FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"As I went down to the river to praaay...

Stu-dy-ing about that good old way and who shall wear...

The star-ry crown, Good Lorrrrd, show me the waaaay...

Ohhhh sin-ners, let's go dowwwn...

Let's go dowwwn, come on dowwwn...

Oh sin-ners, let's go dowwwn...

Down to the river to praaay..."

Hank Eckland smiled big and wide watching the beautiful Miss Lutra Gavin as she walked past his road-side cottage on her way to Miller's Point out by Carson River. He could tell that's where she was headed for a couple of reasons. One, she was dressed in her usual clothes for swimming; faded, ragged blue jean shorts that came up to only about mid-thigh, allowing the start of taut dark-brown crescent buttcheeks to show from behind, and a lovely blue and white checkered tied-off blouse that held just enough of her perfect, full tanned globes from sight to keep from getting in trouble with the law. Secondly, she was singing her favorite song, a classic from around the 1860s, described as a Christian folk hymn, an African-American spiritual, an Appalachian song, and a gospel song all wrapped up together to become a glorious melody.

"Mornin', Lutra," Hank waited for her to come to the end of a chorus before piping up as he swung slowly on the porch. "Havin' a swim?"

The green-eyed beauty smiled, showing perfect teeth, and it made the old man's heart want to soar. "If'n the water's not too cold, I reckon," she laughed. It was their game. Every time she walked by, he asked the same question, and she always gave the same answer. The fun part was usually whatever Hank said next, which always made her laugh.

"Hell, gal, water's prolly colder'n a witch's tit on Halloweeny in there."

Lutra giggled, tossing a long cascade of beautiful raven hair down her back that nearly touched her jeans. "Oh now, it cain't be that cold!"

Hank grinned. "Mebbe if the weatherman's right. First of June always keeps us guessin'." He got up from the swing and ambled slowly over to the waist-high fence to lean. "Tennessee's long overdue fer a deep freeze. Ain't happened since the 1880s though, 'round the time of that blizzard. You wouldn't recall it but it was the damned coldest time I can remember."

Lutra smiled, tilting her head kindly. "Reckon I wouldn't be born yet, Hank."

"Oh hell no, you're, what, 30 or so right?"

She nodded, not at all minding the personal intrusion. "Mm-hmm. Born 1919. I'll be thirty-one actually come Fall."

Hank looked at her face, searching for anything to suggest she didn't look 16 if she were a day and then told her so. They laughed and chatted together, as they often did, discussing what was going on around the small town of Polette, Tennessee, where everyone knew everyone else, and people were for the most part friendly and law-abiding. Hank hated what the World War had done to the country and had lost his dear wife Sue-Ann the summer of 1945, right about the time a plane carrying an atomic weapon created by a bunch of egg-head physicists delivered its payload to Japan - and pretty much changed the whole ballgame in warfare forever.

"Comin' down later, Hank?" Lutra asked, resting her hand on the fence. At nearly 80, the old man was as spry and as active as she could imagine. All of Polette had come out for his wife's funeral in earnest, and there was talk he'd go on to be with her within the year. But Hank obviously had no intention of leaving this world too quickly. She smiled softly, looking at him. Perhaps it was people like her who put a spring in his step, and made him want to go on living, just for the opportunity to talk to a beautiful, scantily-clad woman nearly every day. Who wouldn't want to go on living as long as they could just to do that?

"No, Lutra, I gots to tend to things out back today. You go on now and have a good swim, y'hear?" He suddenly placed his hand over hers, feeling an unconscious tug of foreboding somehow. "Be careful, k? The water gets rough if'n you ain't ready for it."

The woman nodded sheepishly. "I always am, Hank. I'll see you 'bout later then. You have a great day."

Hank smiled and watched her walk away down the dirt road humming her tune, re-adjusting the floral towel over her shoulder. His tired eyes wandered along the back of her shapely legs from thigh to bare feet, before he shook his head and tore himself away from the fence. Miss Gavin was quite likely the most beautiful addition to their small town in quite a while, and there was no surprise that many a man in Polette wanted her as his own.

She had arrived to the town quite strangely in fact, just wandering along Carson's riverbank, drenched to the bone, disoriented, talking over and over about a car accident. She'd been on her way with her husband to Memphis to start a new life, with all the belongings they could pack into a 1946 Studebaker, when the car plunged off a bridge and fell into Carson River. Her husband had managed to get Lutra out one of the doors, but had drowned as the car sank into the depths. It had taken nearly three days for him to come up so the town could give him a proper Christian burial. Lutra was devastated but the town immediately stretched out their arms to the widow, getting her settled into Polette with a part-time job as a teacher, a house to rent, and plenty of food and clothing.

That had been a year ago.

Looking at her now, one would never believe she was once so lost and alone. There was a spring to her step, and a smile on her face all the time. The townspeople never saw anyone so happy, and so positive, and so extraordinarily beautiful.

Yes, Hank thought to himself as he walked around to the back of his cottage, she was a blessing, and the town was lucky to have her.

