Island Song

She wondered how much longer the gods would let her live.

Rain pounded on the miami-style windows, water managing to squeeze through the minuscule gaps and slowly trickle down the cement walls of the tiny house. She was grateful that she had decided against staying in one of the many wooden houses that dotted the beach. The gods would have taken extra pleasure releasing torrents of water to smash against a zinc roof.

She braved a look out one of the few glass pane windows that decorated the house and saw that all of the morning beach goers had cleared the immediate vicinity and stayed clear of the rain that only assaulted her. That was all she could see because as soon as she got a little closer for a better view, the rain turned into tiny needles that began cracking the delicate glass surface. Gritting her teeth, she retreated into the shadows.

Thunder suddenly struck the ground outside, and she hated herself for reacting so violently. The sound echoed unnaturally for minutes—her teeth suffered trying to keep her from screaming forever.

Grabbing the green comforter from her bed and moving to the center of the house (now the only dry area in the place), she sat, wrapped herself and retreated to her most recent and pleasant memory.

Her grandmother used to tell her many stories of humans who were cursed by strange and exotic gods, but one in particular had always captivated and affected every waking moment of her adulthood: the story of Toquí from the Caribbean island of Boricanto. Centuries ago he had been a wise, humble, and caring young Borican who loved and respected the gods. To reward his loyalty the gods created a new species of animal that would sing his name and thrive exclusively in the island of Boricanto. When presented with the tiny, winged, frog-like creature, Toquí became repulsed and ran from the gods.

They cursed him.

He became the creature the gods had created in his honor. Forever the creatures would sing "Quí-quí-to-quí", but only when it rained. Toquí would never be able to join them, for when it rained he would turn back into a human and feel utter loneliness; he was no longer part of the human world, but neither was he truly part of the rain frogs. No human was allowed near him; a worse fate awaited any who got close.

She ignored the danger.

Last night she met him.

Last night everything changed.

She had moved to the island and waited for a rainy day. When it finally arrived, she walked into the forest behind her little cement house and searched, convinced she would find him. There was nothing there. Disappointed, but by no means discouraged, she walked back to the house, soaking wet and enjoying the singing of the tiny, winged rain frogs. Hand on the doorknob, she hesitated. Though she had only been in the house for a week, something felt different.

A heavy thump.

Her heart began to pound loudly in response. Gathering all her strength she twisted and shoved the door open, hoping the element of surprise would give her an advantage.

What she saw made her heart beat faster.

In the middle of the room was a naked man, crouched and hunched low, much like the rain frogs singing outside. He was holding her green comforter to his face, regarding her in stunned silence.

It's him, she thought, it's Toquí.

His skin was tanned a golden brown; his body lithe and muscular like a dancer; his eyes were pools of darkness that reflected a terrible sadness and loneliness.

She closed the door behind her and slowly approached the half-man. With each step his knuckles tightened around the comforter until they turned white. She hesitated and crouched to meet his eyes. New feelings were reflected there: hope mingled with fear and awe. As her hand reached out to his face he jumped back, faster than any normal human could, shaking his head fiercely from side to side, the comforter abandoned.

"Toquí." He froze and cocked his head, inhuman nails digging tiny crescent-shaped holes on the cement floor.

"I'm not afraid."

Confusion now marred his expression, but he stood still as she approached him again, as her hands explored his face. Thick tears suddenly welled and fell steadily. She began to kiss them away.

This was not how she had envisioned their first encounter, but she couldn't deny she was in love with a story. Only now admitting it to herself, she was in love with this man and this fantasy come true. Now that she had finally caught him, she could not let him go.

"My name is Inaru." She whispered into his mouth.

Her tongue snaked out to lick his lips. He tasted of earth and water. She wondered if all of him tasted so delicious and she let her tongue wander down the line of his jaw to his neck, down the center of his chest, and up again. Toquí made no move to stop her. His breathing grew deeper as Inaru pressed her drenched figure against his. All that stood between them was a thin, spaghetti-strap shirt, a bra, and a pair of loose fitting pants.

She carefully licked his salty tears away and let out a contented sigh when his arms finally held her in a careful, but warm, embrace. Their noses met and gently rubbed against each other, slightly open mouths hesitant, but eager. Inaru waited for him to kiss her. She wanted him to take that step.

His cool fingertips traveled under her shirt and caressed her back. She groaned and ran her hands through his dark, shoulder-length hair. Her teeth ached with the need to bite. Toquí's earlobes became easy targets and she delighted when he groaned and his caresses turned into a deep, erotic massage along the length of her spine. In retaliation, his teeth dug into the soft skin of her shoulder, which made her give a tiny yelp of pleasure. His biting turned to kissing and soon his lips found hers. Their tongues explored each other for an eternity; neither of them seemed to feel any particular need to breathe.

