I obviously did." "I brought the chairs to Kimiko as a gift which she accepted, you saw that right?" Winifred told her as she looked at her as one would a child when they were trying to teach them something they should have already learned. "Of course I did, and please don't make me feel stupid here. I want to learn." Tina told her getting a bit irritated at the way Winifred was talking to her. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to say it that way." Winifred said and Tina saw that she was indeed sorry for what she said or rather the way she had said it. "I brought her a gift and so she had to return my kindness with kindness of her own. So when she showed us her little hut with all her supplies, she watched what I looked at. The things that I wanted, I returned to the shelve in a slightly different place than it was originally. That way she knew what I wanted. From there it was up to her as to what she felt my gift was worth and she gave to me things that were of equal value to mine." "So you traded what you wanted for what she wanted?" Tina asked. "Yes but in a formal way. We don't have money here or want it and we trust each other to give back what they receive in kind." Winifred told her. "Why didn't you just tell me that before we got there?" Tina asked. "I thought that you would catch on to what we were doing." Winifred told her. "I probably should have but I didn't." Tina told her then she asked, "So I need to give her something and I need to do it today but I don't have anything to give her." Winifred looked up at a coconut tree that rose above them. "She likes fresh coconuts but she is afraid of heights and she won't let Ebisu go up and get them." Winifred said as a suggestion. "Okay," Tina said as she went up to the tree. She wasn't sure about trying to climbing the tree but she was going to get those coconuts or die trying. She found that she could get a grip on the trunk of the tree and with her hands and feet she slowly worked her way up the tree. The first few feet were slow and hard but then she began to figure out what she was doing she was able to go a bit quicker. Once she got to the top and had to reach out to the coconuts, she almost slipped which scared the hell out of her but she recovered quickly enough and was able to reach over and knock several of them down to where Winifred was standing. She then slowly made her way back down to the ground. "Oh you are bleeding." Winifred said as she came up to her. Tina looked down to see there was just a bit of blood on her left breast. "It's just a scratch." Tina said however before she could wipe the blood off, Winifred put her left hand under her breast cupping the bottom half as her index finger of her right hand rubbed the blood away. She licked her finger and used it to wipe the small scratch. Tina stood there watching her and she felt a chill go through her body as Winifred touched her breast. No one had ever touched her like that and even though Winifred was just wiping the blood off, it felt nice. She felt her nipple begin to harden and she hoped that Winifred wouldn't notice. And if she did, Winifred didn't say anything about it which Tina was thankful. "I think it is just a little scratch." Winifred declared as her hand lingered on Tina's breast then she used her hand to brush the front of Tina's body which only served to make Tina's other nipple get hard. Before Winifred's hands could go from her stomach and go lower, Tina stepped back and declared, "Let me get these coconuts to Kimiko." Winifred seemed a bit disappointed but she stepped back letting Tina gather up the coconuts and she headed back toward Kimiko's as she tried not to think about Winifred's hands touching her body like they did. As she crossed the bridge, she saw that Kimiko was still standing in front of her hut as if she was waiting for her return. Tina tried to think about what she needed to say when she got to her as she walked. "I must apologize for my ill manners earlier and I would like to present you these coconuts as a gift to you. I know it isn't much but it is all that I can give to you at this moment." Tina said with her head bowed as she was ashamed that she didn't think about what was going on between Winifred and Kimiko. "Raise your head and look at me my child." Kimiko said to her with a kind and loving voice which Tina did after a moment. "That is a wonderful gift my child because it was something that you did for this old lady." Kimiko said though she had the body of a young woman and thus confirmed for the most part to Tina that Kimiko had lived a long life before coming here. "Thank you for accepting my gift and for the wonderful gift that you presented to me earlier as I know now that I am not worthy of such a gift." Tina told her. Kimiko came up to her giving her a motherly hug and she whispered into her ear, "You are very worthy and don't forget that and don't worry so much about getting all the answers to your questions. Sometimes it is better to just enjoy this world and the people in it. Only then will your questions be answered." Tina pulled back looking into Kimiko's smiling eyes and she wondered how Kimiko could see inside of her and know what she was seeking. Before Tina could say anything, Kimiko said, "Now go back to Winifred, she has been waiting for you for such a long time." Again Kimiko's words confused her as she had only just left Winifred and thus she had only been gone for a few minutes, "Okay," Tina said and as she started to turn, Kimiko stopped her to give her another hug and a kiss on the cheek before releasing her. Tina wanted to sit and talk to Kimiko more but Kimiko had already turned to go into her hut so Tina turned to leave. When she got back to Winifred, she told her that Kimiko had accepted her gift and that she felt better knowing that she in a way had earned the gift that Kimiko had given her. She didn't tell Winifred what Kimiko had said to her as that she needed to think about that on her own for a while. They stopped at their washing pool to rinse off before getting back to Winifred's hut just as the sun was setting so they went straight to bed. Tina had a hard time going to sleep as she kept thinking about what Kimiko had said to her and also how she was going to tell Winifred that she was leaving in the morning. She did finally go to sleep but it was a restless night of sleep. When she woke up the next morning, the sun had already risen. She could smell Winifred cooking their breakfast as she sat up in the bed. She stretched and then went out to pee and do her business before sitting down with Winifred to eat. "You're leaving me this morning aren't you?" Winifred said to her as she came back from cleaning the morning dishes in the ocean. "Yes, I know you like to be on your own and I need to be on my own for a while." Tina said surprised that Winifred had figured out that she was leaving but then again she wasn't completely surprised. Tina figured that Winifred would be happy to have her out of the way but she noticed that there was more sadness in her voice and facial expression. This made Tina feel bad but she had made her decision though she was starting to second guess herself. "I gathered some things to get you started." Winifred said as she went to just inside of the hut and pulling out a large leather pouch