Ronoele's Tree

The Hook Up

Olga and the stranger walked by each other’s side on the rough roads going to Edna’s house. Stones and sand crunched under their footsteps as the silence stretched between them. Olga stole glances at the person beside her who was a bit taller than she was. The light produced by the flashlight was just enough to light their path, not the whole area, so she was still wondering who she was taking the stride with.

“Uh, are you from here?” Olga asked, trying to break the dead silence.

“No. I just visited a friend living at the far end of this village. I’m going home to town.”

“Do you know the way around?”

“Nah. I just want to walk with you. But don’t worry, I can find my way back if needed.” He adjusted his Nike bull cap as he responded. He even fixed his backpack.

Olga couldn’t stop herself but admired the unfamiliar person for joining the walk with her, even if he wasn’t accustomed to their village. She glanced at him and saw that he had smooth skin like he was so feminine.

‘He’s probably handsome and from a rich family to have a skin like that.’ She smirked at her thoughts, thinking he was a good catch. Desire kicked in her malicious mind. ‘I like Manolo a lot, but I still want to explore.’

She grabbed the stranger’s arm, just to be amazed that his arms were slim and smooth too. ‘He has a few muscles, but he’s gonna be just fine. He smells good, too. Hmmm.’ She even rubbed her chest in his arms.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Olga felt the tension of the man, so she caressed his arm. “I’m afraid of the dark. I’m antsy.”

“You mean horny? Want to take a sidetrack to scratch that itch?”

“Would you?” Olga grinned as she held the man’s arm closer to her mounds.

“I don’t see why not,” the man said, licking his lips.

***

Olga held the man’s soft hands as she dragged him to the field Manolo used to spend most of his time on. She smiled when the flickering flashlight pointed at the oak tree. Memories of what happened between her and Manolo that afternoon flashed in her mind’s eye. She simpered at the scene when he rejected and left her alone in that area.

“Are you excited?” she asked, pulling the stranger’s hand to her waist so that he could hold her closer, which he did. He even grabbed Olga’s left butt cheek, which made her shriek with excitement. Heat pooled in her private area, just picturing out how wild their night would be. She reached for the man’s abdomen and tried to grab the man’s “thing”, but he was fast to catch her hand.

“Nah, ah... ah. Patience, dear. We’ll get there,” he said, releasing her hand.

Olga pouted at the response she received: she disliked the idea that her charm didn’t work twice in a row.

The closer they get to the oak tree, the faster her heart drummed her chest. The erratic beat was so deafening that the music composed by evening birds in melody with crickets no longer resonated with her senses.

“Finally, we’re here,” the man said, switching his flashlight off.

Olga stumbled on the roots of the oak tree, cursing because the only light source they had was gone.

“Why did you do that?” she snarled at him, who was just a few inches away from her.

“Haven’t you heard about ‘thrill?’” he hissed, stepping closer to her. His warm breath heated her cheeks, but that sent chills down Olga’s spine. She even jolted when the man’s lips brushed the side of hers, waking all her senses because of the electric voltage only her nerves felt. Her knees buckled when slender fingers traced her sternum up and down, teasing. She shrieked when he cupped her right breast. “Should we do it straight? Or do you want foreplay?” he whispered.

Goosebumps crawled all over her body when his lips touched her earlobes.

“Let’s… let’s do the latter,” she stuttered. She pulled the man’s hand and drew it to her belly, but instead of pulling the waistline of her skirt down, she flipped it up and put his hand on the wet treasure underneath the skirt that was still covered by a piece of thin fabric.

But to her surprise, her prospect pulled his hand back, making Olga sigh in annoyance.

“Are you gay that you can’t touch it?”

“No. You’re too aggressive,” he said, taking several feather-light steps backward. “Do you do this to everyone you just met?”

“No.”

“Do you want to do it with a certain person?”

“Yes, with Manolo, but he’s a prude!”

The man didn’t answer. Instead, shuffling of running away footsteps filled her ears. “Hey! What now?!” Olga growled in anger and disappointment, stomping on the grassy ground.

She reached for her pocket to get her phone, which, unfortunately, was nowhere to be found. She kicked hard because of anger, sending vibrating pain from her toes up to her head when she hit some roots. “s**t!!!”

She groped her way out of the eerie place, trying her best to adjust her pupils to the lightless night. Thanks to being a desperate stalker, she somehow could remember her way out and back to the road. She limply walked back to her original route to get to Edna’s house.

“This is the second time this day! What a series of bad luck!” she yelled, gritting her teeth. She ducked when dogs howled close to where she stood. It was then that she realized the path she took was not the one that led to Edna’s house.

She kept walking for almost fifteen minutes, hoping to see houses and lights ahead, but there was not a single glimmer.

‘A walk to Edna’s place should only take a few minutes from where I met that stupid stranger,’ she nagged herself. ‘I can’t believe I got lost!’

She paused for a moment and scanned the area with only the lights coming from the stars. Wild bushes and hanging vines on enormous trees surrounded her. Scuffling noise from behind alerted her.

“Hello?” she called.

“Hello,” answered her echo.

