Chapter 2

The next day, Jason’s alarm woke him up at his usual 5:00 a.m., but today he was energized and ready to go. While he was excited for the chance to go back to the creek and see Emily, today also was his first horse-riding lesson. He had spent the first month learning how to take care of horses, feeding them, cleaning them, and tacking them up. Now, he was finally getting his first riding lesson once all the morning chores were done.

He showered, grabbed a snack, and set off to start on all the tasks he had to do. As he was filling up the troughs with feed, he had a realization. Over a month ago, if he could have seen himself up at 6:00 am feeding pigs and chickens, about to clean stables, and be happy about doing it, he never would have believed it. Just the thought of wanting to ride a horse back then was stupid. ‘We have cars for a reason,’ he would have said. He didn’t even miss his video games. He didn’t care what his clanmates were doing or what the new meta was. He was feeling good in the here and now!

Jason took care of all the animals while his uncle checked the field. Now it was time for his first lesson! Uncle Bill had him tack up horses for all of them before he was allowed to climb up onto a saddle. His aunt and uncle both had their horses while he rode his cousin Tommy’s horse, named Hurricane. She was a mare, part thoroughbred and part Mustang, but she had a relaxed disposition. According to his uncle, the horse was perfect to learn on but tough to master.

At first, he was led around the field by his aunt on her horse, with his uncle staying close in case he needed to jump in to help. After a little while, they released the lead and let Jason try to direct him where he wanted. It took an hour, but eventually, he got the hang of it. He had her trotting around and making tight turns. It was approaching 11:00 am, so the sun was getting high in the sky, and it was getting hot. It was time to rest for the afternoon.

“Wow Jay, you were a natural on Hurricane, there. You’d have thought you grew up ‘round here stead of the city.”

“Thanks, Uncle, that was a lot of fun! Hopefully, we can do it again soon.”

“What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?” his aunt asked.

“Don’t know. Might go for another walk in the woods.”

“You sure do spend a lotta time out there. Find something cool?” she asked.

“Nah, I just find it peaceful to walk around. Might take a book to read if I find a nice spot.”

“A book? You? First riding and now reading, who are you, and what have you done with my nephew from the city?” Bill asked.

“I don’t know. I really don’t.”

“Well, I’m glad. You look happier. Must be the fresh air and the magic woods,” said his aunt.

“Magic woods?”

“Did we not tell you those woods are special? Why do you think it was never plowed over?” Uncle chimed in.

“Because it’s a great source of lumber for building?”

“Well yes, but also, they’re magic. Strange but wonderful things happen in there. Right, Ma?”

“Darn right. Seen it myself. But you’d better pack up before we all roast out here,” his aunt said.

Jason could feel the heat building up, so he cleaned up a little, packed his bag with a towel and one of Tommy’s books, and set out into the woods. He was getting more comfortable navigating his way through the thicket of tree roots, rocks, and undergrowth. He made his way there in 30 minutes, a new record for him. The sky was clear, and the sun was directly overhead. He didn’t want to get too much sun, so he set up his towel in the shade of the treeline.

He took off his clothes before jumping into the deep part of the creek. The cold water rejuvenated him. Maybe this was the magic they were talking about? The power of feeling refreshed from a hard day’s work and feeling alive again. Maybe it was metaphorical? But that doesn’t sound like his uncle. While he had folksy wisdom, he didn’t seem the philosophical type.

After sitting in the waterfall and then floating around, Jason got out and headed for the shade. He looked at the book he brought, Catcher in the Rye. He had heard of it somewhere, and he figured sports might be an interesting subject to read. He opened the cover and started.

He was about 20 pages in when, “Well, hello there, neighbor, whatcha reading?” The voice startled him, and he jumped up before he saw Emily on the other side of the creek.

“Woah, calm down jumpy,” she said. “You must have really been into that book.”

“I guess I was. Sorry about that,” as he looked at her and smiled.

“I’m glad you came back. I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to speak to me again. So, what are you reading?” She leaned forward and squinted. Catcher in the Rye? Very nice choice. Wanna come swimming with me for a while? I’m cookin’!”

“Sure, I’ll jump back in.”

