Author's note: This story involves "little" (ddlg) fantasies. All characters are, of course, adults over the age of 18. If you're into it, keep reading :)
I'm always interested to hear your thoughts so please leave a comment or send me feedback!
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Take the Fair Face of Woman
And Gently Suspending
With Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending,
Thus Your Fairy is Made of Most Beautiful Things
-Sophie Gengembre Anderson
One week earlier
We recently discovered that I like being pampered, so it made sense that Wynn was surprised when I told him I wanted to spend my birthday camping with him.
"You always tell me how peaceful and beautiful it is out there in nature, and...owww."
I was perched on Wynn's knee and he was carefully brushing my thick hair.
"Sorry, darling." He put the brush down to gently work through the knot. "Really, you want to camp with me...like, in a tent?"
"I want to experience it with you. I think it could be...romantic." This word had certain implications for us. I knew that Wynn was completely in love with me, and he always told me he enjoyed just spending time together. He never made me feel pressured. He probably thought I wanted to reach more milestones in our relationship, or that I wasn't interested in doing it with anyone.
The opposite was true. Wynn was my dream man, and every time I was near him, currents of passion coursed through me. But every time it seemed like we were getting somewhere, something would interrupt us, or worse, I would freeze up. When I was alone I would read women's articles about "how to turn him on", or worse "how to share your freakiest fantasies", but it all seemed like it was from some alternate universe, and the idea of telling him what I want in bed made me burn with shame I recognized. It was the same feeling that made me feel guilty after masturbating, and suggested that girls like me should only wear clothes that are about two sizes too large.
But Wynn loved my body, and his patience inspired me to want to reach a new level of intimacy with him and even myself. This camping trip was part of that. I imagined us stargazing on a clear night, hand in hand; with only fireflies, crickets, and the moon for ambiance. We could get rid of distractions, and connect more deeply than ever before.
"I have been wanting to go away somewhere together..." Wynn parted my hair and I handed him a scrunchie.
Wynn and I didn't have the money yet for any elaborate vacations, especially since we were beginning to save whatever we could for our future together. Camping would be perfect, and we could get away from the distractions of careless roommates, nosy family members, and college papers, even if only for the weekend.
"Wynn? What do you think?" I insisted. "Wouldn't it be perfect?"
Wynn smiled and admired his hairstyling skills in the mirror. Two neat pigtails. "Yes, perfect."
"So we can go for my birthday? Next weekend?" I bounced in his lap, excitedly.
"Yes, of course, Rhiannon. Anything for the birthday girl."
Thursday
"Am I allowed to open my presents? Are we there yet?" I was whining, but Wynn didn't seem to mind. I didn't know why but with him, especially on long days, I seemed to slip into acting like a little girl.
"Not yet, to both." He smiled, and with one hand on the steering wheel, he rested the other on my bare knee.
I thought about holding his hand, or maybe pulling it higher on my thigh. But a minute passed and he took his hand away.
You'll be twenty tomorrow, Rhiannon, I told myself. It's time to stop freezing up. Wynn loves me and nothing else matters.
Wynn turned off the highway and onto a slower road with fields on either side, then gravel crunched under the SUV we'd borrowed on a winding, tree-lined road. As we drove into the forest, the thick foliage started to block out the late afternoon sun. The deeper we got into the dense autumn woods, it seemed like I could only see about five feet into the trees on either side. We turned onto an even narrower path and branches scraped at the windows.
"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Of course he did, he had been coming here for years, even by himself a few times.
"Yes, Princess." For this trip, Wynn had chosen a hidden clearing, a bit of a drive from the regular campsite, so it would be more private. There was a view of the lake and mountains, and some hiking trails that would be beautiful with the orange leaves.
But he stopped the vehicle at the end of the dirt path, we could hear voices. A group of teenagers were drinking by a huge campfire. One of the campers ran up to the driver's side window. "Oh, were we making too much noise?"
"No...I was just checking if the site was available."
"Sorry!...You can join us if you like."
"Uhh, no it's okay, we'll go back to the main campsite. Thanks!"
I was relieved that we would be returning to the more populated areas, but after a few minutes on the gravel road, Wynn turned down another unmarked path. I thought I saw warning signs, and I ignored them, trying to stay positive for Wynn's sake. I knew how much work he had put into planning a camping trip I'd enjoy. But the signs kept coming, and I could finally make out the words and pictures.
"Do not enter," I read quietly. "Beware of..."