that Tina hadn't seen before. "I put a knife, soap, some spices, some of our vegetables, and some sea grass rope." "You didn't have to do this." Tina said as Winifred placed the pouch in her hands and Tina could see even better the sadness in Winifred's eyes. Tina hated to take the pouch but she really did need these things however she knew that she had to give something back to Winifred but she had nothing and she knew that some coconuts wouldn't work as it had with Kimiko. She thought for a second as Winifred looked at her with sad eyes about what to give her and then she knew what she had to do. She put the pouch down on the sand and reached to her waist where she had tied the scarf so that it would cover her pussy. She took it off and through she hated to give her scarf away, she knew it was the right thing to do as it was something that she had quickly grown to love. "Please take this scarf as my gift to you for all that you have done for me." Tina said as she put the scarf into Winifred's hands. "Thank you," Winifred said and Tina saw that Winifred was about to cry and so was she so she grabbed the large pouch with her supplies and she took off before Winifred saw her crying as she had started to do as she began to run down the beach. The harder that she cried the harder and faster that she ran. And she ran until her side began to hurt and stopping only at that point. She forced herself to stand up straight to breathe as she was taught to do by her high school cross country coach. Once she could breathe normally again, she looked about trying to determine just how far she had run. She wanted to get away from Winifred but yet something inside her was telling her not to get too far away. She looked up into the edge of the woods and she saw a small clearing that looked to be perfect to build her hut as it had a coconut and a couple of pineapple trees by it. She knew then that she had found the perfect places to build her new home. She picked up her pouch where she had dropped it when she had stopped running; she then went to the area that she had spied out. She walked around and happily discovered that there mini bamboo forest behind the area she had picked out. Tina just knew that she could search forever and never find a better place to make her stand. She sat down by one of the coconut trees pulling open the large pouch that Winifred had given to her. She first pulled out the large knife that Winifred had gotten from Kimiko just the day before. Tina had wondered why Winifred had gotten the knife when she didn't need it and now she realized that Winifred had gotten it for her. This made her tear up but she fought off the tears as she put the knife to the side. She then pulled out the vegetables spices, and sea grass rope that Winifred said that she had put in there. She then pulled out a cup and a couple of bowls. Then below of that was a blanket that Winifred put into the bottom of the pouch. As she unfolded the blanket, she found a large knife that she would need to cut her bamboo to make her hut. There was also a pouch to store water that she knew that she would need. She wanted to go back and hug Winifred but she was afraid that if she did, she wouldn't leave and this was something that she had to do. Once she had spread her blanket out putting her things onto it, she took the large knife to go cut some of that bamboo to start framing her hut. She cut down some of the larger shoots of bamboo and laying them out to put into the ground. She set into making her hut only stopping to eat some pineapple that she had gotten down. That evening, she went to find some sea grass that she could weave into more rope. What Winifred had given to her would get her started but she knew that she would need lots more. She waited until it was almost dark to go take her bath as she didn't want to meet Winifred there. It took her a bit to find the stream, however she did, and she had to find her way back in the dark. That night she slept under the stars thankful that there were no clouds in the sky. She missed the little bed that she slept on while she was with Winifred but the sand didn't make such a bad bed. The next morning, she cut more of the bamboo to start filling in the walls. This proved to be much harder to do. She tried to get them close together but there were holes that she knew wasn't there on Winifred's hut. She finally decided to do the best that she could and then later figure out a way to fill in the cracks. For the next few days, she worked on the walls then she began to put the roof onto her hut. This she realized that this was something that she didn't study well enough when she was looking at what Winifred had done. She first put and tied down some bamboo poles to put leaves upon to keep the rain out. She then found the same leaves that Winifred had used placing them on top and tying them down. Once she had the roof filled in, she looked up and she couldn't see any sunlight so she figured that she was ready for the rain. She didn't have long to find out how her hut would do in keeping her dry as that night, she was awaken in the middle of the night with water hitting her face. She sat up and saw that there were more places on her roof that leaked than those that didn't. She found the one corner of her hut that didn't leak and that is where she slept the rest of the night. Then after a breakfast of pineapple and coconut, she put more leaves on her roof. That morning she went out for a run figuring that she had done all she could on her hut and besides, she was dying to get out and run some and get away from building her hut. She ran as far as she could down the beach before stopping and letting the oxygen get back into her lungs. She still hadn't completely come to terms that she was pain free and could do everything that she once could, so the running helped to convince herself of that. Plus she wanted to make her body as strong as she could. She never wanted to be weak and sick again. When she got hungry, she stopped to find a pineapple to eat and she also found some roots of a plant that Winifred had taught her that tasted pretty good. That evening, when she returned to her hut, she noticed that there was something different about it. At first, it scared her as she feared that someone was there or had been there. She quickly looked around to make sure that there was no one around. She had gotten used to the fact that Winifred and Kimiko had seen her naked but she wasn't ready for anyone else to do so. She carefully approached her hut and she didn't see anyone around. She went inside and everything appeared to be there. She was about to walk out when she happened to look up at the roof and there she did find something different. There leaves that she had put up there were now placed completely differently. She went outside going to the right side and she saw some footprints in the sand that were smaller than her own big feet. She knew then that those footprints were Winifred's footprints. She got a little pissed at Winifred for coming here and redoing her roof when this was her hut and she wanted to do it all without any help. She almost went to tell her that she didn't need any help; she was perfectly capable of building this hut on her own. She then thought again and decided to bite her tongue but if Winifred did