"Dear God," he murmured to himself, his hot breath stirring the fragile fern that acted as his refuge. The collar around his neck began to tighten as his eyes roved over the exotic beauty perched precariously on a sun-beaten rock only a few feet from his hiding spot. He slipped a finger between his sweaty neck and the stiff collar as if it would help to regulate his now choppy breathing.
She truly was a delectable little thing. Her long, raven hair, wet from a recent dip in the pool beneath the rushing waterfall, was swept around the side of her body, covering most of her torso. Her limbs were long, classic in line, and colored a golden brown from the sun. It was her face, however, that caught his attention most with its full, pouty mouth set just below a small, upturned nose that might have been sprinkled with the lightest of freckles. Her cheeks were high and her eyes set wide, beautifully brown and fringed with unbelievably long lashes.
He was scared that if he blinked she'd disappear back into the pool of water from whence she came. So he stood there, behind the wide screen of fern, hunched over, breathing hard, watching. It seemed like hours before the beautiful girl stood, revealing her petite stature. She shook out her slightly damp chemise around her body and quickly slipped her high collared dress over her head, buttoning the tiny pearls into place down her back as she hurried off in the opposite direction.
The island wasn't large, he had no doubt in his mind that he'd be able to see her again. Wiping his brow with his handkerchief, he straightened his back, feeling the muscles spasm in protest. Careful not to leave a noticeable trail behind him, he hurried off in the same direction the girl had gone, giving one last glance to her fading essence on the rock.
---
Emily was late. She had spent too much time idling at the pool and now she was going to be in a great deal of trouble with her grandmother.
Hurrying through the back door of their small clapboard home, she rushed toward the kitchen, her skirts rustling around her loudly. Standing there, laden with two baskets full of food, her grandmother stared hard at her in admonishment.
"I'm sorry, Tutu, but I -" Emily began.
"Forgot the time again," her grandmother interrupted. The old woman shook her silver head, handing one of the heavy baskets to her granddaughter. "We're late. You look like a mess but we haven't any time for you to change. At least straighten your hair."
She did as her grandmother ordered, sweeping the great mass of black hair into a severe bun at the nape of her long neck. Emily followed after her grandmother as the old woman quickly shuffled out of the house and down the dusty street toward the church.
When they arrived at the small building, a tiny man in a black suit came to greet them. The humidity was atrocious, making him sweat profusely as he bowed and dabbed at his head with his dainty lace hankie.
"Mrs. McDonald," he said, his eyes shifty. "I'm afraid Father Horton is running a little late. He was supposed to be back a half hour ago and... oh, thank goodness, Father Horton!"
The two ladies turned toward the man who was rushing forward up the grassy hill that lead to the front of the church. His eyes were wide as he slowed his long gait and stopped directly in front of Emily.
"May I present our new community leader, Father Horton," the tiny man introduced. "Father, this is Mrs. Lydia McDonald and her granddaughter, Miss Emily."
The two ladies gave a dip of their knees and offered their baskets to the staring young man. He was wrapped up in Emily as if he'd never take his eyes off of her again. Tutu's rough throat clearing brought him back to reality.
"Oh, oh!" He exclaimed. "Please, forgive me, I'm unused to the heat and I... I... I'm terribly sorry."
Emily eyed the priest as he addressed her grandmother. He was fairly handsome with straw colored hair and bright blue eyes. He looked far too young to be a priest, but here he was, come to teach the heathens about Christ and the rest of the lot.
"Not to worry, Father Horton," Tutu was saying. "My dear Emily is always late for everything."
"Please, won't you come in and stay for a little bit," the priest asked, handing one of the baskets to the tiny man. "Geoffrey can make some tea."
"Perhaps next time," Tutu answered. "I'll send Emily tomorrow to check on you and we can set a time that's best for both of us."
Father Horton looked over at the young girl, his heart beating fast as he looked at her again. She was as beautiful up close as she was from afar. With her hair tied in a bun at the back of her neck, her stunning eyes loomed large in her heart shaped face. He could only nod and wave as the two ladies departed.
---
Emily stopped by the small church on her way to the pool. She found that Father Horton was not in and decided to leave the date her grandmother had set with Geoffrey. Then she made her way down to the secluded spot, stripping off the heavy material of her constricting dress before plunging head first into the clear water.
Climbing out of the water, she laid herself down on the nearest rock, feeling the warmth seep into her back as she stretched out. She wasn't aware that she was being watched from behind the low lying ferns that lined the area behind her, but when she flipped onto her stomach, her hands stacked beneath her chin, she caught a glimpse of something moving in the ferns.
"Hello?" she called. "Is anyone there?"
No answer. She frowned to herself, scanning the bushes as she sat up. Her chemise was stuck to her lithe body, molded to her lovely curves. Satisfied that there was nothing there, she slid back into the water, disappearing beneath the dark surface.
---
It felt like she'd been under the water for a very long time. He stood up and carefully approached the bank, his feet slipping on the wet rocks as he peered into the water. There wasn't a ripple in the pool that wasn't created by the jetting water coming over the high falls and his heart began to pound in his chest as he shouted, "Miss Emily?"
"Miss McDonald? Emily? EMILY??" he hollered before jumping into the water.
He broke the surface and went back down, his eyes having difficulty finding anything in the dark water. The sun did not seem to shine down very far and he was not use to the pounding sound of the waterfall invading all his senses.
Coming back up for air he was about to go under again when the raven head broke the surface a few feet from him. She came up just enough so her brown eyes with their spiky lashes showed. She blinked at him as if he were a dream, treading water with his blonde hair plastered to his head, completely clothed.
