Forward:
Feel free to jump directly into the story, but there are two things that might help you before reading this. First, this is a Dream Chapter in a series I am writing called The Desire Principle. You don't need to read any of the series to understand this story, but if you do choose to read some of the other chapters, particularly the first one, you will be able to better understand how Carrie - the main character in this short story - is able to do some of the things that she does.
Secondly, this is a period piece that takes place in the woodland near Fort Indiantown, Pennsylvania on approximately April 24th, 1942. As such you will notice some abnormalities, such as the term 'granula,' and references to Arbor Day, which has now been effectively replaced with Earth Day. I did some serious research on the time period, some slightly less serious research on the location, and some extremely serious research on the real people who inspired me to write the story. I'm hoping that I have managed to achieve maximum authenticity, within the boundaries of a fictional piece of work.
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The Desire Principle: Earth Day
Carrie stretched her arms and legs as she woke from a restful slumber. She rolled over to tug at the canvas flap of her pup tent, peeking out into the wilderness. The sun filtered through the canopy of trees, coming from the east. It looked to be about eight or nine o'clock, and she figured that she had better not spend all of her leave time lying about in her sleeping bag.
She slid out of the pillowy blankets with sinuous grace and crawled on all fours from under the cover of her military issue tent. Once free she enjoyed the sensation of the sun on her bare skin, slowly rising to her feet to allow the gracious light to caress her nude form. She stood among the trees and moss as a spectacular example of human beauty. Long brunette tresses cascaded down her back to rest between her shoulder blades. An errant strand or two tumbled over the front of her collar bone to just barely conceal her pert nipples, which rested upon immaculately sculpted breasts that seemed to need no bra to keep them firm and perky.
Her slender stomach sloped gently down and forward to reach for the bush of deep brown fur that grew between her legs, trimmed but retaining the image of an untamed, natural woman. Away from this tuft her legs extended, the muscles defined yet subtle, toned yet unpronounced. Her dainty knees provided a brief pause to the curve created by her hips, which then flared out again to form her delicate calves and ankles, ending in graceful feet that currently stood on the mossy ground, toes wriggling with pleasure at being free to feel the world beneath her.
The only adornment that touched her skin, apart from the gentle embrace of nature, was a sleek golden heart-shaped pendant dangling from an elegant chain. Detailed etching and embossing along the surface of the charm collected the light that wafted down from between the foliage above, bending it back to create a miniature star which rested stylishly between her breasts. It twinkled gently as she swayed with a soft zephyr for a moment, and continued to glitter with no regard for where it's light source was located as she turned her heels on the light soil and padded away from her camp.
With utterly no care for the fact that she walked about in total nudity among the natural environments of the Pennsylvania wilderness, Carrie strode confidently over to the tree that she had been keeping her food in. She untied a knotted rope and slowly lowered her duffel to the ground, crouching down and retrieving a thick paper bag from within. She dug a hand into the bag and pulled out a bit of granula, which she lazily shoveled into her mouth and began to chew on, gazing at her surroundings with contentment. She enjoyed one or two more bites before folding the bag and stowing it safely back inside the duffel.
She cautiously returned the storage device to its desired elevation and tied the rope it was hanging from around the tree once more. She shielded her eyes and peered upward toward it, spying the jar that she had secured in a like manner. The liquid within the jar was revealed to be a light brown, she was able to tell, as the suns rays glittered across its glass surface. It would be a refreshing jar of sun tea eventually, but she believed that a few more hours of steeping would be needed to get the flavor she wanted. Turning, she made for the brook at the bottom of the hill.
Stopping at the soft, moist soil that bordered the little creek she took a moment to listen to her surroundings. Carrie loved these little trips she was able to make out into the woods, taking another one whenever she had built up enough leave time from the Army base she served on. Over her many excursions she had become familiar with the sounds that were typical. She could tell the difference between an approaching bear or elk, and was rather good at making the distinction between the normal babbling of the brook and the sound of a deer stopping for a drink. She had been fortunate enough to come face to face with a few of the latter, and successfully avoid an encounter with the former.