anything else that she was going to go tell her off. She decided that a bath would calm her down so she got a piece of the soap that Winifred had given to her and went off to take her bath. When she returned, she found a small pot of Winifred's vegetable soup on a small fire. She got pissed again but then she smelled the spices in the soup and her stomach growled. So she decided that if Winifred was going to make her supper then she was damn well going to eat it. And it tasted so great, she had gotten a bit tired of it when she was staying with Winifred but after just eating pineapple, coconut, and various roots, she decided that she missed it. She ate every last drop and then after washing the pan out, she went to bed as the sun was setting and she was getting tired. That night, she was awaken by some thunder. She sat up a bit scared by the loud sound and then she heard the rain begin to fall. She could see that it was raining hard but not a drop was falling into her hut. She knew that she owed Winifred for fixing her roof as she would never have gotten it right on her own. So after eating her breakfast, she tackled one of the coconuts trees getting a couple of fresh ones for Winifred. She then headed back towards Winifred's hut hugging the tree line so that Winifred wouldn't see her. She wasn't sure what Winifred's routine was now that she wasn't there so she was afraid that she would have to wait her out. She found that she didn't have to go as far as she thought that she would to get to Winifred's hut. She had thought that she had run much further that she obviously had. She wanted to be further away but she wasn't going to start over now. She had gotten pretty close to the hut before she saw Winifred coming out of her hut. Tina quickly jumped behind a tree hoping that Winifred didn't see her. She peeked from behind the tree and saw that Winifred was looking in her direction. She hoped that Winifred wouldn't come over to her and when she looked again, she saw that Winifred was going to the side of her hut and then she went on into the woods. Tina gave her a couple of minutes then she picked up the coconuts and hurriedly placed them in front of Winifred's hut so that she would see them. She then ran back toward her hut as fast as she could. She figured that Winifred would know where the coconuts had come from but she didn't care. Since she was running and she felt good about what she had done, she ran past her own hut and went for a long ways before having to stop. She could tell that her endurance and distance was improving greatly. She would love to have been able to run all through high school and then maybe in college but that wasn't to be, so she was just happy that she could at least run all she wanted now. She had forgotten her water pouch so she had to rest then run back to her hut to get a drink. Then she went toward the creek to get more and to take a bath as she was soaked in sweat. That night, she woke up with cramping in her lower abdomen. She knew immediately what was going on so she reached down to see it there was any blood but she found that she hadn't started to bleed yet but she knew that would come soon. She had only been having her periods for a couple of years when she got sick and once she started on all those strong medicines, her periods went away. In a way it felt nice to have one again as that meant that her body was completely back to normal. She had been here a while now and she was surprised that she hadn't had one by now and as she thought about it, she didn't remember Winifred having one while she was there. But then again, maybe they didn't come as regular as they did back on earth or maybe Winifred was irregular and thus went longer between periods. Then Tina began to think about how her mother took birth control pills to keep from becoming pregnant but also to regulate her periods. That would explain Winifred not having one while she was there and also why she hadn't had one until now. But this presented a problem to Tina as she didn't want to be bleeding and have it run out of her onto her thighs. Since she was cramping and thus unable to sleep, she thought about what she was going to do about her bleeding. She began to worry about it when she remember some what appeared to be wild cotton plants that she had seen when she went looking for a way to the creek. She had pretty much forgotten about seeing the plants since her had no clue as to how to make the cotton into cloth. But now she knew that she did have a use for the plants. So at first light she went looking for those plants. It took her a bit to find them but once she did, she went to them and pulled out a bunch of the cotton, taking it to the stream to wash. She wanted to make it as soft as possible before she took it back to her hut to figure out a way to make a pad out of it. She knew that women had to use something before tampons and panty liners came to be. She brought the cotton back to her hut and sat down to figure out a way to tie it in place. It took her a while to fashion something that would work and she did as she took some of the cotton and sort of weaved it by hand into a string that she was able to tie around her waist and then down to the pad. By this time she had begun to bleed and she found that she was going to have a light flow that the cotton she was using would easily soak up. She hung around her hut the next couple of days until she could go without her hand made pad. Early the next morning, she celebrated the end of her period by going out for a long run, she enjoyed her freedom as she was getting bored staying around the hut. She didn't have a skill like Winifred in making chairs so she was left with nothing to do, and since she had not seen any books since she had been here so she could not lose herself in a great book as she had spent most of her time doing when she was sick, as she was stuck with nothing to do. However now she was free of her prison and she was enjoying morning run. She ran until she couldn't run anymore before stopping to rest and drink some water. She then began to run again going until she couldn't go any further. She wasn't able to go as far this time but she didn't care, it wasn't how far she could run, but the fact that she was running. She stopped again, this time finding something to eat and then resting for a while before going out into the ocean for a swim, something that she had meant to do but hadn't gotten around to quiet yet. She loved the feeling of the water washing over her and she had to admit swimming naked did feel kind of weird but a very good weird. She swam for longer than she meant and when she came out she found that she needed to head back home. When she was about twenty feet from her hut, she noticed that she couldn't see between the bamboo poles in the front side of her hut. "Damn you Winifred!" she shouted though she knew that Winifred had long since left the area. She went up to the wall and found that some poles had been added and that the poles were tied together tighter than she was able to do. She walked around to the right side of her hut and she found that the same had been done to about half of the wall. "Damn you to hell Winifred!" She said again. Then she went back to the front of her hut and sat down. As much as she wanted to so tell Winifred off and