**

When Lutra arrived at Miller's Point from the old dirt road, the swimming area was already quite filled with children of all ages splashing and yelling at one another in the shallows. Some had gone up to the top of the steep bank to take a ride on the rope swing, or bravely cannon-balled, jumped or dove in to the much deeper section, which had been cordoned off with rope and a string of tin cans. Among some of the larger rocks, adults sunned themselves and frequently monitored their respective offspring for any signs of trouble.

Lutra smiled and waved to them as she approached the bank and set down her towel. A few of the children immediately yelled at her, trying to entice her to come in. A trio of high school senior boys sitting on the bank nearby stopped talking to gaze at her lustfully.

"Lutra!" One of the little girls shouted, waving her arm excitedly. "Dive for us!"

The woman chuckled, tossing her hair back and slinging it into a ponytail. "Alright, alright, give me a sec, Sheila!" She padded to the edge of the bank, about 20 feet from the water below, and steeled herself on her toes, smiling down at the other children. Behind her, the senior boys were all now staring, their eyes riveted to her form. "Front or back?"

Shiela squealed, clapping her hands. "Front, front!"

Lutra grinned and took a deep breath before leaping off the bank, arcing her body into a graceful vertical and diving head-first into the water with hardly a splash. For quite a while, the surface was smooth, with no bubbles at all.

One of the boys on the rock craned his head to look down at the still water, waiting for some sign of the woman to come up. "How the hell does she do that, Pete? Stayin' down so long...Jesus, she's like a fish or somethin'."

Peter Clark glanced at the watch on his wrist, counting a minute. "Mebbe there's some secret passage down there, I dunno. Air pocket from a car?"

Miller's Point teemed with the animate and inanimate alike. Along with an abundance of catfish, rainbow trout, perch, craw daddies and other delicacies that stocked the local fish and seafood store, there were wagons, junked cars, trucks, tractors and other relics strewn across the rocky bottom about 70 feet down. Only the strongest swimmers dared go down that deep, and never for very long. There was always a fear a young boy or girl, or even an older swimmer might decide to explore the bottom, get caught somehow inside one of the old cars, and drown helplessly.

Peter kept an eye on his watch as the second hand moved towards two minutes and still no sign of Lutra. "Mebbe she-" He stopped as a few bubbles suddenly broke the surface in the shallow area, and Lutra's head came up from the water amid a few shrill cries from the kids around her as she caught her breath, smiling at them as they gathered around her, chattering excitedly. "Damn..."

"I'll bet she goes all the way to the bottom," his friend remarked, still staring dreamily down at her. "Bet she goes down and just swims along the bottom, stopping at cars, looking inside them, fuck, that is so hot..." He noticed an erection building in his jean shorts and rubbed at it uselessly.

"Can it, would ya, Frank? That's not helpin' no one." Peter growled at him, watching as Lutra started chasing after some of the children and splashing them. He'd been coming to the river quite a bit lately, more for the chance to ogle the beautiful schoolteacher than to actually get in the water. Though he'd tried hard to talk to her in the past outside of school, the words never quite came out right, and he'd usually end up frustrated and angry. Maybe today- "Come on," he suddenly got to his feet, "let's go in..."

"Fuck yeah," Frank Carter jumped up, shaking his arms. "Hell, I need to cool off."

Peter put a hand on Frank's chest and pushed him away. "You just fuckin' wait. Me and Bob'll go..."

Frank frowned. "Why the fuck should I be the one to stay out?"

Peter got up into his face. "Because my dad runs this town and I can put yours outta work like that?" He snapped his fingers loudly. "Stay here..." He and Bob walked to the edge and jumped into the water, yelling raucously, splashing some of the adults as well. When they surfaced, the boys looked across the water and saw Lutra taking turns helping smaller children climb up on her hands so she could flip them over her shoulder.

"Hey, Miss Gavin!" Peter called out. He and his friend swam over to the schoolteacher as she finished throwing Sheila over.

She looked over at them curiously then started to laugh. "Oh, hey now, boys, you're too big for me!"

Peter snickered, pulling up a few feet from her and standing in chest-deep water. "Nah, it ain't that. I...I really just wanted to talk to you..."

Lutra turned around so she could face the boys. "What about? If this is about school, hon, we can take this up Monday, cain't we?"

Peter's brown eyes took on a strange twinkle under slicked black bangs. "Actually...me n' Bob here wanted to know...well...how, um, how long you can stay down, I guess..."

Lutra blinked. "Stay down? Ohh...you mean underwater? Hell, I don't rightly know." She then kicked her legs up until she was floating on her back. "Never timed myself, I guess. I just stay under the water n' when I wanna come up, I do."

Bob tilted his head. "You mean when you have to, right?"

She turned her head so she could look at them and Bob Turner swore at that moment she looked like a heavenly sea siren with her beautiful green eyes and raven ponytail floating about her head. "Well...yeah, right. That's what I meant, sure."

Peter grinned and moved closer to her. Below the surface, his erection was enormous and he realized he was stroking himself. "It's really keen how you do that, Miss Gavin," he said quietly, staring at her. Bob noticed an intense look in his eyes; the browns seemed almost as black as coal. "Why doncha come to the deep end and dive to the bottom with me? Let's see if I can stay down longer'n you."

