Secret Beach
This is from the SciFi Novel BASE: The Edge of Reality
Each year, from December through April, Humpback whales swim 3,000 miles from Alaska to the warm waters of Kauai, where they play and give birth. Just north of the town of Kilauea, a beach spreads nestled at the base of a large cliff. One calm midmorning, Skyler and Anchor climbed down a steep, slippery, and rocky trail. They came out of the shade onto that perfect place called Secret or Kauapea Beach.
As you approach the edge of the water, the turquoise ocean appears higher than the sand itself, seemingly defying the laws of nature. In the distance, splashing whales will disturb the ocean’s calm.
“Just follow me,” Skyler yelled above the breaking surf. “The dolphins are straight out from here.”
“I heard there were sharks in these waters,” Anchor said, repeating her argument for at least the tenth time.
“It’s true,” he yelled as the wave broke down and the sound subsided. “There are plenty of sharks around here, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. After all, this is Secret Beach,” he chuckled. “The sharks avoid the dolphins. So all we have to do is find the dolphins, and we should be okay.”
“Well, what if this is the wrong place, or the dolphins swim away from us?”
“They won’t. They genuinely enjoy protecting their human friends from the sharks. Just relax; it’ll be fun.”
Swimming a hundred yards from shore, Skyler turned and motioned to Anchor. Dolphins, lots of them, were swimming their way. Moments later, the noisy glimmering pod surrounded them.
Anchor dove under the water to get a better look. Five baby dolphins were swimming within inches of their mothers in perfect harmony. After a while, the baby dolphins demonstrated courage by trying to jump from the water.
“I think those babies are showing off for us!” Anchor yelled, coughing from accidentally breathing in water in her excitement to explain.
Skyler laughed with joy as he watched Anchor playing with the dolphins. He was in love with this funny, beautiful, sexy woman he had never kissed. When she smiled, it felt to him like morning sunshine. She seemed happier today than usual. The more she laughed and clapped, the more the babies would show off for her. Unexpectedly, the adults became excited as well, flying into the air and darting around underwater.
Skyler was amazed at Anchor’s stamina. After more than an hour, he convinced her to return to shore. Then saying goodbye to each dolphin, they swam for the beach. Skyler waited for Anchor to stand first. Watching her, he pushed through the waist-high water to the beach. An unexpected and massive wave crashed into his back and sent him tumbling forward. He came up covered with sand from head to foot.
“You look like the boogie-man,” Anchor teased. “Should I run or fight?”
“Just find our backpacks. I’ll be right back.” Skyler sprinted across the hot sand toward the waterfall.
Reaching the falls, he washed the sand from the front of his body but couldn’t get to all the sand on his back. He heard a girl’s voice from behind.
“Looks like you got hit by a big one,” she said.
He turned around to see a gorgeous, utterly naked girl standing in the waterfall with him. “Oh yeah, got burned by that one. Wasn’t paying enough attention.”
“You need any help getting the sand off your back? I’ve got a sponge. I’ll wash yours if you’ll wash mine.”
“Uh, Okay,” Skyler said dumbly.
After helping each other, he thanked the friendly girl and ran back to where Anchor was sitting and, unfortunately for him, watching. He plopped down onto the blanket with a big smile. “I’m starved.”
Nothing but silence — his clue that something bad was coming.
“What was that all about?” asked Anchor with an onerous glare.
“What?” Skyler answered nonchalantly and kicked at the sand with his bare feet.
“The naked girl you just spent the last ten minutes washing, that’s what. Who is she, another one of your pseudo surfing buddies?”
“Oh, her — never seen her before.”
“Well, you would know for sure about that, wouldn’t you? Not much of her you haven’t seen now.”
More silence.
“Oh, look, there goes a naked hunk to the waterfall. I should probably run over and wash my hair, too,” said Anchor.
Skyler glanced up and recognized the jock strutting his way to the falls. What an idiot that guy is, he thought to himself.
“I know him. His name is Steve Cubin. I’d introduce you, but he’s not your type.”
“How would you know? He looks like my type from here. So, all-knowing-one, what kind of guy would be my type?”
