[at-l] Wile

[Felix J]

Frank Looper wrote:
> Yes, we've gotten to the point that the list has your journal pretty 
> much memorized. Or at least the last part of it.. But don't let that 
> stop you!
>
> Maybe next year you can throw in stuff from other folks' hikes. I 
> could really deal with hearing about the French-Canadienne LT blond 
> hiker girl in Felixese.

You mean like this:


As I neared the shelter, the pain in my shoulders intensified. I was 
glad the air had cooled. It seemed to help my headache a bit. 
Occasionally the wind would pick up and leaves would dance across the 
trail in front of me. My body felt good, strong, as I neared the end of 
another 16 mile day. 

Once I turned onto the approach trail to Demos Shelter, I could see the 
light of a candle flicker on the walls of the shelter. Part of me was 
glad to know there'd be other souls to spend another chilly night with. 
But, part of me wanted to be alone to nurse my aches and pains. 

Rounding the corner, I could hear the humming of a soft, female voice. I 
think it got louder as I approached because she was humming louder and 
not because I was getting closer. I think she was a bit afraid of what 
was making the noise I was making.

She was sitting in the corner of the shelter, mostly in her sleeping 
bag, leaning against the wall.  Her eyes got big as I stepped onto the 
shelter floor.

"Hi" I said.
"Hi" she came back with, less timidly than she expected.
"Got room for me?" I asked, trying to put her at ease.
"Oui. You hike alone?"
"Yeah. Nobody else can stand to be with me none too long" I said with a 
smile. I took my pack off and started the chore of setting up for the 
night. "I'm going to get some water. Do you need any?" I asked, being 
the gentleman that I am.
"I am fine. Thank you"

I got my water and began heating water for dinner. With my head still 
aching, I really didn't feel like eating, though. I sat on the edge of 
the shelter floor and, head down, slowly moved my head from side to side.
"You okay? No?" She asked.
"Oh, I've just got a headache. I've had it all day. It's sorta settled 
between my shoulder blades, too" I said.

Before I realized it there were two hands, firm but gentle, massaging my 
neck and shoulders. I became weak, nearly sick to the stomach, as I 
could feel the pain being squeezed from me. She moved her hands away 
from my neck and toward my shoulders, rubbing knots out along the way. I 
almost couldn't hold my head up on my own at this point. After several 
minutes of kind attention to my shoulders, she worked her way back to my 
stiff neck. After working up my neck, she found pressure points on my 
head that made me hurt to my feet. I knew the current pain was going to 
be worth it as she massaged away clumps of evil.

"Why are you so tensioned?" she asked in an adorable accent.
"Mmmmmm", I think I said. 
"No good?" she asked sheepishly.
"Oh, very good" I said. "Where did you learn to do that?"
"I am a, how you say, massage theraper"
"Ohhhhh. That explains it" it was only now that I heard my water boiling 
in my pot. As I turned to tend to the pot, I realized that the girl with 
the magic hands was not only a wonderful headache reliever, but was also 
naked.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Please to forgive?"
But, that was ten years ago tomorrow....