Lizzie, a 25 year old career girl, wanted a bit of "me time." Work had been stressful of late and she needed to get away from her hectic city life. It was August and she was owed some holiday.
Lizzie therefore set off for a few days of solitary hiking and camping in a remote forested area some fifty miles from her home city.
By day three of the hike Lizzie was in a much more positive frame of mind. She had not met a soul since setting off, other than when she called into a farm shop to buy provisions. The solitude had allowed her to reflect on her life and get various ongoing issues in proportion.
As day three drew to a close, Lizzie was feeling tired, but not unpleasantly so. On the contrary, after a strenuous day's hiking, Lizzie's young, fit body was awash with endorphins. Her limbs felt warm, her muscles tingled and her mind was calm. It had been a lovely day.
Lizzie made her camp in a secluded opening in the woods. A stream close by provided a source of clean chilled drinking water and a means to bathe. Lizzie freshened up and then spent some time foraging for forest fruits. Finding a cluster of mushrooms, and being something of a mycophile, Lizzie collected a few fungi that she was knew to be edible.
After an evening meal using the last of her provisions, supplemented by her foraged mushrooms, Lizzie retired to her tent. It was by then 8 pm and the sun was setting. The evening air was warm and no sooner had her head reached her pillow, Lizzie fell soundly asleep.
Lizzie woke at midnight in a dreamlike state. As she gradually returned to consciousness, Lizzie became aware of the music of the forest. First, she recognised the playful sound of the stream as it rushed over the rocks and pebbles strewn in its path. Next, an owl hooted, setting off other distant bird call. These voices were broadcast against a background melody formed by a whispering breeze as it snaked between the trees. The rustle of leaves and the occasional creak of a flexing branch seemed to speak directly to Lizzie. It was as though the forest was beckoning her to come out and play!
Heeding the forest's call, Lizzie wriggled out of her sleeping bag, opened the zipped door to the tent and stepped outside. Barefooted, she was wearing only shorts and a tee-shirt.
Lizzie's heart leapt with joy at the wondrous sight that greeted her eyes. A glorious supermoon was filling the night sky and bathing the forest with brilliant rays of ethereal silver light. The air was pleasantly warm and the breeze gentle and soothing.
A small rodent, probably a mouse, scooted over Lizzie's foot, his tiny body painted silver by the lunar rays. "Take cover, little one", whispered Lizzie, "there's an owl about!"
Lizzie walked gingerly toward the stream. How different, thought Lizzie, was the sensual experience of walking barefoot in the cool grass, compared to the harsh pounding of city sidewalks in her "sensible" work shoes. Lizzie giggled as the grass tickled her feet.
Lizzie sat on the bank and dangled her feet in the running stream. The water was cool, but not cold. She paddled her feet to splish-splash the water and, childish though it was, being playful in this innocent way made Lizzie supremely happy.
Flying insects, not normally visible in the dark of night, were floodlit by the lunar rays. Lizzie watched their frenzied movements with fascination. A dragonfly came to inspect Lizzie, hovering inches from her face, before disappearing in a trice. A moth rested awhile on her knee.
Suddenly, and apparently out of nowhere, a flock of fifty or more pipistrelles came into view, their tiny bodies silhouetted against the moon. The bats settled in the branches of a tree on the other side of the stream, just a hair's breadth from where Lizzie was reposing. Their high-pitched chirrups seemed to be welcoming to Lizzie to their nocturnal world.
Lizzie felt that the ancient forest was beckoning her to commune with her and her inhabitants. The joy of being amongst nature and the feeling that she was a welcome guest filled Lizzie with a sense of wellbeing that she had not felt since childhood. An instinctive thought also gripped Lizzie. If she were to heed the beckoning call of the natural world, she must do so in her natural state. It would be disrespectful to the forest if she were to commune with it wearing clothes.
Lizzie stood up, removed her t-shirt and slipped off her shorts. Now naked, Lizzie stretched her arms upward to the moon, then lowering her arms to adopt a cruciform posture, she twirled around several times, her long blonde hair fanning out like a swinging carousel. The warm air caressed every inch of Lizzie's body, giving her goose bumps and causing her pink nipples to stand to attention.