The evening is dark but for the moon and stars. The air feels moist and full of summer. Crickets sound in the evening's song, and an owl hoots three times and stops. Occasionally dogs bark in the distance.
At the bottom of a low hill, our horses drink from the stream at midnight. In the stark light of the full moon, I can see three earth mounds in the valley below.
We start up the hill slowly, passing a giant, upright stone, a natural symbol of male energy and manhood. The horses snort as they pass the menhir and move quickly up the incline to our destination.
At the top of the ridge, the ancient sacred site stretches before us. The skyline and valley lay behind us, the countryside aglow with the moons fiery glow.
As we come to the edge of the stone circle, we slow the horses to a standstill. In front of us loom two mighty dolmens with a large capstone hanging on top of them. Giants dined at this immense rock table. The placement of the capstone is high enough for a horse and rider to pass beneath. I lead the way as we move single file under its shadow and into the center of the ancient site. We dismount and drop the reins of our horses on the ground. The animals stay in one place, standing quietly. In front of us is a large rounded stone with a large hole in the center. The sun and the moon are carved roughly in the face of the rock. I crawl through the hole, and you follow, clasping my hand firmly. The passage through the gap creates a shifting of our minds, renewing our connection to the vitality of life and to all things whatsoever they may be. We move into oneness.
We stand closer to the sarsen boulders. Carved with faces of laughing maidens, an old hag, a horse, and a stag stare at us in the moonlight, and from the stones.
I whisper the names of the goddess and the god to the mighty stones, to the moonlight, and to the stars. The immense dolmens sing back to us in midnight serenade.
I touch the stone closest to me, and watch as a bluish glow pushes at my hand. The power of light grows stronger and warm on my palm, before dimming as I move my hand off the stone.
You call my name softly in the night "Shannon," you whisper. I conceal myself behind a large menhir and move towards you dressed in a deep indigo blue tunic. I move quietly like a cat; you cannot hear my footsteps as I approach. I wear a black mask, only my eyes show through, eyes so dark that the pupils blend with their color.
You stand completely still as I dance in front of you, dancing in a circular motion, moving sunwise and upward around the spiral path, renewing the earth's energies, and creating a vortex of light.
My movements flow like the air circulating around me.
You gesture for me to remove my mask, but I refuse. I like the disguise and tease you with it.
You pull back in to the shadows of the ogham-carved dolmen and I stop dancing and stand in front of you. Quietly I take off my mask and smile at you.
We are drawn together by our eyes, shining reflections in the moonlight.
I draw you to me, kissing you softly at first. Then I kiss you longer, and then again, even longer. You can feel the outline of my lips, the inviting wetness of my tongue, and the smooth coolness of my teeth. I taste sweet and salty. My breathing grows rapid and strained.
My heart pounds and my legs melt. I lean against you, keenly aware that you are holding me upright.
We kiss again, your hands moving across my forehead and through my hair. Down over my shoulder and forward, they continue to the tip of my breast. You pause there, softly fingering my nipple as you nibble my tongue with your teeth.
My body shakes and trembles with my every touch. Your fingers and hands are like liquid fire flowing into each pore of my skin, every inch of my being. Your touch is hot and alive like the fire of the moon.
Some ancient being from within you, within the earth, pulls at me energetically like a magnet. A sphere of gold light moves into me, into you, hot and glowing.
I kiss you again before we move apart and walk over to the horses. I untie the blanket off the back of my saddle, and I take a small bag off the horn of your saddle. Pulling out two apples from the bag, you take a bite of one and give me the other. After I take a bite, we both give the remaining pieces to the horses.
We move to the center of the circle of stones. There is a long flat, and smooth rock half-buried in the earth. Carved figures, spirals, cup, ring, and channel markings dress the front of the stone as though it were an entrance with the threshold long covered by weather and history.
You spread the blanket over the stone before lifting me up in your arms and carry me to the ancient bed.
You look into my eyes and beyond, out over the valley to the lights twinkling in the distance. The air, still moist, seems damper. Your skin tingles with the wetness of my touch which blends with the warm breeze coming off the hills to the south.
You whisper my ancient name and beckon me to come closer. I come to you hot and wanting. I nestle next to you, coming as close as I can without crushing you.
You feel a fire burning inside of me, and my skin feels hot to the touch.
You slowly slide your hand down the front of my tunic and unfasten the golden buttons, one at a time. You touch my skin underneath each button. Your hand feels like a torch each time it touches my skin. With each button that becomes undone, another part of my mind becomes undone. Another part of me opens up to you, to something inside both of us, drawing us nearer and nearer to that place-a place of souls and fire, where hot passions ablaze, smoking and flashing. Only lovers know that place of intense light. A light that is the dwelling place of dragons and dreams at midnight.
Quickly pulling off my tunic, you begin to work at freeing me from the rest of my clothes. Each time you remove something; you touch and tickle the skin beneath. You feel me acknowledge each part of you, each cell, each thought and response, as we step in rhythm to an ancient dance. I seem to know the cadences as if by instinct and you dance along, eager, waiting, knowing and remembering.
My body hums as I sit naked next to you. I take a deep breath and move my hands to your throat. As I reach the opening of your collar, I feel the stiffness in it, and the stiffening in me as my hand softly brushes the skin at the base of your neck. My leg moves into and around your thigh and calf, rubbing against the fabric of your pants. You enjoy the sensations of my hands and lips as you savor my exploration. We continually rub up against one another, repositioning and touching another hidden part of your body, my body.
I undo and open your shirt, stroking your chest. My fingers glide along your hair, across your nipples, and then caress the outline of the muscles of your stomach. My hands travel lower and tug on the waistband of your pants. Without hesitation, you unfasten them and slide them down and away from your body.