“Your type would be someone like me, strong, loyal, and brave — with some clothes on.”
“I see, so my type is a boy scout who never kisses girls but loves to stare at their naked bodies. Is that right? Sounds like a pervert to me. I think I should meet Mr. Cubin.”
She jumped up and marched through the deep sand toward the waterfall. Skyler followed and grabbed her arm.
“What are you doing?” she protested. “My destiny awaits.”
“I just wanted to clear something up. The guy I was describing does like to kiss girls.”
“I doubt that,” she said, pulling away, but found herself swiftly spun back. Skyler’s vivid ocean blue eyes locked on hers, and she knew she was about to be kissed.
He pulled her hard into his arms, and their lips melted together. Then, as if on cue, a group of happy locals began playing This Magic Moment by the Drifters on their sound blaster. Skyler looked up at the people who clapped and smiled in appreciation.
“Skyler, why did you wait so long with that kind of hidden talent?” Anchor smiled as the background music continued. “You’re more than my type. Except for the wet clothes, you’re everything I want.” Then she kissed him again.
***
They played on the secluded beach until the afternoon, laughing at how long it had taken to admit their feelings for each other. Without noticing the climb, they found themselves back up the cliff at Skyler’s van, where old Blacky was resting in the shade. Some of the most expensive plantations on the island surrounded Secret Beach. Any animal from this wealthy neighborhood was off-bounds to the animal control officers. Skyler found a treat, which he kept just for Blacky, and gave it to the old dog, who managed to wiggle his tail and pull the gift under his chin like a squirrel saving up nuts.
As he watched the old dog with fondness, Skyler smiled and thought about the girls he had known over the years. If he expressed his love to any other girl the way he did for Anchor today, they would be spending the night together. Yet, Skyler knew that was too much to hope for with Anchor.
Out on the ocean, the whales were settled, and the dolphins were gone.
“I need to stop by Strant’s place, just up the road, and check on his fish. He asked me to babysit his cottage for a few days while he’s on the mainland.”
“Okay, I’m in no hurry. Does he have an aquarium or something?”
“Yeah, you could say that,” Skyler said, wondering what Anchor would think of his place.
They got in the van and left the dirt field for the paved road. Skyler soon turned off and approached a large gated entry, where he punched in the passcode. The gate opened, and he drove through, continuing around a circular drive toward a large home perched near an ocean bluff.
“Is this the ‘cottage’ you’re babysitting for Strant?”
“Sorry, that’s what he calls it for some reason. He likes to play down the fact that he’s wealthy. The first time he brought me here, we were both grubby from surfing. This place wasn’t what I was expecting either. I thought he was a poor surf bum. Hard to know the difference around here.”
“Looks like I picked the wrong guy to hook up with,” she said as she reached over and ran her fingers through his hair.
“I used to land my helicopter over there on that round pad. I’d occasionally fly tourists in just for the fun of it. I’d tell them I needed to stop by the house and pick up my messages.”
Upon entering the home, Anchor gasped. “This is breathtaking!” With two stories, the upper level was visible from below through an exotic wire railing. The open living room was painted white, offset with a dark shiny hardwood floor covered in the middle by a thirty-foot Persian rug. On the carpet were three large tan sofas with metallic red pillows for accent. The massive coffee table was hardwood with an embedded blue rock surface. Several pillars extended from floor to ceiling, breaking up the panoramic ocean views. Dozens of well-placed live plants greened up the interior design with a natural feel. “How big is this ‘cottage’?”
“I believe Strant told me it was around 12,000 square feet. It has a great Jacuzzi if you have time to check it out.”
“Just try to drag me away. Strant could rent this place for a fortune.”
“You’re right about that. He used to rent it out and sleep in a tent. Eventually, he became tired of the hassle. Now, he just wants to make sure someone he trusts is on the premises when he’s gone. I told you he was smart; he made a fortune selling his ownership in a viral social website.”
Skyler helped Anchor climb the ladder to the top of the massive aquarium and throw in the fish food. Anchor ran through the house barefoot like a little girl, squealing at each new discovery. “Want any company tonight? My aunt is gone now, and all I have is a boring condo with old food in the fridge to go home to. I can sleep on one side of the house and you on the other. We can use phones to talk to each other.”
