Shadow of the ???

It was warm; one of those post- sunny, central California kind of nights when it cools off below 100 degrees Fahrenheit just enough to walk comfortably. The concrete was not even cold on my bare feet as I walked the 100 yards to the apartment hot tub. The lateness of the night made me shudder with every breeze, helpless with irrational thoughts of attacks from a late night Freddy Kruger. The fact that the lock to the gate didn’t open freely didn’t help my cause. I was hoping for a quick entry into the albeit mental security of the short, locked gate of the pool area.

Due to the long work day, and coffee I drank in order to stay awake to finish a grant before the midnight deadline, I was wide awake, yet incredibly horny. I thought about sliding my fingers across my wet clit at home, in my apartment, while watching TV, yet the exhibitionism in me and the draw of the warm water of the hot tub changed my mind. I stripped out of the skin tight gray t-shirt that I was wearing all day; bra less, my hard nipples clearly visible from the short jaunt I had in t he cold sprinkler earlier that day. Those middle aged runners on the bike path surely had a great show as I finished my walk back home from the park. Yet, I digress, the hot water was calling me, and although I secretly hoped someone would walk past my sliding glass door as I stripped and slipped on my turquoise bikini, It surely wasn’t going to happen.

The hot tub was warm. I started with a toe and then quickly immersed the rest of my torso into the bubbling water. Facing the side of the pool, I placed my vagina against the nearest jet, allowing the stream of water to vibrate my insides. Reaching down, I moved the bikini to one side and the water made closer contact with my sensitive skin. My toes curled, and my knees almost buckled as I came – making a short, but quiet moan that no one except me would hear. This is what I thought anyhow. The clarity that comes after sexual satisfaction happens swiftly. All of a sudden shadows of tree branches became crisper against the building walls, and the breeze made whistling noises as it slowly crept in between those same leaves. A tile crashed off of the rec- room roof only ten feet away and I felt my heart jump in my chest. Surely it was only a raccoon, or other friendly animal scampering on its way to more easily begotten human-provided snacks in the form of old taco-bell or melted ice cream cones. Unfortunately the noise intensified, beyond what could be caused by a small creature. The sound of crunching tile magnified with my newly focused sense of hearing. It first looked like another shadow, but the sudden flash of leg and the tip of what looked like a giant bat wing made me realize that I certainly was not alone, and not in the company of a scientifically recognized species.

Knowing I had seen the creature, it turned back to face me. It stared with dark eyes through facial skin white as snow. The stare was engulfing, as if all the rest of the world had been taken from me. I did not see the creature’s lips move, and still heard the words: “I will see you again” in a slow, snake like whisper. And then it was gone. I came back to my apartment alone, walking carefully, stunned by what had just transpired. As I fumbled for the keys to the door, I looked behind me certain that I felt a cold breath chill the back of my neck. Running into the room, I slammed the barrier between me and the outside… and realized it was only a shadow.