"Is it the cliff?"
"...fairies?"
"Fairies?!"
"That's what it says! It must be a prank," I said weakly. But the signs looked officially made, featuring diagrams and a long list of rules and warnings. The message was clear. "M-maybe we should turn back. I don't know...what do you think?"
"Remember what I told you. If at any point you get too scared, we'll leave immediately and check into a hotel."
I held his hand and smiled. "Sorry, nevermind. I'm okay."
"That's my brave girl. You're going to love it."
We reached a clearing that was even more scenic than the one those teenagers had beat us to. On one side, a creek flowed past, and on the other, the sun was low over the glassy lake.
We were behind schedule getting set up, and Wynn kept staring at the sky with a worried expression on his face. I knew he would have liked to show me the basics of setting up a campsite, but we decided it was faster to divide and conquer. I gathered kindling from the perimeter of the campsite, and then took charge organizing the tent's interior.
After an hour of work, we had everything mostly set up and could relax. After quickly eating some sausages we cooked on an open fire, along with fruit and some cookies I'd packed, we climbed into the cozy tent, just as rain began to lightly fall. The tapping sound was somehow comforting, and I wondered if there might be hope for a romantic evening after all.
"Oh! Presents! I wanted to give you one tonight." Wynn hurried to the car and returned with a shiny package.
I carefully unwrapped the parcel and found the softest cotton pajamas I'd ever felt. I held them up and realized it was all one piece with a zipper at the front.
"Here, let me help you." Wynn knelt on the tarp next to our air mattress, unhooked my overalls, and pulled the denim shorts down. I loved being babied by Wynn, but this was all new to me. It wasn't too long ago that I used to ask him to turn his back whenever I changed, but now we were closer than ever.
He pulled my socks off one by one, then I raised my arms so he could pull off my t-shirt, and my bra was next. I lay back on the air mattress and he hooked his fingers into my panties and slipped them off too, adding them to the laundry bag in the corner of the tent. I was only naked for a few moments, until Wynn guided my feet, then my legs into the pajamas, and zipped me up.
"Thank you." I kissed him.
We tried to stay up talking, but we were both exhausted. The soothing motions of his fingers neatly redoing my braids lulled me until I was half asleep. I cuddled up to him in the double sleeping bag and passed out, not even noticing how eerily quiet it can be in the night in the middle of the forest.
Friday
On the morning of my twentieth birthday, I woke up and screamed.
Wynn groaned and opened his eyes, reaching for me instinctively. "What's wrong?"
When he saw, he was dumbstruck. My hair that he'd just brushed and pinned up last night was now impossibly tangled, with no evidence of his handiwork. My hair was loose, and instead of falling in shiny black waves, it was dull and strangely matted. It had been washed just 24 hours ago, but now there were twigs, crunchy leaves, and pine needles in it.
"We might have to cut it..." Wynn speculated sleepily.
I wailed.
"Tell me what happened." He sat up and gathered me into his arms.
I didn't know. I had woken up just moments before him.
Wynn rocked me. "It's going to be okay, darling. Let's have some breakfast, and then we'll unravel your hair, however long it takes." He tied a bandana around my hair, we climbed out of the tent. It was still early: the sky was a deep royal blue and the sun was not up yet.
"We can have pancakes with some strawberries..." Wynn was saying. It was my favourite breakfast. But when he opened the car and checked the coolers, our food had been opened and most of it was missing.
It didn't make sense. Wynn had planned for everything. And how could someone or something get into our food? The car had been locked, the tent secured, and the car key stayed in Wynn's backpack next to him while he slept.
"What are we going to do?" I pushed down the panicked feelings. I wasn't going to be hysterical. "Can I help?"
"Uh, yeah, everything's fine," he replied quickly, grabbing another gift package from the backseat. "Here, why don't you open your next present? And then I'm going to make a quick supply run, and we can eat when I come back. I'll also pick up some conditioner, and a comb if I can find it..."
"Perfect," I affirmed. I unwrapped the tissue paper and found a polaroid camera and hugged him. "Thank you, Wynn! I've always wanted one of these." I immediately began looking through the viewfinder, looking for memories to capture. "I think I'm going to explore a bit and take a couple pictures."
"Not too far, okay?" Wynn instructed. "It's really easy to get lost around here, so I want you to always have our campsite within eyesight." He picked a wildflower from the edge of our patch of land, tucked it behind my ear, and promised to be back soon.
