Chapter 4

When I awoke, it was mid-morning, the sun already halfway up the sky. I thought I remembered an odd, powerfully erotic dream, where I was making love to a mythical creature, before I realized it was no dream. She had come to me, and given me what we both needed, it seems, an unselfish gift in all respects.

A sudden wave of irrational guilt washed over me, quickly killing the erection I had woken up with. I had been unfaithful to Sara, part of me was screaming. Forgive me, love! It was too fresh for me, still, and tears came to my eyes again. Sara and I had been really good together, soul-mates, and I would always miss her. How could I have enjoyed such intimate contact with another -- no matter what species! -- while her memory was still so strong?

Yet I knew, for certain, that Sara would never want me to grieve for her forever. In my head, I imagined I could hear her sweet voice, saying, It's okay, love, let me go. Find happiness again, however you can. And I will always be with you. That thought brought more tears, and it was a few minutes before I could compose myself. But life would go on, Sara would want that, I was positive. I wiped my eyes, and faced the new day...

As I swam through that nightcycle into the next light, I knew that something had changed in me, forever. I found myself wanting to be with the man again, and wondered at this strange longing. We had shared a very intimate time, more than simply the rubbing of bodies together, yet I knew not what.

The man did need to have a name, I felt certain. My lost mate had been called WaveDancer, after his powerful fluke that let him rise up on the water so beautifully. After some thought, I decided to call the man DeepSinger, both for his low and soothing voice, and for the glorious song we had made together. The memory warmed me, and I hoped he would like the name I had chosen for him...

... I had gone to bed without eating anything last night, and now my belly was rumbling to prove it. So the first order of business today was grabbing something quick to fill me up. As I wolfed down my simple breakfast, I remembered my promise to find a name for the dolphin, so I located a box I knew contained some books, including an old set of encyclopedia. For whatever reason, it seemed fitting to look for a name associated with some classical god, so I located the volume covering the Greek pantheon, and began looking through it. There were so many of these major and minor deities, I knew I would find one that suited my new friend. And there it was, it stood out clearly: Galene, the Greek goddess of calm seas. Galene it was. I might eventually come up with something to call her other friends, too, but they could make do with lesser names.

With the set of encyclopedia out, I also did some "refresher" reading on dolphins. I thought I had a pretty good handle on the anatomy -- from first-hand experience! -- but it helped to see it in a diagram. I was right ... the dolphin's clitoris is positioned very similar to a human one, hiding in the folds of flesh at the upper end of her slit. They are indeed very sexual creatures, often engaging in it for extended periods of time. I also learned that despite its rubbery feel, their skin is extremely sensitive. It functions for them the way our hands do, helping them make sense of their surroundings. So I guess a pat on the head might mean more to Galene than I thought. I was also reminded that dolphins are easily identified by their dorsal fins, which are almost as unique to them as fingerprints are to us. I made a mental note to be a little more observant, the next time any of them came around.

Speaking of which ... I stepped out to the deck and looked out into the cove. Sure enough, there was my little pod, out there in the sparkling water. I pictured them chattering to each other, Galene telling them all about last night, and the thought made me chuckle.

There was a hodge-podge of deck and beach furniture out here, some of which I had brought with me, some of which was left here by the previous owner. So far, I hadn't used much of it, but suddenly I decided the deck needed to be settled, just like the rest of the house was getting to be. After all, this was a wonderful place to relax in the early morning and the late evening. So I started taking stock of what was there, and did a quick "decorating" job. There was too much for all of it to be out on thet deck at once, so I took a few pieces down to the sand below, including a comfortable-looking armless lounger. The rest I stowed underneath the other end of the house, where the car was parked.

After just that little bit of effort, I was sweating once again, in the rising tropical sun. Is it always sunny here? I thought, and laughed at myself for the stupidity of choosing a sunny paradise spot to retire to, then complaining about all the sun. It was just something to get used to. And besides, the blue water was always close by ... a most pleasant way to rinse off, which sounded pretty good at the moment...

Splashing into the water, I wondered momentarily if I would even see Galene again, or if our intimacy was the dolphin equivalent of a one-night stand. After all, as nice as last night had been, she had to prefer her own kind ... didn't she?...

... the light was growing strong and warm, when I felt him splash into the water once more, and I swam to meet him with gladness in me. I could sense his pleasure at my approach, and I called to him before coming to nuzzle...

... the question was quickly answered when, not long after my noisy entrance, Galene swam over to say hello. (I remembered that little scar on the left side of her dorsal fin, and the way its tip was slightly crooked, now that I thought about it.) She called to me once, and then came over to nuzzle between my legs. "Good morning, Galene," I said, trying out her name as I stroked her head. And then she rolled over, offering me her belly...

... he began caressing my skin with his fingers, and I gave him my underside -- belly, he calls it, my belly -- with no hesitation. The tingling began immediately, this time, his touch so pleasing to me...

... Well, I guess she remembers me fondly... . This time, I remembered what I had read about the sensitivity of her skin, and I spent a long time carressing her belly with both hands, lightly kneading and massaging with my fingers. And of course, I was eventually drawn back to the smooth folds of her slit, which looked slightly swollen this morning, from last night's workout. (I was hard again, just thinking about it!) Yet she welcomed me touching her there, and as I softly played with her, she shuddered with pleasure again, with no indication that she wanted me to stop. In fact, after a few moments of this, Galene started lightly humping against my hand, again...