“I’d like that. It’s kinda spooky staying here alone anyway. I usually stay in the smallest bedroom and pretend I’m in a condo.”
“I’m famished,” said Anchor.
Solid dark oak kitchen cabinets surrounded a pink countertop. A colorful Hawaiian photo hung on the wall behind the stove. Above the stove sat a gigantic swooping air vent. They scavenged the kitchen and fixed themselves a gourmet meal of fresh salad, charcoaled ahi, and organic wine.
After dinner, they wandered upstairs to the recreation room, where they dozed off watching an old black and white Chaplin movie on the sixty-inch digital screen. When they awoke, Anchor dragged Skyler through the house again so they could pick out their bedrooms.
After a quick shower, they met in the Jacuzzi, where they splashed and kissed. Anchor giggled and teased but backed off each time Skyler tried getting too friendly. She knew she was driving him crazy; hell, she was driving herself crazy. Skyler climbed out first and headed for his room. With the steamy mist coming off his solid, tanned body, he turned back and said, “If you get scared, you know where to find me.”
“Why would I be scared? Is there someone around here I should be afraid of?”
“Just trying to be a good host — that’s all.”
From the hall, Skyler heard her mumble something. He needed to regain his composure, unsure what was going on. When he ignored her, she would get cozy, but she would move away when he tried to hold her. He thought it was best if they cooled things off tonight.
His bedroom carpeting was pure white. A single wall-sized window looked toward the ocean cliffs to the north with the dark silhouette of the mountains in the distance. It was both eerie and relaxing. He skimmed through the drawers for something to wear but could find nothing. Most of the bedrooms in the home were seldom-used guest rooms. In frustration, he flipped off the lights, dropped his trunks at the base of the bed, and climbed naked under the covers.
The sheets were soft silk and nothing like the bedding in Skyler’s condo. He felt both covered and naked at the same time. For some reason, it made him want to stretch and roll around like a little boy.
“What are you doing?” Anchor laughed.
She picked up his swimming trunks from the white carpet, carried them to the bathroom, and hung them on the top of the shower stall.
“Oh, hi. It’s these sheets. I think my sheets were like these when I was a kid. I like to roll around and stretch in them.”
“Sounds fun. Can I try?” she asked.
“Not a good idea. I’m not wearing much.” He felt stupid for stating the obvious.
“What do you mean, not much? What’s under there?” she asked.
“Under where?”
“Underwear — oh, that’s too bad. I was kind of hoping for nothing.” Anchor tossed back her hair as the moonlight somehow captured her perfect, bikini-clad form.
His mind was spinning, and it took him a while to follow the play on words. Anchor was still teasing him.
“You’re welcome to try it if you want, but it works best without any kind of ‘wear.’ You should run to your room and give it a shot,” he said, resorting to some teasing of his own.
“Okay, good idea.”
She removed her wet bikini in front of him, turned, and hung it on the shower stall in the bathroom.
Entering the moonlit room again, she stood naked long enough for Skyler to feel himself becoming aroused. Then with one word, “Bye,” she left the room.
Skyler wanted to run after her, but he knew how absurd that would be in his current condition. While he was trying to decide what to do next, Anchor returned.
“Well, isn’t that just bad luck? My sheets aren’t the same as yours. Now, what should I do?”
“Damn, I guess I’ll have to share,” Skyler said, pulling back the cover sheets and patting the bed.
“Such a gentleman,” she said, slipping under the covers.
She stretched sensuously and rolled around until Skyler grabbed her and pulled her to him. They held each other and kissed for a long time before making love. Skyler could still hear and feel the waves crashing in his mind. It was a familiar lingering sensation after a long day at the ocean. He was moving with the motion of the sea, gentle but continuous, and he could hear Anchor gasping and moaning beneath him.
“I shouldn’t be doing this,” she whispered.
Skyler hesitated for a moment, but then she said out loud, “Don’t stop! Don’t you dare stop!”
The ocean waves left his mind, and they made love with a desperate passion.
Outside, on the edge of the property, the Keeper stood alone in the moonlight.
…