She threw her bag over the creek to Jason, who easily caught it. She stripped naked and jumped into the water. Jason put the bag down next to his gear and joined her, careful not to land on the girl. The two splashed around for a while, laughing and carrying on until they got tired. Emily sat by the waterfall while Jason just floated around on his back, his penis sticking straight up in the air like a sail. They both recounted the day up to this point, Jason with the horses and Emily with some customers at the store.

“So, are you seeing anyone? Got a girlfriend back home?” Emily asked, curious about him and why he was sent here for the summer.

“No, as I said yesterday, I haven’t had sex before, and I’ve never really been out with anyone either!”

“Don’t get mad, but I don’t see how that’s possible. A cute guy like you would be cleaning up here at my school.”

“I doubt it. I’m not exactly a social person, especially with girls.”

“You don’t seem to have a problem talking now. You might not be able to tell, but I’m a girl,” she teased.

“I’ve noticed! But I don’t know. It’s different with you. Maybe it’s just the way we met here. I don’t have that usual anxiety I feel around most people when I’m around you. Maybe it’s magic,” he said, laughing to himself.

She looked confused. “It’s what? Magic?”

“Something my uncle said earlier. He said these woods are magical but wouldn’t explain more. Stupid, right?”

“Well, I do feel more relaxed here. I just figured it was because I was alone before, but now that you’re here, it’s still the same. Maybe it is magic ... or pixies. Probably fairies,” she joked.

“Maybe,” he laughed.

They swam around for a little while before deciding to get out. The sun felt nice as they dried off. He had to be careful not to burn any tender areas that hadn’t seen the sun before. Emily had a fairly even tan over her body, with only some light areas on her breasts and crotch area.

“Can I ask why you are here?” she asked.

“Because I wanted to cool off in the water, and I enjoy your company, of course,” he answered, not fully understanding the question.

“No, chucklehead. Why are you here at your uncle’s farm for the summer? You said you can take care of yourself, and that seems to be true. So, what’s going on, Jason?”

“I ... I don’t know. I guess I’ve been screwed up ever since my dad died. I barely graduated from school, I had no future plans, and when I was at home, I just sat around playing video games and hiding from life. Is that what you’d like to hear? My sad story?” He was starting to get defensive, but she wasn’t one to give up.

“Not at all. The person you described doesn’t seem like the same person I’ve talked to the past few days. You seem happy. You were genuinely excited talking about riding a horse. I don’t see the sad sack character you’re describing. Maybe you needed to come out here and try a different way of life.”

As she finished speaking, she warmly smiled at him. He could tell she wasn’t trying to put him down or gaslight him. She seemed to genuinely want to learn more about him. It warmed a part in him deep down that he thought had been buried long ago.

“Can I ask you a question, Emily? You definitely seem like a popular girl. You probably have lots of friends, you may or may not have a boyfriend, and yet you spend a good part of your day alone here by this creek. Why is that?” he tried to put on his best therapist’s voice.

“Well, I like to be alone sometimes. Things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows for me, but I don’t want to get into that right now. Maybe another day? I’ll tell you my sad tale as well. But thank you for caring to ask.” She leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek.

Jason turned his head, and the two were inches apart, eye to eye. Emily turned her head slightly and gave him a tender peck on the lips, feeling out how he would react. He leaned in this time, and the two shared a longer kiss; it was soft and gentle. Both Emily and Jason had their eyes closed. They pulled away before opening them and smiled at each other. Emily broke the tension with a quip.

“Can I ask how you have been hard the entire time I’ve been here? That’s got to be hours now. Are you taking pills for that?”

Embarrassed, Jason muttered “Sorry,” before trying to cover it up.

“No, no, no ... I just meant it must get tiring having an erection like that for so long. Feel free to help yourself out if you like. Don’t mind me.”

“No way. I’m not doing that with you watching.”

She edged a little closer to him, whispering in his ear, “I could do it, too.”

Jason just looked at her, his mouth agape, but he shook his head no. “That’s ok. I’m fine like this, really.”

She ran her hand over his chest, her fingers teasing his chest hair as they slowly descended towards his pelvis.

“How about I just help you out then?” Emily whispered seductively.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I know. I want to do this.”