Lutra pulled herself up in the water until she was standing again and smiled. "I don't see why not. Come on then...catch me if'n you can." She giggled and then before the boys knew it, she had swam past them, stroking for the deep end. Bob stayed in the shallows while Peter pushed off and took after her. He watched as Lutra got inside the cordoned section, took a deep breath, rolled forward and dove down.

Peter quickly caught up, and after taking a few deep breaths, dove down after her. The water below was cool and inviting, and awfully clear for the amount of murk that regularly came up from the rocky, muddy bottom. Peter swam down about 20 feet and immediately felt pressure inside his ears. He plugged his nose and then looked around him, trying to find Lutra.

There she was, about ten feet below him, her shapely brown legs kicking her deeper and deeper. For a moment, the boy was mesmerized, watching Lutra glide sexily all the way to the bottom, before he plunged forward, kicking his legs wildly and trying to catch up.

Lutra turned her head to look over her shoulder and blew bubbles through a smile, before turning and continuing all the way down, stopping near an overturned tractor and suspending herself just above the rocky bottom to wait for the boy. She looked above, fanning her arms, and watched as Peter finally came into view, pumping his legs hard. Between them, his erection, looking quite plump and large, had slipped out, and was now bobbing against his thigh like an un-caged monster. Lutra frowned and floated backwards as Peter, half-naked, came down to the bottom and grinned at her, and she immediately pointed to his jeans, shaking her finger.

Either the boy did not understand or he did not care as he stroked towards her with a lost, almost dreamy gaze in his eyes. Quickly he lunged forward and wrapped his arms and legs around her, shuddering hard, and before Lutra could react, he was mashing his face against hers, trying to kiss. "Mmph!" she burbled, jerking against him, trying to get the boy to let go, kicking her legs wildly. Peter started to tear at her blouse, ripping away the cotton, letting her bare breasts free, and immediately started groping them savagely.

"Mrrr-no!!" she bubbled hard, completely terrified as the boy now got her into a bear-hug from behind, clamping his hands over her bare breasts, his floating, hard sex now mashing against the back of her thighs and rubbing furiously. She felt him first trying to pound against her flesh, humping wildly, and then the heat of his sudden orgasm as he came hugely, spilling drifting of tendrils of his semen into the river.

Lutra cried out once more, the sound lost in escaping air, and whimpered, trying once more to kick free. Thinking quickly, she jerked her head backwards, connecting with the boy's forehead and causing him to let go with a bubbly yelp of pain. Peter quickly pushed off her shoulders and clawed up, swimming hard for the surface. Lutra pushed off the bottom and swam up as well, angling away from Peter and heading to the river's edge before coming up gasping for breath in the shallows.

Peter finally emerged, sucking in deep breaths and coughing out water, startling Bob, who'd been treading water and holding onto the rope.

"Damn, Pete, where'd you go?!"

The boy finally caught his breath, looking around wildly. "Where's that bitch?! Where'd she go?!"

"Forget her, what the hell happened to you? You were down so long!"

Peter wiped his mouth. His chest was burning. He'd swallowed way too much water. "M'fine...forget it." His dark eyes scanned the surface and saw Lutra pulling herself out of the water, quickly grabbing her towel and hugging it across her breasts as several people started running towards her in alarm.

"I was worried, that's all...you were close to two minutes down there..."

Peter blinked and looked at his friend. "No shit?"

"Honest injun, you was. What the hell did you two do down there? Did ya get to the bottom? What's all down there?"

Peter ignored Bob's questions and stroked for the riverbank, pulling himself out and shaking all over. Something had happened down there. He remembered swimming to the bottom, seeing the lovely vision of Lutra in front of him, wiggling out of her clothes and floating into his arms naked, kissing him deeply, wrapping her legs around him, grabbing his hard flesh, trying to get it into her-

He shook his head hard, but the visions wouldn't leave. He stared angrily at Lutra as the woman stood up from the bank, happy and smiling at everyone, shaking her head, and without even looking towards the water, stepped gingerly up the sloped bank of rocks and trees to the dirt road in the distance.

Bob and Frank joined Peter on the bank, looking at each other, asking with their eyes what the hell had just gone on. But Peter shoved at them both before either boy could get a word out and stalked up the slope, shaking himself all over, heading back to his car.

**

Randy Jeffreys heard quiet sobs coming from Room 103 at Polette Christian School and walked inside curiously, seeing Lutra Gavin sitting at her desk at the front of the classroom, her face in her hands. "M-Miss Gavin...?" The other teacher came in and sat down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You alright? Somethin' the matter?" She lifted her head up, her eyes welled and red with tears, and the man frowned. "Aw, come on, dear, what's goin' on with you? You're usually so happy and bubbly and..."

Just so beautiful, he wanted to add. To say the mathematician had a crush on the pretty English teacher was tantamount to saying it was possible to buy a few things at Woolworths. He was only a few months older than she, with dark brown hair, and deep brown eyes to match, and he had already caught the eye of a few other teachers himself. But when Lutra came to become part of Polette's family, he was bound and determined to win her heart somehow. He had only waited because she had been a widow for a short while, and wanted her to feel open and ready to the prospect of dating again.