She went on until a soft rush of water became audible. Then there was a whistle from behind the bushes. She jumped to her feet because the sound sent an eerie vibe.

“Who’s there?” she hugged herself. Not only the wind in that area was chilling, but she had a strange feeling that someone or something was lurking somewhere, watching her. “I said who’s there!” she yelled. As a response, an uncanny laugh filled the air. The voice was soft and deep and raspy.

She took steps backward, but her attempt was dumb. From behind leaped a silhouette she couldn’t identify.

“Hello again, the lost nymph.”

Olga released a sigh of relief when she heard a familiar voice.

“Goodness! You frightened me,” she said while still clasping a hand on her left chest, calming her erratic heartbeat.

“Did I? I thought I excite you?”

“That’s a different story. So, did you change your mind? That’s why you followed me?” Olga regained her trampled confidence while fixing her posture, chest out. She even unhooked her bra, ready just in case she could seduce the man again.

Her eyes had already adjusted to the realm of darkness and could somehow see where the stranger stood. She walked towards him, and she was only a few inches away. She took his hand again and put it in her bare chest. This time she could feel his warm palm on her skin. She groaned at the tingling sensation caused by his touch.

“Playing hard to get, are you?” she teased when the man didn’t even try to feel her mound. “Don’t worry, I like it more if I do all the efforts.” She took the man’s hand in hers and guided it to massage her left bosom. She moaned in ecstasy, imagining it was Manolo giving her pleasure.

The stranger remained motionless and unresponsive, just allowing her to do what she wanted. When Olga’s face got closer to his, he switched the flashlight on, which made her jolt in surprise, but she kept kneading.

“Feeling good?” the man finally asked, seeing how Olga’s eyes rolled because of fervor. “Open your eyes and look at me,” he ordered.

Olga batted her eyes in response, but when her eyes laid on his face, she automatically removed his hand from her chest.

“Why? Aren’t you fantasizing earlier? Am I not good?” the stranger asked, grinning devilishly at her.

“OMG! You have got to be kidding me!” she yelled as she put the hook of her bra back on.

“Surprise!” Something glimmered under the flashlight—something sharp!

Olga’s jaw dropped when the series of events sank in her mind. Without a second thought, she took several steps past the hooker and did not look behind.

“That’s it, RUN! Don’t get caught, lost nymph!”

A maniacal laugh filled the silence of the night, following the warning.

Fear clouded Olga’s mind. She sprinted her way out of the dense area and almost flew her way to escape. She ran without knowing where to go. She wasn’t sure which part of the village she was in.

‘Am I in another world?’ she sobbed. ‘Where the hell does this path leads to?!’

Knowing she had run far enough, she stopped and swallowed her saliva to quench her thirst. The night was bitterly cold, but she was fiery because of exhaustion, not to mention the ignited libido she had moments ago.

“Yoo! Ho! Lost nymph? Where are you?”

That voice made Olga jump in terror. She scanned for thick bushes nearby and hid amongst them and peeked in the spaces between swirling, intertwined vines and twigs, and covered her mouth not to make noise. She even suppressed her sobs. The loud thump of the organ in her ribcage made her deaf, so she scooted hard, afraid her heartbeat would betray her and bring her chaser where she was.

“Damn it! I don’t have enough time. Come out, now, or I’ll go where you are?!”

Olga held her breath, not to attract attention, but fate wasn’t on her side. A slimy long animal crawled on her feet. Its cold skin penetrated hers, adding to the chills she was already feeling. A soft hissing sound even terrorized her already frantic heart.

‘Damn you snake!’ she cursed in her head. Tears flooded her face that made her wince in pain because of the minor scratches she gained from forcing herself amongst the bushes. She tried her best not to stir despite the tremor in her veins. The snake had no intention of leaving her alone, too. It would crawl and stop, crawl and stop, teasing her wits out of her mind. She couldn’t stand to shake the reptile off her feet, either. If she did that, her predator would catch her.

“Not really gonna show up, are you?” he called out. “Don’t worry. I’m good at playing hide and seek.”

Olga watched as the man walked in her direction, removing his cap.

“Ahh! The icy breeze on my scalp screams victory!” he laughed maniacally, sending creeps to Olga’s tensed body. “I hope you’re ready to play with me once I found you!”

Every step he made delivered vibes of fear to Olga’s senses, especially when he stopped where she hid—whistling a long, desolate tune.

“Once I see you, it’s G-A-M-E O-V-E-R!” he said, followed by a surprise peek-a-boo at her when he brushed the bushes aside. “Found yah!”

Olga covered her face with her hands, not wanting to see the look on her captor’s face.

Wrong move. It was too late to run. And she couldn’t because the snake’s fangs had already sunken in her legs, spreading poison that drained her energy even more.

“Stupid snake! How could you bite my prey?! I must be the first to take a bite!” He pointed the flashlight at the crawling reptile and smashed it with a heavy thing Olga couldn’t distinguish because her mind was already battling against unconsciousness. Unfortunately, her last glimpse of the surrounding was a somber, painful one, not for the snake, but for her own fate. She could only scream, ‘NO!’ in her head when she felt the predator binding her wrists together.