Her soft hand contacted the shaft of his penis. She was the first person to touch it other than himself. She ran a finger underneath the length of his shaft, teasing the already hard member before touching the head. She slid her finger, carefully, painstakingly slowly around the tip of the head near the hole, making him want her to do more. She brought her hand back down, pulling the foreskin down with it. Her hand gripped the shaft firmly but carefully and started an up-and-down motion.

He looked into her eyes as she jerked him off and saw her looking back at him. She smiled warmly again and kept up the motion. It felt really good to have someone else doing it for him for a change. It felt so different. She was softer and gentler than when he was just trying to get off.

“You can touch my tits if you want to, Jay,” she added. He was unsure if he should. He was happy just getting this handjob from such a beautiful girl. Maybe it was a test to see if he’d try for more. She could see the apprehension on his face, so with her free hand, she took one of his hands and placed it on her chest.

Now, his hand was pressed into one of her perfect breasts. It was so amazing to feel the soft, delicate skin, the rough bumping areola, and the hard pink nipple in the center. All of this was too much of a sensation overload for his first time. Within seconds of touching her breast, he started shooting ropes of cum in the air. The first few were so strong some landed in his hair before Emily redirected it onto herself. Some landed on her breasts and stomach before it dribbled onto both of their legs. Her hand was covered in white jizz.

“Wow! It looks like you really needed that. I’ve never seen a guy cum like that before,” she said, wiping her hand on the grass.

“I can’t believe that just happened. That was the best thing ever! Thank you, Emily.”

“Of course! I think you really needed to let it out. Maybe you could do the same for me one day? But now let’s get in the water and clean up. We probably should be heading home soon.”

Jason looked at the sun and realized she was right. It was getting late in the afternoon and if he didn’t get back, there would be questions. The two cleaned the goo off themselves before drying off and getting dressed. Before they departed, though, Emily kissed Jason and told him she looked forward to seeing him again. The two then split up and went their separate ways. Jason was buzzing from what had happened and couldn’t wait for the next day

The rest of the week, Jason wasn’t able to go to the creek. The weather turned nasty. Heavy winds and rain were a regular occurrence. Work still needed to get done, though, so on went the rain slicker, and into the barn he went. It was mainly the animals that needed tending to. Stalls needed cleaning, feed distributed, and water refilled. Some new straw had to be put down in the stalls for cleanliness. Otherwise, it was just making sure all the animals were doing well and were staying dry.

While he did have things to do, Jason really wanted to talk to Emily. Though she was just across the road, it seemed like miles away. He knew he couldn’t just waltz over there. It would give away the secret of the creek and how they had met. He had to make sure they exchanged phone numbers the next time he saw her.

At one point that night, he even tried using the telescope in his room to see if he could see her, but he wasn’t sure which room was hers. He also found it very difficult to aim a telescope at a target so close. He’d have to work on that. More importantly, what was their relationship now? Were they friends, or maybe more? What did it all mean? All this was eating him up!

Even after the skies cleared and the sun came out, he wasn’t able to get over to the creek. Now they were behind on their chores of fixing fences plus repairing any holes in the roof the winds might have caused. It took several days to catch up with all the storm damage before he would be able to go back there.

It was now in the back half of July. The crops were growing high, and some were ready to be harvested. Jason did his regular morning chores. He didn’t even notice that he was waking up at the crack of dawn anymore. He just got up, showered, dressed, and was in the field or barn at the same time as his uncle was. He was pretty happy doing it, too. Also, today was another lesson on the horse, which was nice.

He tacked and headed out to join his family in the ring to get more advice and techniques. He learned not to plant his hands when the horse gets excited, lest he get a free trip to the ground. He learned better control and how to get Hurricane to back up and go sideways on command. He even tried his hand at lassoing from the back of the horse. It went badly and he nearly fell off, but it was fun to try anyway. His uncle was hooting and hollering at his attempt but let him know that no one makes it on their first attempts. He told him to get more practice on the ground and try to be a cowboy later.

Jason was also extra excited today because he had free time again to go back to the creek. He hoped Emily would be able to stop by as well, but there was no way to know. He would just have to hope for the best and see.

He packed up his usual gear in his bag and headed out to the woods. He had gotten better at finding it. He was learning the land just like his uncle said he would. He found the rock wall in record time and made his way to the opening. He was the first one to the creek, as usual. There was always a chance he might be the only one there today anyway.