When she finally got her tears under control, she looked at him, sniffling. "Ohh...just had a bad day over the weekend, s'all. Finally caught up to me." She rubbed her eyes. "Maybe I'm just in my cycle..."

Randy shook his head. "Now...Lutra, you know ya'll can tell me anythin' you need to. What happened?"

So Lutra broke down again and leaned her head against Randy's shoulder and told him about her swim that Saturday, and how Peter Clark had followed her down to the bottom of the river and had tried to rape her, and possibly drown her. What had made it worse was that Peter was in her afternoon English class, and the boy had been staring hard at her the whole hour, his eyes looking as cold as steel, watching her every move.

She folded her hands in her lap and rocked slowly in her chair. "I don' know what to do 'bout him now, Randy," she said quietly. "That's the first time I...I...seen another man's...privates, you know, since my husband...and..." She trembled all over and Randy put his arm around her again, soothing her. "I just don' understand why he'd do that. I been swimmin' in the river before and he ain't never come on to me like that in the past..."

Lutra swallowed hard, remembering full well the look in Peter's eyes when he had seen her on the river bottom. Something had been wrong with him. His eyes were almost glazed and glassy, like he was not seeing her at all, and yet- "He cain't stop starin' at me now, Randy," she said, almost whispering. "It's like he knows...somethin'. It ain't attraction, either. He almost looks like...like he wants to see me hurt or...or worse."

She started to break down in her chair again and Randy pulled her into his arms to hug. "Aw...there, there, come on, Lutra. Shhh, it's gonna be alright, y'hear? I'll have a word with the boy..."

"No!" She pulled away from him, looking into his eyes, her own pleading, still shiny with tears. "Randy, I cain't rightly ask you to do that for me. I don' want him getting' mad at you too and besides his daddy's the mayor and all..."

The teacher smiled warmly and in that moment Lutra could kiss him. "Lutra...I...I'd do anythin' to help you. Least I can do is talk to him. I don' have to bring up the rapin' in the water a'tall. Alright? Let me help."

Lutra swallowed a lump in her throat and then closed her eyes against tears, nodding. "A-Alright, Randy...I...I trust you..." She leaned forward, slipping her arms gently around his neck and almost touching noses. "I...think I've always...t-trusted you more'n anyone." Her voice was much softer, almost sing-song, and for the briefest of moments, they kissed. She felt his tongue teasing along hers and shyly pulled away again, swallowing a bit of the taste of him in her mouth before looking timidly into his eyes. "You wanna...w-walk me home, Randy?"

Randy nodded. "I'd like that more than anythin' in the world right now, Lutra..."

He got up from the chair and waited for Lutra to arrange herself before taking her hand gallantly and leaving the classroom. Before they left, he made a quick stop at the front school office and hastily scribbled a note for Peter Clark to come see him before leaving school tomorrow.

**

They made love that evening and it was glorious. They spent hours exploring one another's bodies in the soft glow of moonlight streaming into Lutra's bungalow, caressing and kissing. When the time was right, Lutra straddled Randy in the bed, holding his hands down with her own, and sank down onto his hard flesh, clenching him tightly and deep within her. The visions of Peter Clark ravaging her in the depths soon left her, replaced with the tender images of Randy Jeffreys' ardent and fulfilling lovemaking, giving her one delicious orgasm after another.

When they were finally spent, wet and slick from each other's sweat and juices, they fell asleep naked, locked in each other's arms until morning.

**

Peter Clark tore out of the school doors late the next afternoon, seething with rage. Frank and Bob were waiting on him by the stairs. "That bitch..." he said through clenched teeth, throwing one of his books onto the front yard. "That stupid bitch!"

"What's goin' on, Pete?" Frank went over to collect the book, looking hang-dog.

"Stupid bitch told on me. I know she did! It was the river, it was her! She...she tried to drown me down there, and she's fuckin' lyin' now!"

"What the hell are you on 'bout, Pete?!" Bob got up, looking distressed. "Whaddya mean she tried to drown you?!"

Peter got control of himself and sat down on the steps, his mind swimming with images. "We...we went down and...it was so deep, I din't think I could make it all the way but...but I did. And she was...waiting for me, and she was...glowin'...like she was an angel or somethin'. And..." He swallowed hard, his eyes taking on the same glassiness, "she took off her clothes down there and...and she swam to me and...tried to take off my jeans and..." He bit his lip hard, remembering the warmth of her nude body pressed against him, her sweet sing-song voice in his head begging him to stay underwater with her, to kiss her, to make love to her. "She's lyin', that's all there is to it. And if Mr. Jeffreys knows, hell, the whole fuckin' town will 'ventually..."

"Well, what're we gonna do, Pete?" Frank asked, coming back and sitting down next to him.

The doors opened and Lutra and Randy walked out, arm in arm, laughing softly and chatting. They both stopped as they saw Peter and the two boys on the steps, and then smiled at each other, continuing down the steps past them and heading along the main street.

Peter's eyes became ice-black and almost soulless as he stared after the happy couple, grinding his teeth. "I'm gonna fix it..." he said quietly to no one. "Gonna fix everythin'."

