Boondocking

"You okay, mister?"

"Yeah, I -- I'm fine."

The cop went to leave, but turned back. "I almost forgot to ask. You catch anything up there?"

He could still picture Ellie, still smell the sharp tang of Mickey's cigarette, still feel Izzy's arms wrapped around him. He shook his head. "No, not a thing."

Will pushed his half-finished meal away and dropped a twenty on the counter, his mind in a fog as he stumbled from the shadows of the restaurant into the bright sunshine outside. He was still reeling from the story he'd been told, it seemed impossible to believe, but he knew one thing for certain -- he had to return to the lake.

He headed toward his truck and was halfway there when he caught a movement from the shadows at the rear of his camper. He held up his hand to shield his eyes from the sun's glare and saw two legs stretch out into the sunlight, two golden legs.

Ellie was sitting on the back bumper, wearing a pair of cutoffs and a baby blue tee. "Hey stranger," she said.

Will took a step back, hardly believing what he was seeing. "I was just talking to a cop in there and...he was telling me a story about three girls who drowned in that lake."

She laughed. "And you think I'm a ghost?"

He swallowed hard. "One of the girls...he said her name was Ellie."

"It was," she said, as she stood and stepped into the sunshine. "Her name was Eleanor, but everyone called her Ellie. She was my mom. She named me Elizabeth and after she was gone everyone started calling me Ellie, too."

Will stared hard at her, as if he still couldn't believe she was real. "When he told me that place was haunted..."

"Sometimes I wish it was," she said. "I've been going up there every year since I was old enough, just hoping I might see some sign of her, and there's been times when I've almost felt like she was right beside me...but ghosts? Well, I guess we're all surrounded by ghosts.

"I was kind of surprised to see your camper in the parking lot. I thought you'd still be up there with your fishing rod and your letter."

Will shook his head. "I couldn't stay without you there. Why did you leave?"

"Izzy started to not feel well so Mickey figured we better get her to a hospital and have them check her out. She asked me if I wanted to stay there with you but I -- I wasn't sure if you'd want me to.

"We left a little after midnight. They said Izzy's fine. She and Mickey are on their way back home now."

"Then how did you get back here?"

"I hitched a ride. I wasn't going to, I wasn't sure if you wanted company, but it just didn't seem right to let you swim across that lake alone. Did I make a mistake coming back?"

Will spotted her bag beside her. "You mean...you want to stay with me?"

"I was hoping maybe we could do some boondocking together, you know, if you've got room."

"Oh, I've definitely got room."

"Even with that letter?"

"It's gone. I threw it in the lake."

"That's good, my mom can take care of it. But do you think maybe we can go back and visit her some day? Maybe meet Izzy and Mickey and swim across?"

"Sure, but there's just one thing I need to warn you about before you come boondocking with me."

"What's that?"

"You better like trout, because I'm a hell of a fisherman."

* * *

"I find that there is a quality to being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than before." -- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Thanks for taking the time to read my story (an entry for the 2015 Literotica Nude Day Story Contest). Any feedback or favorites are always appreciated and, if you enjoyed it, please don't forget to vote! ~ Seanathon