tell her to stop helping her, she couldn't do it. She then noticed that supper had again been fixed for her and she cussed Winifred again but then she sat down and ate that supper as she couldn't let it waste plus it tasted great. Before going to bath, she went up one of the nearby pineapple trees to get that pain in ass some to eat. Then early the next morning, she went to Winifred's hut and waited for her to leave so that she could leave the pineapples at Winifred's door. She quickly left and as she ran down the beach, she thought about what she wanted to do that day and Kimiko came to mind. She did need some more soap and maybe some answers to her questions that maybe Kimiko could give her. Once she was far enough away from Winifred's hut she made a right turn and headed into the woods. She worked her way around the woods until she was past Winifred's garden; she got onto the path that would lead her to Kimiko's hut. Just before she got to the bridge going across the stream, she went up a coconut tree to get a gift that she would present to Kimiko. Just as she was approaching Kimiko's hut, she saw her coming out the door. Kimiko didn't seem to be surprised to see her and she gave her a warm smile. "I brought you a small gift, I know it isn't much but I do hope that you will accept these coconuts as my gift to you." Tina said to her as she gave Kimiko a small bow. "Oh child, it is a wonderful gift as it will keep me from yelling at Ebisu when he tries to climb up one of those trees." Kimiko said taking the coconuts from Tina. Kimiko then yelled to Ebisu to come out and she did it in what Tina figured was Japanese. The strange thing was that Tina understood what Kimiko was saying though she had never studied Japanese in her life. A moment later a man walked out of the hut, he appeared to be about Kimiko's age and like Kimiko, his eyes told her that this man had seen a long life before he came here. And he was like the other two people that she had met here, he was naked. He smiled at Tina and bowed to her which Tina returned. Tina tried not to look down at his penis but she couldn't help herself. She had never actually seen one in her life, or rather a penis on a grown man. It was of course flaccid but Tina knew enough that it would become much larger when aroused. And while Ebisu was a very nice looking man, Tina found that seeing him naked did nothing for her. Winifred and Kimiko were much nicer to look at and this came as a shock to her. When she heard Kimiko talk again, she turned her attention back to her and she got a warm smile from her. Kimiko then presented the coconuts to Ebisu who came to take them then he thanked Tina telling her that this would save him from being yelled at by Kimiko even though he was perfectly able to go up the tree. Kimiko fussed at him then she told him to go and make some coconut milk for her and Tina. Ebisu again thanked Tina for keeping him on Kimiko's good side and then he bowed at her which she again returned taking another look at his penis and finding that it was something that she could do without ever having the pleasure to know. Then he returned to the hut. "How come I could understand what you both were saying when I have never studied Japanese?" Tina had to ask. "Everyone here comes from everywhere and they speak many different languages. We have to be able to understand each other and so we all have that ability." Kimiko said to her. "But how do we have that ability." Tina asked. "I don't know." Kimiko told her. "Oh god you sound just like Winifred." Tina said in a bit of frustration. "I am sorry that I can't answer all your questions but maybe some questions in the end don't need to be answered." Kimiko told her and then before Tina could counter that argument she said, "Come my child, let's sit and talk for a while then we'll have something to eat." "That would be nice," Tina told her wondering if Kimiko would be able to answer any of her questions after all but she had to ask them all the same. "So how is Winifred? Why didn't she come with you today?" Kimiko asked as they sat down on a blanket under the shade of a small tree by her hut. Tina hesitated for a second as Kimiko looked at her with those wise eyes of hers, "I don't know how she is, I moved out to be on my own a while ago." Kimiko's eyes turned sad yet she didn't seem too surprised to hear this, "I am sure that she misses you my child." "I doubt that, I think she likes to be on her own. I was in her way for the most part I believe." Tina told her. Kimiko seemed to think this over for a moment then Ebisu came out with little cups containing their coconut milk which he presented to them with great pride. He stood there as they both took a sip which tasted great to Tina as he had obviously added something to it. Tina smiled and told him that it was wonderful which made him smile broadly then he hurried off to tend to Kimiko's herb garden. "You seem so sure that Winifred would prefer to be alone, why do you think that?" Kimiko asked of her. "Well she is so quiet and she seems to get irritated when I keep asking her questions that she can't or won't answer." Tina told her. "Maybe you are not asking the questions in a way that she can answer them." Kimiko suggested to her. "How else can you ask a question but to just come out and ask it?" Tina asked of her. "By not asking the question but rather letting her answer it in her own way when she is ready." Kimiko said as she smiled at her, which frustrated the hell out of Tina as she liked to be direct and just say or ask what she thought or wanted to know. "But I'm not like that, I tend to go right at a problem wanting to solve it and move on." Tina told her. "I know that my child but sometimes being indirect is the best way to be direct. You need to learn patience and Winifred is a beautiful young woman who, like you, has suffered a great deal in her other life. It has taken her a long time to heal and she is still healing. She just needs a last bit of help." Kimiko told her. "What happened to her, did she have cancer too." Tina asked. "That is a question for her to answer my child." Kimiko told her and this answer didn't surprise Tina in the least. "Well I'm sure that she is better off without me." Tina told her but even now she wasn't as sure about that answer as she was before. "Maybe she is... maybe she isn't." Kimiko told her with that knowing smile of hers. Then before Tina could ask her to explain, Kimiko decided it was time to eat. So as Kimiko cooked their lunch, Tina told her about building her own hut and then how it rained on her. She went on to tell her how Winifred was fixing it when she went for her morning run. This, of course, made Kimiko smile thought she didn't make any comment about it. Tina told her that while she was grateful for the help, she wished that Winifred would stop helping her. Again Tina got that knowing smile and nothing else from Kimiko. Tina then directed the conversation away from Winifred but all through their conversation Winifred kept coming up, either by herself or Kimiko would mention her. They sat and talked long after they had finished their food and it was only when it was time that Tina needed to start for home that she brought up what she needed. "Kimiko, I know that there is a certain way that things are done here, Winifred