**

Two weeks later, Randy shyly asked for the beautiful English teacher's hand in marriage and she readily accepted. The whole town was in a frenzy over the event and nearly everyone in Polette wanted to offer wedding services, presents and advice. Randy was bound and determined to see Lutra the happy bride and good-naturedly allowed her free reign of the event planning.

Of course, not everyone was happy about the engagement. Several men in the small town were disappointed that the most beautiful woman in Polette had made her choice and they were now officially out of the running, and many of the children immediately wanted to know if this meant their beloved teacher would be leaving town soon, perhaps for a larger city like Nashville, or even another state far away. But Lutra had assured the small town she and Randy had no reason whatsoever to leave, and planned to stay among the good people of Polette forever.

The one most angry about the new bride-to-be's choice was Peter Clark. He had been good, just as he had promised Mr. Jeffreys when they had had their talk. He had kept out of the way of Miss Gavin, sitting farther back in the classroom, and had even managed to focus again on important schoolwork he needed to graduate.

Now however, with the end of the school year upon them, and the sweltering summer months to come, he could not face the idea of Lutra Gavin now holding hands with Randy Jeffreys everywhere they went - let alone the idea of the loving couple swimming together in the river, maybe kissing each other, their hands wandering and eager to explore under the surface, or diving down to the deep bottom to make love out of sight from everyone whenever the mood struck them...

The boy shook his head hard, snapping out of his thoughts as he lie in bed. His hand was still on his groin, stroking the hard, thick lump of his erection underneath the sheets. It was graduation night and the mayor and his mother had given him quite a party. Nearly the whole town had come out to celebrate with the family. Even Lutra and Randy.

He gnashed his teeth as a stab of pain shot through his head and his vision clouded to almost milk whiteness. He waited for the headache to fade and opened his eyes slowly, seeing little rays of moonlight coming through the blinds and stabbing into the bed like sharp knives.

Peter Clark smiled widely in the darkness, his eyes glittering.

It was time to fix things.

**

Twenty minutes later he had picked up both Bob and Frank in a stolen truck and was driving across town, heading towards a row of quaint bungalows aligned a few miles from the school. "She's gonna tell everyone," he told them as he drove, "And she's gonna tell on you both fer lettin' me do it. She's gonna say it was all yer ideas."

"Jesus Christ, Pete, how you know all this?" Frank rubbed his eyes, squeezing the baseball bat in his hand reassuringly.

"She told me. She and Jeffreys. Said before they get hitched they're gonna clear the air 'round here. Clean slate and all that. Not gonna let us get away with nothin'." He gripped down on the steering wheel tighter. "You know what that means? Everyone'll know. We won't be welcome. We sure as shit won't find jobs, or go to college...they'll ruin our lives."

"God damn them..." Bob whispered. "So what we gonna do?"

Peter grinned and shrugged. "Gonna fix it. Ain't no one else knows 'bout this yet. We go in, we gonna talk to 'em both, we let 'em know if they say one word to anyone..." That same stab of pain jammed into his head again and he winced, waiting for it to fade. "We're here, keep quiet..."

He pulled the truck over to the side of the road and got out, reaching into the bed to pull out another baseball bat, then motioned to the boys to follow as he sneaked around the truck and up towards the small, brightly-painted bungalow. Bob and Frank looked at each other worriedly then crept out of the passenger side and caught up to Peter at the front door. He looked around before opening the door carefully and stepping inside.

"Pete..." Frank whispered, looking around them. "This don' feel right to me..."

The boy turned on him, and even in the darkness, he could see the shine in Peter's eyes. "This has to be, Frank," he said quietly and raised the bat towards his face. "You in...or out?" Then he looked towards Bob, who immediately bowed his head, looking away.

Peter turned and headed down the small hallway past the kitchen and towards an open door. He could hear something now. The faint sounds of whimpers and the creaking of rusty springs. Licking his lips, he stole a glance around the door, and saw Randy Jeffreys, covered by a sheet, atop the pretty English teacher. Her legs were around his waist, her feet pressed to his back, and she was being fucked so deep.

Oh my God, so fucking deep...

Letting out a yell of rage, he charged into the room, swinging the baseball bat down on Jeffreys' head and knocking him out cold. For a moment he swayed on his knees and then crashed off of the bed, breaking a nightstand into splinters. Lutra screamed and clutched for the sheets to cover herself as the three boys came into the room, looking coldly down at her.

"Peter!" She screamed, shaking her head, "What're you doin' in here?! Whaddya want?!"

Peter smiled, raising the baseball bat above his head, and advanced on her, and the same glassy, soulless stare never left his eyes as they fell upon her.

**

Two hours later, they drove the sniveling, battered and beaten English teacher down to the river. They wrapped her up in one of the bloody sheets from the bedroom, and tied her hands and feet together tightly with hemp rope. Then Frank helped Peter wrap more of the rope around a heavy rock while Bob attached it to Lutra's waist. When all was ready, they lifted Lutra up into their arms and carried her to the bank she had always loved to dive from.

A soft whimper came from the sheet and Peter smiled. "Now don' you worry, Miss Gavin." They dragged her up to the edge of the bank and laid her down. "We gonna fix everythin'..." He looked at Bob and Frank, who both looked sick to their stomachs, then watched helplessly as Peter put his foot up against Lutra's body. "Alright now," he croaked, and realized he was nearly drooling. "Let's see how long you can stay down..."

