It was a beautiful afternoon, the kind of which a dreams of. Early spring sunlight warmed the landscape, touching trees with pink and orange tendrils and fuzzy motes floated in the air, giving Brien's campsite the air of a fantasy. He lugged all of his equipment for a half-mile to the tiny clearing, set up his tent and safely started a fire, then laid back to take a nap, lulled into sleep by the warmth and the steady trickle of ice-blue water.
"Help! Help me!"
Brien lifted his head and looked around, at first, not convinced that he'd heard anything until the entreaty was repeated, this time, a bit fainter. He leapt to his feet, desperately trying to discover what direction the plea had come from and finally heard it again, a little farther down stream and was surprised to find a naked woman in the dry riverbed, trying to climb over a large rock-strewn obstruction.
"Please. Help me." She breathed, exhausted from the steep climb. Brien jumped down into the dry bed and took her in his arms, trying to ignore the fat-nippled breasts that bobbed just under his nose. She was a rag doll in his arms, her limbs hanging limply from his arms and her breath fluttering lightly. As he started to lay her on the grass, she croaked, "Water. Please. In the water."
Brien broke the untying shoe record in removing his Lugs and stepped down into the creek, reaching up and dragging her almost lifeless body into the water. He held her in the current, willing life into her and nearly dropped her when her eyelids jerked open. The most beautiful dark blue eyes he'd ever seen connected with his and he gasped when she rolled out of his grasp, sinking under the glassy surface. He didn't know what to do. He just stood there, staring down at her naked form, her sandy brown hair flowing behind her.
"Thank you." He heard her voice as clearly as if she was above water but she was still floating beneath. Unnerved, Brien strode to the bank and started to pull himself out of the water before he felt her hands around his waist, startling him so badly that he fell in. She swam up to him, giving him a bright smile before they broke the surface together.
"Jesus!"
"I'm sorry. Are you all right?"
Brien wiped a hand over his face, pushing the water out of his eyes. "I should be asking you the same question."
"I am fine, sir, thanks to you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Sabrina."
"I'm Brien."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Brien. Now it is time to reward you."
"I don't need a reward."
"Yes, you do. You don't understand what you've done, do you?" She smiled with those unearthly eyes, her laughter ringing like the song of birds in the trees. "I am a Naiad. I live in this water and keep it clean and plentiful."
"Right." Brien turned back toward the bank and started to pull himself up again.
"You don't believe me?"