explained that to me after our visit here but I don't know what you have or how to really indicate to you what I need..." Tina was saying when Kimiko placed her hand on Tina's arm. "It is okay my child, I understand. Maybe if you tell me what you need then I can give you a few suggestions as to what you need to look at when I show you my supply hut. Winifred and I have learned each other and so shall we, it just takes..." Kimiko was saying when Tina said "Patience." Kimiko smiled, "Yes it does." Tina smiled too, and then she said, "The first thing I need or would like is a razor of whatever there is here that would allow me to remove the hair from my armpits and my legs. It is just something that women do where I come from and I like having my legs nice and smooth." "I do know of that custom and I believe that I can help you out there." Kimiko told her, "And what else would you like?" "Some soap would be nice and maybe another pouch to carry water and some seeds to start a little garden." Tina suggested. "I know that is a little much for what little I have brought to you and I don't expect that my gift to you is equal to what I request of you." "Let me be the judge of that my child." Kimiko told her as she got up. Tina started to get up and join her but Kimiko said to her, "Stay right here child, I'll be just a moment." "Okay," Tina said a little surprised but she did as she was told. Kimiko was gone for a little longer than what Tina expected and when she returned, she had a large pouch slung around her shoulder. "Here my child, take this gift from me, I know it isn't much but it is all that I have to give." Kimiko said putting the pouch in her hands. Tina start to say that it was all too much but then she remembered that to refuse a gift was very bad manners, Winifred had taught her that much. "Thank you Kimiko, I do appreciate this gift." She said then she bowed to her. "You're welcome my child." Kimiko told her then she said, "I believe that the cream that I made will rid you of that unwanted hair, just apply it lightly and in a day it will be gone." "Thank you again Kimiko." Tina said. "And if you can do me one small favor..." Kimiko asked. "Sure, anything at all." Tina told her. "If you will stop by and tell Ebisu that you will be returning soon to bring him more coconuts and you will be returning soon won't you my child." Kimiko told her more than asked it of her. "Yes I will, I enjoy my visits with you and want to return soon." Tina told her. "Good, now give me a hug and be on your way." Kimiko told her as she came to her giving Tina a nice hug and then she sent her on her way. Tina did as she was told, stopping to tell Ebisu that she would return soon with him some more coconuts which he thanked her for again before fussing that Kimiko wouldn't let him climb trees as he was too old but he wasn't too old anymore. Tina then knew that she was right about them being old when they had died. She then bowed to him and then gave him a kiss on the cheek before heading back home. Tina decided to stop at the stream on her way back to take her bath and when she got near the stream, she heard a splash so she stopped immediately. She dropped down to her knees and crawled the last few feet making sure to stay behind the shrubs and trying her best not to make a noise. She maneuvered her way around so that she could watch Winifred bathe. Winifred had obviously just gotten to the pool as she was just standing up after getting her hair wet. The water came up to her waist but then Winifred stepped up so she could wash but she went up further in the water than she had when Tina had bathed with her. It was like Winifred knew that Tina was watching her. She took her time soaping her body and Tina's eyes were fixed on her, and they were fixed on her body that she had really tried not to notice while she was staying with her. But now she was focusing on her hands as they covered every part of her petite body. She was slim but Tina saw now more clearly that she had a sexy body with her small breasts that were so firm and her ass was small but very cute. To Tina, it was weird that after realizing that a man's body did nothing for her, she was being affected by Winifred's body. About the time that she was becoming aware of her body and that she was a sexual being, Tina got sick and her own self discovery was put on hold as she fought to stay alive. She had stopped being a teenager and just became a human being trying to survive. But now her body was whole and it was starting to talk to her. But the one thing that it was telling her was the last thing that she would have expected. She was beginning to realize that there was a real possibility that she was into women and not men. Tina wanted to look away but she couldn't, she had to finish watching Winifred bathe and she stayed in place until long after Winifred had rinsed off and had left. She thought about Winifred and about her body. She knew that looking at Winifred did have an effect on her but she could only hope it was because of her body and not that she was interested it her. She had spent enough time being frustrated by Winifred's inability to answer some of her questions and not wanting to answer the rest of them. She so wanted to know what Winifred's past life was like but those were the questions that Winifred wouldn't answer. As this thought went through her head so did what Kimiko had said about the best way to be direct was to be indirect. She began to wonder how to do that with Winifred, she really didn't have a clue as to how to do that or even if she wanted to. But it did make sense to her when it came to talking to Winifred. This was all making her dizzy and that she didn't need that so she shook all the thoughts out of her head. She opened the pouch that Kimiko had given to her to find the soap that she needed. However before she got to that she found that Kimiko had given her a number of other things. She pulled out a clay jar of the cream that Kimiko had gotten for her to get rid of her unwanted hair. She put that aside to pull out a jar of spices that she had to open and smell. This made her mouth water as she thought about Winifred's vegetable soup that she always made. If Tina had been thinking a little more clearly she would have wondered if Kimiko had set her up by giving her this particular spice, knowing that it would remind her of Winifred. Tina then pulled out a net of some type and this she had no clue as to what it was for so she put it aside. She then pulled out some dried meat that Tina wasn't sure what it was but that didn't stop her from pulling a piece off and putting it into her mouth. It tasted like some deer jerky that she once had, only better. She hated to think about someone killing a poor deer but it tasted too good for her to feel too sorry for it. She then got to the bottom of the pouch finding another pouch to hold water and a blanket. Tina was overjoyed to get these things and she knew that she had gotten much more than she had given. She knew that she would have to go back and thank Kimiko soon and bring her more than a few coconuts. But for now, she was going to take that bath that she so needed. She chipped a small piece of the soap off taking it with her to the stream. She rushed into the stream letting it take her breath away. She then began to