surprise.
Lying on her stomach, Anneli arched her back.
Leaning on her elbows she quoted. “I don’t care if it rains or a
storm hits, right now is perfect. I can’t believe anything could
bring a halt to the magnificent start of Christmas.”
“It sure has been a wonderful morning,”
declared Wade, running his fingers through Anneli’s long hair. “Are
you up for another surprise?”
“What, there is more?”
Using her wrists, Wade pulled Anneli to her
feet. He slipped his fingers through hers, walking back of the
miner’s hut. After swiping a length of nylon rope from off the
ground near the door they followed a track for a few minutes.
Veering off onto a narrow sandy trail they came to the base of a
radio tower on the other side of the hill.
The structure mirrored a high voltage
electrical tower. Its large square base at ground level tapered to
a point some seventy feet in the air. Large transmitter dishes
dotted the outside of the structure near the top.
“Are you up for a climb?” asked Wade.
Adrenaline started flowing through Anneli’s
veins. “Yes,” she answered confidently. In secret she could feel
her knees trembling at the thought of climbing the tower in a mini
skirt.
Wade unwound the rope, tying one end around
Anneli’s waist, the other around his black leather belt. “Only in
case,” he insisted, starting to lead the ascent.
Anneli’s mind raced. Instead of saying she
really didn’t want to climb the tower she clamped her jaw shut,
biting at the inside of her cheek to hide her nervousness. Besides,
the man she started to have strong feelings for seemed confident
enough to see to her safety.
Anneli held the thin rope in her left hand.
She waited for Wade’s feet to clear a half a body length from the
crown of her head before starting to climb.
The first twenty feet didn’t look easy. They
needed to reach up for the cross bar of the metal structure before
sliding along the thin railing to the other end of the frame. The
rusty metal edges turned their hands orange. On the outside of the
main tower legs there were two rods about the thickness of Wade’s
middle finger. They jutted out of the frame slightly less than ten
inches.
‘Obviously used for the purpose of foot and
handholds,’ thought Anneli studying the rods.
After completing the climbing sequence
several times the duo made it to the first metal platform. The area
looked to be about the same size of a standard car.
Anneli pointed to the ladder welded to the
side. “The next few levels seem easy.”
They climbed to the fourth level before
deciding they were high enough. The pair sat on the painted metal
floor overlooking Darwin, the sea and the surrounds.
“What a picture perfect view,” Anneli
described.
“It sure is,” agreed Wade.
Anneli lay prone to view the sky. Wade lay
next to her on one elbow staring into her eyes. He felt content
nothing and no one will interrupt their time.
“Wade this is a beautiful spot.”
“It’s only beautiful due to the fact you’re
here.”
Anneli sat bolt upright looking at his warm
friendly lazy smile. She needed to bury the idea of throwing
herself at him. If he wanted her it’ll have to be long division.
Marriage the whole works. Never again will anybody try to order her
to do something she didn’t agree to. The man she will give her
virginity to will be of her choosing.
“Wade, thank you for the compliment, you make
this place special too.”
The couple embraced at the same time a low
rumble rolled across the sky. The first rain drop fell onto the
bridge of Anneli’s nose. The second drop hit on the top of her
head. A strong gust of wind buffeted Wade’s shirt. The first
lightning bolt split the sky above Darwin. The billowing black
clouds quickly swallowed the picturesque sunrise. The temperature
dropped several more degrees. Another thunder clap rumbled in the
heavens causing the radio tower to vibrate. A few more drops of
rain fell onto the metal platform
Theodore Dreiser
Brandon Massey
Salice Rodgers
P. C. Doherty
Jeanette Murray
Robyn Donald
Michael Gilbert
D.S. Craver
Vaughn Heppner
Matt Hilton