––––––––
Cooper was in a daze. The boat disappeared off site, guided by Jesse Hightower’s able hand. Cooper was now marooned on an island, surrounded by an element he did not understand and which he failed to command.
Ash’s arm slipped around his waist, all sensuous and soothing, so he let Ash pull him into his side.
“Don’t worry,” Ash said in a low voice, as though the trees might overhear. “We’re fine. You’re fine. In fact, you’re mighty fine! This will be fun, I promise!”
Cooper turned to him. Their eyes met, and he knew that their lips just had to follow. He grasped Ash, clutching him, pulling him in like a safety blanket. His frantic action didn’t catch Ash by surprise.
“I got you,” Ash whispered into his hair. Cooper began to relax as he felt Ash’s strong fingers grip his shoulders. “You are safe with me.”
The moment passed, and they let go of each other, Cooper shook his head ruefully, and the small smile he allowed pierced through the veil of anxiety that still covered the world around him. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s... It’s all the water around us. It’s like being in a boat, except it’s bigger than Jesse’s little bucket of bolts. I thought for sure that boat was going to sink!”
––––––––
ASH OBSERVED COOPER with an assessing gaze for a long while. When Cooper didn’t move and didn’t show an inclination to do anything, Ash gave out a slow sigh. Then he tilted his head to the side, and said. “The way I see it, we have two choices. We can either set up the tents first, and then meditate. Or, we can do some centering exercises, and worry about setting up camp later.”
Ash’s effort to make him comfortable got Cooper writhing with guilt. His lover worked hard to find a way for them to get together, and now Cooper and his stupid fear of deep water threatened to spoil what would, for anyone else, be a lovely outing. He took a deep breath and looked around, making sure to take in the details of their unique environment. The river surface still glistened through the trees, true, and he could hear the splashes of gentle waves against the rocks that encircled their small strip of land.
Land. They were, despite the water around them, still on solid land, and as soon as Cooper reframed his position in terms of his primary elements, he began to feel the earth under his feet once more. Instead of feeling adrift and in immediate danger of drowning, Cooper focused on that earthy, gritty connection which he was accustomed to feeling every day. It was a solid part of his mental and emotional landscape now, one which he, apparently, began to take for granted.
Cooper turned toward Ash and draped his arms over his shoulders. As soon as he grinned and touched their noses playfully, Ash’s tense shoulders began to relax under his touch, and the concerned tightness of his jaw began to drain away like so much rain water.
“I’d like to explore this place first,” Cooper said. “I think that’s option number three. Let’s see where we want to camp. I bet we will find a nice piece of bedrock here somewhere, even though we are in the middle of all this water!”
They followed the path, walking to their left, going upstream. The trail circumnavigated the island, winding through the tall trees. Points of interest were demarcated by discreet plaques, which described both natural features, and those left by people only decades ago.
The upstream end of the Sycamore Island sported an old, rusty barge that was stuck in what used to be a dock, carved into the landmass. Now, only a low point that flooded during high water showed where the old barge still sat. She was rusty and sad, with a breach in her steel hull. Cooper peered at the informational sign affixed to a tree, and after a while, he shifted from foot to foot and cleared his throat. “It’s amazing that they were fueling all the boats from this barge alone,” he said. “Look at it now!” He came closer, scrambling up the dirt and over the roots of the tree that was ingrown into the ancient structure. “Look, Ash! It looks like it was firmly affixed. I bet it’s too much trouble to remove it now.”
“Maybe we could climb over it, see what’s on the other side,” Ash said. “If you feel with your senses, I think you’ll find there is land over there.”
Cooper stopped in his tracks, closed his eyes halfway, and did so. “Yeah, you’re right. There is a little bit.” Then he shook himself and scrambled back down.
“What’s the matter?” Ash was pretty sure he knew what the problem was, but he looked challengingly at Cooper, as though daring him to say it aloud.
Cooper shrugged. “I know, I know. I am being irrational about this water thing. Yes, there is water under the barge. Yes, I could fall into that water through a hole. Happy now?”
“Yes, actually.” Ash patted his shoulder. “I think if you name and acknowledge this fear openly, you’ll go a long way toward managing it. I want you to be comfortable.” Ash squeezed his shoulder. “I want you to enjoy this weekend.”
The warmth, the tenderness in Ash’s voice softened the edges of Cooper’s discomfort. He could hear it spoken aloud, and he felt the warm protectiveness that enveloped him at Ash’s slightest touch.
