I flipped the brights on and got out. Standing in the beams of light, I waited for the familiar whine of the door. I gave him props for his bravery. At this point, we were little more than strangers, and Ididjust bring him to the middle of the woods. I had seen plenty of horror movies that ended like this.
“Such a city boy,” I joked.
“Hey! I could be a rugged country boy.”
“Rugged, maybe.” The lights from the truck reflected off the trees, illuminating the clearing in a soft glow. It’d take a second, but as our eyes settled, we’d be able to make out the hole in the ground and the glow of the water.
“This is my favorite place in Firefly.” If we traveled in any direction, we’d hear the crunch of slate under our feet. Here, the locals had cleared off the rock, treating it like our hidden oasis.
“What makes it your favorite?”
It was hard to put into words, especially to somebody who grew up in the city. We made fun of the flatlanders, but every person in the northern half of Maine understood we were part man and part nature. I spent my nights indoors watching television, but I always felt the calling to be outside and part of thisplacewe inhabited.
“When I was younger, I’d play in the woods.” The memory made me chuckle. “I’d slay dragons. I served Firefly as a valiant knight. Not sure why, but I always thinkabout that. It sounds lonely when I say it out loud now, but sometimes the world is just so?—”
“Busy.”
I nodded. As we both grew quiet, the chirps of insects and the distant hoot of a howl filled the gap. “I always felt larger than life and, at the same time, insignificant.”
“You’re anything but insignificant.”
I’m sure I didn’t quite convey the impact of this midway point between civilization and nature. If Simon was going to be a member of Firefly, I needed to indoctrinate him.
I pulled my shirt over my head.
“What’s happening?”
I threw the t-shirt on the truck. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out two glow sticks. With a quick crack, they turned green. I held them up to my face and gave him an eyebrow waggle. On chains, I fidgeted with the clasp before putting it on Simon’s neck. I did the same for myself.
“It’s so I don’t lose you.”
I kicked off my shoes and pulled my jeans down over my hips. A second later, I wore nothing but my briefs. “It’s my duty as a townie to properly welcome you to Firefly.”
“Will everybody in town be getting naked, or is this just a you thing?”
I reached down and picked up a rock. Chucking it away from the car, I waited for the splash. Simon’s green face looked horrified. Reality had set in.
“You can’t be serious.”
“As a heart attack.”
I hooked my fingers in my briefs. “It’s a Firefly tradition. There are bare bears in these woods.” I dropped my underwear. Standing in all my glory, I didn’t miss him giving me the up and down.
I reached for his tie, giving it a slight tug. Leaning in close, I breathed him in. My pillows would smell wonderful bathed in his scent. I whispered in his ear, “Unless you’re too much of a city boy.”
I turned and ran.
Ten feet, and then I pushed off, arms wrapped around my legs. I hit the water with a boom. The heat from the rocks kept the water warm enough for swimming. In a couple weeks, the chill would set in, and I’d have to worry about shrinkage. When I surfaced, I sucked in a breath of air.
“The water’s fine!”
I floated on my back, staring up at the stars. Even with the truck lights, the sky was filled with thousands of tiny dots. I could stay out here all night dreaming about faraway galaxies. Stress from the comic shop washed away. The convention was all but a distant memory. The world turned quiet as I bobbed in the water.
After a minute, I worried Simon had gotten in the truck. Had I pushed too hard? Did I break my city boy? “Is everything okay?” Had I overstepped my boundaries? Maybe it wasn’t cool to get naked unless we were?—
“Holy shit!”
I barely noticed the flailing man as I followed the greenrectangle over the edge of the quarry. He hit the water with enough force a wave rolled over my face. When he didn’t rise to the surface, I kicked myself for not asking if he could swim. I prepared to dive for Simon when he bolted upright.