bathe quickly as it was getting dark and she needed to get back to her hut. When she got back to her hut, she approached it from the back and even though the sun had almost set so there wasn't much light, she could see that her hut had again been improved upon. She didn't bother to yell at Winifred as she knew it wouldn't do any good. She just went on inside and put her new blanket over the one that Winifred had given to her and she lay down. As she began to relax, her mind went to the scene that she had just witnessed at the bathing pool. She could plainly see Winifred's body coming out of the water with her black hair shinning in the late afternoon sun. Then she could see her breasts leave the water with her dark nipple made hard from the cold water. She felt her own nipples begin to harden causing her to move her hands from her sides to her breasts. She cupped her breasts giving them a squeeze and then her fingers went to her nipples where they went across them causing Tina to moan. She let her fingers go back across her nipples where they stopped to pinch and pull on them as her mind watched Winifred step up so that her pussy was revealed. Tina's right hand moved down her stomach to her own pussy and found that her lips were moist. She let her fingers run up and down her lips getting them wet as her mind watched Winifred wash. Tina began to moan as she played with her breasts with her left hand and her pussy with her right hand. Her fingers went to the top of her pussy to her clit finding it very sensitive. She began to rub the little nub making her moan aloud. She began to rub it harder and faster as she felt waves of pleasure begin to go through her body. Tina rubbed harder and faster upon her clit until she cried out "Oh God!' as she had her first orgasm in her life. She body shook and she moaned all through her orgasm and she thought that she had died once again. When she could breathe again, she knew that this was something wonderful and something that she would have to do again and again. The only problem she had with this was that she was thinking of Winifred when she masturbated. This Tina didn't like but that was something that she would think about in the morning, as now she was tired and she needed sleep. The next morning, she ate another piece of her deer jerky with some coconut milk before collecting another coconut and a pineapple and taking it to Winifred for the work she had done on her hut. On the way back, she was looking out into the ocean and she saw a couple of dolphins swimming and then she saw some fish jump in front of them. She stopped and watched the dolphins as they fed on the fish and it occurred to her just what the net that Kimiko had given to her was for. She rushed home to get the net and she took it out into the ocean. She went out into the water until she was about waist deep and she threw the net and then pulled it in to find that she got nothing on her first throw. This didn't deter her and she threw it again and again. She kept at it all afternoon moving in to the shallow water and then back out into deeper water trying to catch a fish. It was getting late but she was determined not to quit until she got at least one fish. It was almost dusk and Tina's arms and shoulders were killing her when she threw it one more time. As she began to pull it back in, she felt a tug against the net. Tina quickly pulled the net in, raising it above the water to find an odd looking fish about eight inches long. Tina let out a squeal as she rushed from the water carrying the fish in the net. She ran all the way up to her hut squealing and crying out at finally having succeeded on catching a fish. She was crying with joy as she dropped the fish on the sand, sitting down trying to catch her breath and feeling like she had really done something good. She watched the fish flop around a bit then she knew she had to put it out of its misery. She got her knife before pulling the fish out of the net. She hesitated for a second then she gripped the fish bringing the knife down swiftly and cutting its head off. Tina figured that seeing the fish's guts would make her sick but it didn't, so she finished gutting the fish like she had seen on TV. She knew that she needed to get the scales off and she did that thought the fish didn't look to pretty once she was done. She built a fire and put the fish on to cook by putting a stick though it and hanging it on two forked sticks so that she could roast it. As it cooked, Tina took the remains down to the ocean and threw it into the water for the other fishes and crabs to eat. While she was there, she washed herself off getting the scales from the fish out of her hair and off her skin. When she got back to her little fire, she turned the fish over so that she could cook the other side. She had no idea of how long to cook the fish so she just kept turning it every few minutes until it was blackened on all sides. The idea of eating raw fish didn't appeal to her in the least so she wanted to make sure it was done. She pulled it off the fire and took it over to a small log that she was using as a chair. She pulled a piece off and checked it to make sure it was done and then she placed it into her mouth. It was a bit chewy and not the best fish that she had even eaten but not bad. The fact that she had caught and cooked the fish did make the taste a bit better. She ate most of the fish, which wasn't hard since the fish wasn't all that large. She threw the remaining pieces of fish back into the ocean letting the crabs finish off what she didn't eat. She went back to her hut to get her bath soap and as she reached for it, she saw the spice that Kimiko had given her and she wished that she would have thought to put that on the fish. She would the next one as she was now sure that she could find a fish when she wanted one. She went on to take her bath and as she went down the path, she began to think about Winifred and if she would be there. She had pretty much done her best to avoid her but now she wanted to see her, not actually talk to her but at least to see her. As she approached the bathing pool, she listened for any sounds but none were forth coming. She eased on further and then dropped to her knees to cover the last few feet. When she looked around the bush that she was hiding behind, she found that she was alone. Feeling slightly disappointed and then mad at herself for even wanting to see her, she stood up and headed for the pool to take her bath. Once she finished her bath and had air dried, she opened the jar that she had gotten from Kimiko. She smelled the cream like substance and found that it really didn't have any odor. She put a dab on her fingers smearing it under her right arm and then left. She found that it tingled a bit but that was about it. She then put some on each of her legs. They too tingled a bit but then the tingling eventually went away. She waited a second and saw that nothing was happening and she wondered if it would work. But she knew it was worth a try. When she went to bed that night, she felt good about her day and what she had done on her own. As she began to relax, she began to feel a tingling in her body. It was like something had been awakened in her and she needed to explore it. Her hands went to her breasts by their own volition. She ran her