Michael and I have been friends for ages. We first met in primary school and had sort of been running in tandem ever since. We're both eighteen now and seem to be heading in different directions with our lives but we still see each other quite frequently.
When Mike rang and suggested we take a hike up in the hills through our old stamping grounds I thought, why not? It had been a while since we'd been out, just bumming around and doing nothing.
Mike picked me up early in the afternoon. I was slightly surprised, but not displeased, to see Wendy, his twin sister with him. She used to tag along on all our little excursions. Sometimes as a welcome confederate, other times as a pest we couldn't shake off.
I remember that we used to go skinny dipping in the creek when we were kids. Wendy opted out of that particular pastime about the same time she started growing boobs. Or to be more precise, on the day that we looked at her in the water and pointed out that she had bumps on her chest.
We parked the car at the foot of the track we were going to follow and started on our way. The day was hot and we were soon feeling it. It was a relief when we finally reached the halfway point. This was the point where a creek bisected the trail. There was a short bridge over the creek, but if you bypassed that there was an easy trail down to the water. It was only a short distance downstream to where our old swimming pond had been.
Standing on the bridge, watching the stream bubbling past, Mike wondered if the old swimming spot was still there.
"No reason why it shouldn't be," I said. "It was a natural rocky hollow so I doubt if anything has disturbed it. How about we wander on down and see?"
The thought was father to the deed and we hopped off the bridge and followed the downward trail to the stream and then tracked along the stream. Now that we were older and bigger the stream no longer resembled a rushing river, and I was half expecting the old swimming hole to be a lot smaller than memory painted it.
I was pleasantly surprised when we reached the swimming hole. The pool we saw looked just as large and just as deep as memory painted it. In addition, the stony ground around the pool wouldn't permit any significant vegetation to grow there, so there was a nice spread of grass around the pool. An ideal spot for a picnic, really. I was just glad that no-one had ever got around to sticking in seats and a table and barbecue.
Like I said, it was a hot day and that water looked cool. Mike made the inevitable suggestion.
"The water looks good. Why don't we take a dip?"
"No bathers or towels," I drawled.
"So?" asked Mike. "We don't need bathers and the sun will dry us off fast."
"Uh-huh," I said, "and?" jerking a thumb towards Wendy.
"She's my sister, man," said Mike irritably. "Who cares if we see each other naked? Won't be the first time."
From the slight flush on Wendy's face I suspected that it would be the first time since she started developing bumps on her chest.
"Maybe, but she isn't my sister and she might object."
That thought had apparently not occurred to Mike, but it didn't deter him.
"No worries. She can turn her back while we go in and we'll just promise not to look while she gets undressed. Once in the water no-one will see anything."
I wasn't too sure about that, but it didn't really worry me. I expected that Wendy would just opt out of going in. She surprised me. She agreed with him. Twins. If one of them has an idea the other one catches it.
I shrugged. It was hot and the water did look cool. Mike started stripping and I followed suit, while Wendy stood with her back to us. Then Mike and I slipped into the water and looked elsewhere until we heard Wendy in the pool.
We disported ourselves in the water and had some fun, ducking and splashing and just plain horsing around. I'd been right about how much the water didn't conceal but kept my mouth shut, not wanting to embarrass Wendy.
Eventually Mike vacated the water and started brushing the excess water off his skin. I joined him, while Wendy modestly looked elsewhere. Mike dressed quickly, which surprised me. I'd figured he'd sit around and dry off a bit first.
"I left our drinks in the car," he informed me briskly, "and I'm just going to jog back down and get them. You coming?"
"Ah, Mike, there is no way I'm running off down the track with you with Wendy sitting here naked. You go on. I'll wait here."
"She'll be fine, won't you, Wendy?"
"Won't I what?" she yelled.