With that, he shoved hard at Lutra and sent her over the bank and into the water. For a split second her body was there, and then it was gone. Several bubbles popped to the surface for a moment, followed by a burble of bubbles a moment later, and then still a few more bubbles several minutes later and then the water went still and clear, reflecting the full moon high in the sky.

Peter glanced at the other two boys, panting hard. "What's right is right," his said softly, "Let's get outta here..."

"Wh-what about Jeff-"

"He don' know what hit him. He won' know it was us if we keep the fuck quiet...let's go. Besides, I got an idea 'bout that."

The three boys stole back down the bank and walked back towards the truck.

**

Lutra Gavin was never heard from and nor was she ever found, despite dragging Miller's Point for days. Randy Jeffreys was questioned severely by the local police, but he claimed he had no idea what had happened. He had remembered having sex with Lutra, and then something had hit him and he did not wake up until the next morning, still in blinding pain. There was evidence of a struggle. The nightstand was broken, a sheet was missing, and several bloody prints from Randy's hands were found on the bed and floor, but because of a lack of physical evidence and a body, they had to let him go.

But the damage was already done.

Randy Jeffreys was fired from the school and forced to take up the roots he had wanted so badly to plant into Polette. He took the next bus out of town, heading north, and was never heard from again.

Hank Eckland wept bitterly for days after the reports came out that Lutra Gavin was missing and feared dead. He was never really the same after that and died later that July of 1950.

All around Polette, the townspeople cried for their beloved schoolteacher, and the town became harder, less friendly and less happy.

In late August of 1950, just before the new school year was to begin, Frank Carter and Bob Turner were found wedged inside a beaten-up Ford sedan at the bottom of the river, drowned. Witnesses had said they had both gone swimming, had dived down together, and just never came back up. It was thought the two boys had tried to get into the vehicle and could not get back out.

In September of 1951, before Peter Clark was to join the Korean War in earnest, his body was found floating face-down at Miller's Point early one morning. The coroner ruled it an accidental death by drowning.

In February of 1952, with the river enjoying its first freezing in nearly 20 years, ice fishermen came across the body of a young man frozen solid, lying across the ice near the main bank. He had drowned - though it was impossible to tell how, since the river was solid ice up top and there was no sign of any breakage in the surface for miles.

And the mysterious drownings continued through the years. Bodies were found on the bottom of Carson River, trapped inside old relics like wayward spirits, or floating on the surface. There was talk about completely shutting down the area to swimmers, perhaps draining part of the river itself, but the seafood business was too important to Polette.

And so...the deaths continued...

And they continued for the next 60 years...

**

"As I went down to the river to praaay...

Stu-dy-ing about that good old way and who shall wear...

The star-ry crown, Good Lorrrrd, show me the waaaay...

Ohhhh sin-ners, let's go dowwwn...

Let's go dowwwn, come on dowwwn...

Oh sin-ners, let's go dowwwn...

Down to the river to praaay..."

Mark Jeffreys switched off the MP3 player and waited patiently for comments from the group of students sitting quietly in front of him. He was rather perturbed with the lackadaisical attitude of the children, being a music teacher with a heavy pedigree from Juliard. Seeing no answer forthcoming, he got up from his desk and cat-stretched, wiping sandy brown hair from his deep brown eyes before going to the board to write.

"Alright, fine. We'll do it the hard way, I guess," he muttered, and wrote "Down to the River" in spiky script before turning around. "Uh, let's see...Mister Mason. Be a lamb and explain to everyone here the significance of this song."

The blonde-haired blue-eyed senior blinked. "Um, well, it's really slow. So...maybe it's like...a...a lullaby or somethin'?"

Mark shrugged. "Are you asking or answering?"

"Uhh...answering?"

Several children in the class tittered and snickered and Mark rapped his chalk on the desk. "He's not that far off, actually. This song was probably made famous around the time of the Civil War, and it might have been seen as a comforting song for slaves. But the amazing thing is, no one knows the true origins of it. Which is pretty cool, wouldn't you say?" The classroom looked at him curiously and he sighed. "Sorry, did I end that sentence with 'you may all stare at me blankly'?" This time everyone laughed and even Mark couldn't keep his lips from tugging into a grin. "Alright, look. For homework tonight, I want you guys to download this CD, okay?" He picked up a compact disc case for the soundtrack to the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou". "Listen to every song on there and I want you to write a short report," Several groans followed, "half a page each for each song, and tell me personally what the song means to you, the lyrics and music."

The bell rang just then and everyone hurried for the door. "Don't forget next week Friday is Senior Skip Day!" he shouted after them, "That's June 1st, and if you don't have this report done, I'll make sure you don't skip with us, you hear?"

A couple of boos and jeers followed them out the door, mixed with raucous laughter. Mark sighed and sat down on the edge of the desk, shaking his head.

"Trouble fittin' in still?" A quiet, female voice came from the doorway, and he smiled as a pretty, slender woman walked inside and stood close to him.

"I know it's my first month and all since the death of their teacher, but I was really hoping the kids were more...I dunno, motivated." He shrugged. "Maybe they're still not quite over it yet."