Without quite realizing how, Inaru suddenly stood naked before Toquí, face flushed as his gaze traveled down her body.

She looked at the small bed in the corner of the room, sat on the edge quite casually, and patted the space next to her.

Toquí crawled after her without hesitation and jumped on the bed, unashamed of the throbbing erection he now possessed. He bowed his head to her chest and took one of her nipples in his mouth, gently licking and nibbling the hardening bud, slowly pushing her back on the bed. Inaru, wanting not only to receive but give as well, reached for his erection and caressed and explored every throbbing inch.

Toquí shifted, his hands gently prying Inaru's legs apart, her hand never letting him go. He attacked the other nipple and his fingers traveled down her trembling stomach, circling and caressing her labia before finally making his way to her clitoris.

Inaru moaned and arched her back with pleasure, hands finally releasing Toquí.

"Toquí, don't wait any more."

But he did wait, and he tortured her sensitive pussy, alternating between her clitoris and labia. Inaru's eyes snapped open when Toqui suddenly stopped, his head tilted to one side; his eyes held a faraway look. Impatient, she grabbed his penis again, giving it a couple of firm yanks. Toqui gasped and shuddered before managing to tear himself away from her grip. A mischievous glint now in his eyes, Toqui knelt in front of her and lowered his head to inhale her fragrance. Inaru groaned and thought she would climax right then. The prospect of getting a thorough licking was almost too much to bear.

Toqui's tongue snaked out and flicked her labia, and she squished his head between her thighs. A bit embarrassed, she quickly released him, and was met with an erotic smile. Without warning he dived right in, licking her clit and labia, gently suckling, and penetrating her with his tongue. Inaru lost all sense of her surroundings, her world became those lips, tongue, and raw desire.

Her climax shook her to the core.

Seconds, minutes, maybe hours passed, she could not be sure. The next thing she became aware of was a loud moaning. She opened her eyes to Toqui's face, glistening and close to hers, pupils dilated, filled with need. Inaru realized she was the one moaning. Other sensations quickly became apparent: the feel of his body pressed fully against hers; her legs widely spread, ready to receive him; and Toqui's penis being rubbed up and down her pussy before gently pushing himself into her. Inaru groaned louder and louder.

And Toquí found resistance.

He froze, looking down at her, shocked. Inaru smiled.

"You were worth waiting for." In one fluid movement, she impaled herself completely on Toquí. A sharp pain assaulted her, but his fingers were quick to stroke her clit, and his mouth went back to licking and nibbling her breasts. Soon the mounting pleasure cancelled whatever pain his penetration caused. Their groaning grew louder, their breath quicker, the pleasure intensified until it found release.

Every inch of her throbbed with pleasure, even her teeth. Toquí remained deep inside of her, but inevitably slid out after a while. He held her in a spoon-like embrace.

Inaru wondered what he tasted like, his essence of earth and water mixed with hers. She was licking her lips and crawling down the bed towards his penis when—

A heavy wind forced the door open, ripping Toquí from the bed and making him disappear amidst the rain. The door slammed closed before Inaru could follow. The rain grew heavier, fiercer, and biting. The gods had taken Toquí away from her and she could not follow…

Inaru opened her eyes. The water had finally reached her. In her reverie she had failed to notice how much water was in the house. It was already at her waist, and steadily rising. She struggled to stand, holding on to the comforter for support and wondered again how long she had left to live.

It doesn't scare me, she thought, I'm more scared for Toquí.

There was a change in the rain.

The water receded and disappeared. Weary and hesitant, she stepped outside, where many human-shaped shadows were waiting for her in the tempered rain.

Inaru knew she was among the Boricanto gods, and was not afraid.

"Inaru. You are cursed. Step outside in the sun and you are human. Step outside in the rain and you will become a rain frog. You will never see Toquí as a human again. Nor will you see anything outside of this island again. Leave the island, and you will abandon your life when it rains."

With those ominous words, all but one of the shadows left. Inaru sank to the ground, relieved. If she was cursed never to see Toquí again, it meant he remained alive and safe. A small smile played on her face. She would still have the rest of her life to try to break the curse.

The remaining shadow came closer, almost reluctantly.

"We can curse you, but new life is precious to us. It will not be harmed."

With that, the last shadow vanished and the sky cleared completely, a fierce sun beating down on her, separating her from Toquí. Tears of grief and joy ran down her face.

She would have Toquí's child.