If Cooper let Ash go on like this, Ash could probably overwhelm him entirely. Cooper was not the kind of a man who would want to be overwhelmed, but since Ash was so good at taking the fear away, he allowed himself the luxury of relaxing a bit more. He smiled at Ash and leaned into his touch. Just this once, he’d admit a weakness and allow Ash to make it all better.
He turned toward Ash and smiled brightly. “Let’s see what else is here!”
They walked along the other shore of the island, this time moving downstream. The path meandered through groves of trees, whose species were numerous: maple and sycamore, cherry and elm. A lovely clearing greeted them with a meadow bright with wildflowers and alive with the warm buzzing of bees. As they retreated back into the shadow of the trees, Ash pointed in amazement at a tree that had fallen down, yet whose branches grew up toward the sky, and had become trees in their own right. Ash neared it to investigate. “Look,” he exclaimed, “the original tree is still connecting them!”
One of the offspring was as thick as a utility pole, if not thicker, and reaching at least as high up. Cooper watched Ash touch it, and close his eyes in deep concentration.
Moments passed.
When Ash’s eyelids fluttered open again, he gazed upon the structure in wonder, before he turned back to Cooper and said in a hushed, reverent tone: “The water tells me that the branches that were touching the ground turned into roots. I have never seen anything like this before.”
Curious, and perhaps feeling a little challenged, Cooper touched the tree as well. He was not feeling for the water, however. His senses searched for the solid matter outside of it as well as within it. He closed his eyes, just as Ash had, and extended his senses in an exploratory trance. To his surprise, he saw what Ash was talking about. It was there, much like a negative image would be in an old-fashioned negative. He saw the absence of water – because he really couldn’t see water the way Ash did.
The roots were surrounded by deposits of river mud compacted into thin, periodic soil layers. The strata that formed the island rested upon a rock which jutted from deep below. Yet, to his surprise, Cooper didn’t feel any stirrings of energy, the way he felt them either at Millvale or in Lawrenceville, where the ley lines had converged into a node.
He opened his eyes and let go of the tree. “It’s amazing. But, you know what else is amazing? This island is anchored to bedrock! It’s anchored to bedrock, and I can see it structured just fine, except... except there are no energy patterns associated with it.”
Ash beamed a satisfied smile. “I know. I asked. I had brought Mark and Paul out here and they looked the area over. They couldn’t see anything either, but then again I’m not that good at sensing, not unless you’re around.” His expression took on a somber cast. “Jared would’ve been able to see even the weakest energy lines.”
Cooper swallowed dry. Out here, apart from the civilization and away from the background hum of the city, it was easy to forget the losses they had suffered so recently. He nodded. “He would. But, Ash, Jared would want us to be happy. If there really aren’t any ley lines under this island, Jared would’ve told us you found a perfect energy-neutral laboratory.”
––––––––
THE PATH LED them to the other side of the island, and as they walked downstream to the bottom tip, the ground rose up to a top of a craggy cliff, the surface of which was covered with a stand of slippery elm.
“One of the volunteers told me that morel mushrooms grow under the slippery elm,” Ash said. “He also said it’s too late for them this time of the year.”
Ash glanced at Cooper to see if Cooper would reply, but Cooper scampered up the rocks instead, and peered through the trees at the river below. “I like this place,” called out. “Any chance we could camp up here?”
Ash shook his head. “Not if you want fire. And even the flat top is too rocky to pitch a tent. Although...” Another thought crossed his mind. If Cooper felt comfortable up here, this might be a good place where to explore their love making.
How far could they go, and still feel good personally?
How wild could they get, and still have Cooper’s powers buffered by the flow of the river around them?
If their experiment worked out, then maybe this would become their special place.
“Is there a spot you like the best?” Ash asked as he stretched his legs, climbing up the steep path and letting his toes grab the soft soil, using gnarled roots to anchor his feet on the slope.
Cooper was standing by the rock outcropping. He stroked it. The dark, gray stone was about waist high, somewhat slanted, and its surface was flat and smooth. Ash quirked his eyebrow, and grinned. “You know, I can think think of all kinds of naughty things to do to you on top of this rock. It’s a lot like a sacrificial altar, and you’d be my offering.”
Cooper’s cheeks colored, but he didn’t divert his eyes from Ash. The rock, dark here in the deep shade, held the promise of excitement.
“And look at the thin, twisted roots up top,” Ash said, climbing up like a goat and giving them a good tug. He raked his melting gaze over Cooper from head to toe, then back up again. His voice grew husky with need. “You even have built-in handholds, so you don’t slide!”