She clicked her tongue. "Oh, it's possible. I think the accidental drownin' of a teacher is still hard to handle for some. The school ain't quite been the same."

Mark nodded and started collecting his things on the desk. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm taking it really easy on the kids, honest. I just want to get the seniors squared away so they can graduate. I'm not too worried about the other grades, you know? Pretty much just going to pass everyone with Bs or Cs."

She chuckled and leaned on the chalkboard. "Why Mr. Jeffreys, you might just become one of the most popular teachers Polette has ever had if'n you keep that up."

He laughed, studying her deep sapphire eyes intensely for a moment. Of all the teachers he'd met in his short stint at the Christian Academy of Polette, none captivated him like the English teacher, Diana Chordata. Long, luxurious strawberry-blonde hair spilled down her shoulders in waves, ending just short of her butt, and her skin was as deep brown as it could get without her being mis-categorized as African-American. Her face was sculpted with soft hollow cheeks, and yet a few dimples set in when she smiled brightly enough. She was quite likely the most beautiful teacher he had ever met - in fact, maybe the most beautiful woman as well. When they had first met and shaken hands, he was elated in the fact there were no rings on her fingers. Still, he had just moved in to Polette hardly a month ago, and was skittish about the idea of dating - especially someone like Diana.

"Well, Miss Chordata, if it means I get to stay here for tenure another year, I think I'd be quite happy." He hesitated and then added almost shyly, "and...um...hopefully you'd be happy too..."

The woman smiled brightly, showing perfect teeth, and he wanted to melt in front of her. "Very happy, Mr. Jeffreys." She suddenly looked serious. "Um...I overheard you talkin' 'bout Senior Skip Day? You're goin' too?"

Mark grinned widely. "You're not going to tell on me, are you?"

She ignored his humor. "Where are you and the kids goin'?"

Mark shrugged. "Probably going to go out to the river, I think. You know kids at that age. Showing a little skin and parading for their prospective mates is all the rage."

Diana nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Mark...keep them away from the river. Please?"

"Why would I do that? The river is the most exciting thing about this hick town."

She rolled her eyes. "I know, but you're still new here, honey. You don't know what's gone on here. Lotta people drown in that river, and have drowned over the years, as far back as I can remember. The water's just not safe. The thought of all those boys and girls gettin' into the water, as deep as it is in spots..."

She hugged herself just then, trembling, and Mark felt alarm through his body, instinctively putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey, you alright? This really has you that frightened? Look, why don't you come with me next Friday? I'll admit, I'd love your company, and you can help me keep an eye on the kids. And if there's trouble, I'm a really strong swimmer. Best on the team in high school. Could've probably tried out for State if I'd been motivated enough."

She looked at him steadily again and a soft smile crept to her face. "You're right," she said gently, her eyes drinking in his. "Maybe...maybe I should come too..." She smiled wider and surprisingly touched his cheek. "Thanks. I feel better somehow. I'll, um, clear things with the principal. Shoot, I could use a little vacation anyway."

"That's the spirit." Mark replied, still reeling from the physical contact. He felt incredibly too warm and nearly dizzy. "D-do you swim, Miss Chordata?"

She giggled softly over her shoulder as she walked out, and her blue eyes were twinkling. "Like a mermaid. I've always loved the water."

Mark watched her go and tried to get his heart to stop beating so fast. The thought of Diana sporting a beautiful string bikini and floating into his arms for a private, underwater kiss stayed hopelessly in his mind during the drive home - so much so, that he failed to stop at a stop sign and nearly ran over an old woman about to cross Main Street.

One of Polette's finest immediately pulled him over and happily gave him a ticket, with the order to appear at the courthouse first thing Monday morning to settle affairs.

**

When he arrived at the Polette capital building at 8:00 AM on Monday, May 27th, there was already a flurry of activity around him. A lot of shouting was going on, and clerks and office personnel had come away from their desks and were busy talking almost non-stop on telephones or running here and there. A few police officers ran through the hall and pushed past him on their way out the door. Huddled on a bench by the wall was a family of four, looking teary-eyed and bewildered. They looked like they had just come from swimming, still shivering in swimsuits and covered in towels.

As he walked past one of the clerks, an elderly woman in her 70s, noticed the ticket in his hands and waved him off. "Forget it," she said, "Don' worry 'bout it. Got an emergency here today."

"Well, what happened?" Mark asked as another police officer ran past him.

"Someone's gone missin' at the river." She pointed at the family on the bench. "One of theirs. We're tryin' to find him."

Mark looked puzzled, suddenly remembering what Diana had told him. "I...I don't understand." He walked over to the clerk's desk. "This really does happen a lot? The...the drownings?"

The old woman looked at him curiously over her bifocals. "Oh...you're that new teacher, ain't you? Jeffreys, right?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah, I just came down from Boston. I took over for the other teacher, Scott-"

"Scott Turner, yeah." She pursed her lips. "Shame about him. One of the nicest teachers we ever had. I practically grew up with his family, knew his grandfather well too. Oh, I'm Sheila, by the way, Sheila Dupree. Dreadful sorry about all the commotion today, Mr. Jeffreys."