fingers across her nipples feeling them harden and she felt like her whole body tingling. She pinched both of her nipples feeling the excitement that it caused within her body. She just kept teasing her nipples and squeezing her breasts as her pussy got moist. She went as long as she could before going to her pussy and when her fingers touched her clit, Winifred's body came to mind. She shook her head trying to get the image out of her head thinking of Kimiko and then some of her friends from her old life but Winifred image came right back. She wanted to try harder to get rid of Winifred's body from her mind but once she had touched her clit, she had to get off. So she let her mind have its way. She pictured Winifred in the bathing pool washing that body of hers as her fingers teased her clit which had become very sensitive. Her mind had such a clear picture of Winifred and she wasn't bathing the same way as she had the night before. The picture in her mind was so clear that it was almost like being there watching her. Her left hand was still teasing and pinching her breasts in turn. When her clit got real sensitive, she moved her fingers to her slit, running her fingers between her lips feeling the juices that she had produced there. She let her middle finger slip inside of herself feeling her pussy grip her finger. She pushed it a short distance before she felt the barrier that was her hymen. She pushed against it feeling a little pain then she backed off. She moved her fingertip in and around her wet pussy enjoying the pleasure that it was giving her. She brought her finger out and rubbed her fingers along her slit. She was so wet as she thought about how pretty Winifred was as she stood there in the water. Soon Tina's fingers were back at her clit as she began to rub against the hard bud. Her mind was seeing the clear picture of Winifred soaping her breasts, and Tina felt the need to be the one washing those breasts. She pressed against her clit harder as she rubbed it and she felt her pulse quicken and her pussy start to spasm as her orgasm started and then overtake her body and mind. When she could think clear again, she felt great about having the orgasm as it relaxed her so much taking all the tension from her body. She just wished that she could think of someone else other than Winifred to masturbate to but that wasn't something that she was able to do for some reason. She laid on her back and let her body give itself up to sleep. The next morning, after having some pineapple to eat and a piece of her deer jerky, she grabbed her net and headed back into the ocean. She went first to the place that she was able to catch her fish the previous day but she didn't get anything on the first throw nor the second one. However she didn't let that frustrate her. She just kept moving around going in deeper water and then she worked herself back in closer to the shore. When she did that, she began to pick up a few fish. The first time she pulled it in a very small fish that somehow couldn't figure out how to get out of the net. She let this fish go and continued to move the net around getting a fish or two here and there. She kept playing around learning a little more about using the net until she began to get hungry and it was getting hotter. So when she got the next decent size fish, she brought it up to her hut. She quickly cleaned the fish then she washed it off in the ocean as she threw the head and guts back into the water. When she brought the fish back, she got a little of her spices out, coating the fish with them before putting it over the fire that she had made. She kept turning the fish, getting it done without burning it this time. When it cooled, she took a bite and found that the spices did help the taste. She figured that the next time she went to see Kimiko, she would see if she had a spice that would work great on fish. She ate all she wanted before going down to the ocean and throwing the rest back in for the crabs. She squatted down to rinse her hands off in the ocean and as her thighs hit her chest, they felt different to her. She stood up looking down at her legs and saw that they were free of hair. She ran her hands along her thighs feeling how soft they were and amazed that they were completely free of hair. She checked her underarms and found that they too were clean of hair and nice and smoother than any razor would have made them. She reached back down feeling all of her legs and loving how they felt to her. She had never felt her legs that smooth since she had finally convinced her mother to let her start shaving her legs. She figured that if she had this cream back at home, she would be richer than anyone else in the world. All the women would want to have some of this stuff. She knew she would have to get more of the hair removal cream from Kimiko and then she thought about getting Winifred to use it. As soon as that thought went through her head she cursed herself for thinking of that damn girl again. She just couldn't stop thinking about her and she didn't know why since she couldn't wait to free herself of the girl when she was there. She decided that a long run would get Winifred out of her head so she grabbed her water pouch and took off running as fast as she could. She concentrated on just moving her feet and picking up speed with her long smooth strides. This did serve to get Winifred out of her head and Tina kept her out of her head until later that evening when she went to the bathing pool. As she got close, she heard splashing so she slowed down, going to her knees to watch Winifred. She knew the best thing she could have done was to turn around and come back later but that wasn't what she did. She got there just in time to see Winifred start to wash her body. Again she had stepped up in the water so that only her ankles were covered by the stream. Winifred didn't do anything as she bathed to make her bathing erotic but it was erotic to Tina. Just every motion of Winifred's hands was doing something to Tina's body. As Winifred's hands washed her breasts, Tina's breasts began to ache to be touched. It was all that she could do not to touch them. When Winifred washed her stomach, and then pussy, Tina felt her own pussy twitch. When Winifred bent over to wash her legs, Tina's eyes were on Winifred's breasts hanging down. She so wanted to touch them. She was just thankful that Winifred was facing toward her and not away so she didn't see her pussy and ass on display. Much too soon, Winifred was finished washing, she turned to go back into the water to rinse the soap off of her body. Tina's eyes were on Winifred's feminine form and how pretty she was. Winifred sank down into the water going on down until her hair was under the water. When she came back up, the water from the stream had washed the soap from her body. Winifred stayed in the water for a couple of minutes before walking out of the water. Tina expected her to go on to the path leading to her hut but she stopped just after getting out of the water. She reached over to a bush and it was then that Tina noticed her scarf that she had given to Winifred hanging on the bush. Winifred took the scarf and tied it around her waist as Tina had done for the short day that she got to wear it. Tina watched Winifred then walk away wearing her scarf and she liked that she was wearing her scarf; it made her feel close to Winifred for some reason. Tina waited for a moment, making sure that Winifred had left, before coming from her hiding place to take her bath. As Tina bathed, she didn't think of Winifred's body but of Winifred wearing her scarf. She just felt like Winifred was wearing it to keep a part of her close to her. She knew that she could be reading more into it than was really there but still she couldn't help but to think that. On her way back to her hut, Tina decided that another visit to Kimiko was in order. Tina wanted to take something more than coconuts to Kimiko, she thought about catching a fish for her but it was a long walk to get to Kimiko's place and she wasn't so sure the fish would be still fresh by the time she got there. She knew that there was a way to dry fish out to keep them good to eat but she didn't know what that process was. She thought that maybe Kimiko would know if anyone would. But for now, she got some pineapples and then coconuts carrying them to Kimiko's place. "Well there's my girl, how you doing?" Kimiko said as Tina came to her, first putting the pineapples and coconuts on the ground so that she could receive Kimiko's hug and kiss. "I'm fine and I hope all is well with you and Ebisu." Tina told her. "I'm doing great but Ebisu is being a pain as always." Kimiko said with a smile. "I am not; she's the one who is always fusing at me, like I'm a child." Ebisu said as he came out of the hut, naked and having a big smile on his face. "You need to tell Kimiko that you're the man of the house." Tina told him as she gave Kimiko a wink causing her to smile. "I do but she won't listen to me." Ebisu told her then he gave her a hug and kiss. "Well she is hard headed." Tina told him. "Yes she is." Ebisu said agreeing with her. "Oh go on you old man and leave us women to talk." Kimiko told him but then she reached out and accepted his kiss before he went on out into the garden to care for her herbs and flowers. "So what's on your mind child?" Kimiko asked as she led her over to a blanket that was under a small shade tree. "Oh nothing really, I just thought I would stop by for a visit and to bring you and Edisu some pineapples and coconuts." Tina said lying just a little. "Thank you so much, we appreciate your gift." Kimiko said as she gave Tina a glass of tea and then sitting down in front of her with her own cup of tea. "This tea tastes great, what type is it?" Tina asked. "It is a tea that I grown, it has calming effects and makes one relax." Kimiko told her. "I like it a lot; you'll have to tell me how you grow the leaves." Tina told her knowing that while Kimiko wouldn't give her the tea plants but she would be leaving with some of the leaves to make her own tea. Tina then began to talk about learning how to use the fish net and Kimiko seemed pleased that she was having fun with it and learning to use it. Tina asked her about how to dry the fish out and they talked about this a while and while Kimiko wasn't sure what the exact process was, she gave Tina a few ideas and also assured her that when she returned, Kimiko would know for sure what the process was. Kimiko talked some about her garden and then she talked some about hers and Ibisu's life there and Tina discovered that they had been there for a very long time. They had been poor peasant farmers who could barely feed themselves and because of this, Kimiko lost every child that she had conceived. The end of their life consisted of them having to beg for food to eat, and that they never got enough of to survive. Tina felt sorry for them and realized that while she had suffered from illness and pain, but she always had enough to eat and she was well taken cared for. After another glass of tea and then a meal that Ebisu joined them for but then he left once the dinner was finish knowing that this was Kimiko and Tina's time to talk. After their meal, Kimiko poured them both another cup of tea and Tina found that she felt completely relaxed, maybe too relaxed... "So how is Winifred doing?" Kimiko asked of her. "I don't know, I haven't talked to her since I left, have you?" Tina asked. "Have you seen her?" Kimiko asked not bothering to answering Tina's question. Tina hesitated for a second before answering and while she had not planned on telling Kimiko about spying on her, the tea had relaxed her enough to allow her to talk freely, "I have seen her bathing a few times." "How did she look?" Kimiko asked. "Beautiful, too beautiful..." Tina told her and her mind went to the vision of Winifred bathing. Kimiko gave her a knowing smile before responding with, "She is a very beautiful young woman isn't she; a young woman who is just as beautiful on the inside as well as the outside." "Well she never let me know much about the inside." Tina said with a sigh. "Maybe you didn't give her a chance to let you inside." Kimiko told her. "Yes I did, I was there for weeks or months, I'm not sure, it's hard to keep up with time here, but anyway, if she wanted me to know what is inside of her, she had her chance." Tina told her trying to put everything off on Winifred and none on her for their failure to really communicate. "Sometimes it takes time to get to know someone, maybe Winifred is that way." Kimiko told her and that made Tina think a bit. "But then she isn't your problem anymore is she, you don't even think about her." "Well that isn't completely true..." Tina said and she saw Kimiko waiting for her to continue. "I think about her all the time now, even when I try not to think about her, I find myself doing so." And this brought a smile to Kimiko's face. "She is a pretty girl..." Kimiko said to her yet again. Tina let that thought go through her head and she opened her mouth saying something that she didn't intend to say, "I know, I'm even masturb..." then she stopped herself from finishing the word as she felt her whole body turn red from embarrassment. "That is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of child. It is natural to think about someone you like when you pleasure yourself." Kimiko assured her as she put a reassuring hand on her knee. "But I don't like her, that's the problem. When I was staying with her, I was constantly frustrated by her ways and how she never tells me what I need or want to know. I mean, when we came here the first time, she could have told me how things worked and I wouldn't have even looked at that stupid scarf that she is wearing now." Tina told her. "You gave her your scarf?" Kimiko asked raising her eyebrows at her. "Yea, when I left, she gave me everything I needed to start out and I gave her the only thing that I could think of that was worthy of what she was giving to me." Tina told her. "That is sweet of you to do that, a very worthy gift." Kimiko told her and then she said, "I do wonder why she would be wearing the scarf; she isn't one to want to wear anything that would draw attention to herself unless she wants someone to notice her..." Tina was thinking about this when Kimiko got her attention by saying, "I think it is about time for you to head back. I don't want you to get lost in the dark." End of Part One. To be continued... Please let me know what you think of my story. I welcome all comments good or bad. You can email me at numlfl@hotmail.com