"Oh, you can call me Mark, ma'am, please." He looked at the ticket in his hands and suddenly felt ashamed. "I don't want to forget this either. I did a bad thing, and I should pay for it."

He smiled boyishly and the old woman chuckled, shaking her head. "Damned if you don't remind me of someone. Jeffreys, right?" Her tired blue eyes brightened in recollection. "Oh my stars..." she suddenly whispered, looking at him. "Randy Jeffreys?"

Now it was Mark's turn to look surprised. "Well, that was my grandfather's name, yeah. Wait, how do you know him?"

Sheila got up from her chair and walked around the counter to join him, holding a hand out to support herself. "Randy came from here. Long ago, maybe 1950 or so? Yeah, that had be it. That was the year he was gonna marry Lutra."

"Lutra? That can't be right, my grandmother's name is Nellie."

She shook her head. "No, he never did marry her. She disappeared and all of Polette thought he'd had somethin' to do with it. But he swore up'n'down he never did anythin' to her, and I believed him. He and Lutra Gavin were just about as happy as a couple could be. It wasn't long after that, the drownin' started."

Mark looked curious now. "Yeah, Diana...I mean, Miss Chordata was telling me about that Friday. That the river had claimed a lot of lives over the years."

Sheila looked at him carefully. "Your grandfather never told you nothin' 'bout Lutra?"

"Um, well, my Dad once told me that his father fell in love only once in his whole life. I just thought he was talking about my grandmother. We really weren't all that close, Ms. Dupree. I maybe saw Randall once a year for Christmas, and that was it. He died when I was just a kid too, so I didn't get a chance to talk too much with him."

"What about your father?"

Mark frowned. "Dead, Ms. Dupree. About a year ago. I was taking care of my Mom when she fell sick up in Boston, and then she left about three months ago. I lost tenure at a high school there and I joined up with a temporary firm. They asked if I was willing to relocate for a teaching position that opened up in a small town in Tennessee, and here I am..."

Sheila smiled softly, taking his hand and giving it a surprisingly-firm squeeze. "Yes. It's just amazin' you'd end up in the same place as your grand-dad..."

Their bond was broken as a loud wail came from the bench by the wall, and they could see the woman sobbing uncontrollably against her husband's chest as a police officer knelt beside them, speaking gently and shaking his head.

Sheila sighed softly and walked back to her seat behind the counter. "Looks like the river claimed another one. Excuse me, Mark. I need to go get some paperwork done..."

One of the boys came up from the bench, looking angry and confused, and stood close to Mark, shaking his head and looking down at the floor.

"I'm very sorry..." Mark said gently to him, trying to be kind.

The boy, who looked about 18, focused his gaze on Mark's face. "Somethin' got him..." he said shakily. "W-we were swimmin' and...somethin' just took him down. I...I tried to dive down, to grab him but he was goin' so deep, so fast...I couldn't follow. All I could see was..." he covered his face and Mark placed a hand on his shoulder until the boy could continue. "He was strugglin'...and he kept screamin'...and...I saw somethin' big that was wavin' around him. It...it looked like...a t-tail...and then he was gone, my older brother just kept goin' down into the river and he never came up and I'm so..." He broke down into tears then and Mark quickly hugged him to his chest, stroking his wet hair.

"Easy, easy...calm down, okay? You gotta be strong for your folks now, okay? Come on...you did what you could. You were very brave to try and save him, you hear? Very brave..." He kept stroking his hair, looking over at the parents and their other child, hugging one another tightly and crying. "Hey, what's your name, son?"

"B-Brian..."

"Well, Brian...I think your family needs you very much right now, okay? Why don't you go over and sit with them. Go on..." He let go of the boy and watched him go to the others and hug gently, looking back at Mark and nodding slowly. One of the police officers came over to the counter, sighing and taking off his hat. "Rough start to the week, I guess," he said to him, frowning.

"Goes without sayin'." The policeman replied and looked back at the grieving family. "Divers found 'em on the bottom of the river. He'd got his foot caught on one of those old cars down there and drowned, they reckon. Damned kids, I keep tellin' this town, we gotta keep them outta that section of the river, but damned if they do anythin' 'bout it."

Mark couldn't help himself. "I thought the boy was grabbed and pulled down or something." He bit his lip, deciding not to mention anything about the strange tail.

"And how d'ya know that?"

Mark shrugged. "The boy told me. Brian. Did you talk to him?"

"Not yet. Though he was the last person folks saw with his brother. I s'pose I'll give him a talkin' to after all this is over. Probably no need though. Just looks like another drownin' to me."

Mark felt sick to his stomach. "You folks sure seem used to it...almost like it's natural..." He trembled and looked at the ticket still in his hands, and noticed they were sweaty. "Look, uh...I was told to come in and-"

The police officer snatched it from his hands and tore it up. "You seem like a good man, Mister...?"

"Jeffreys. Mark Jeffreys."

"Not akin to Randy Jeffreys by chance, are ya?"

"He was my grandfather." Mark smiled softly. "Seems he was rather well known around here."

The officer smiled back and nodded. "Ayup, Randy was a good one. That whole business with Lutra Gavin though was sad. The town never looked at him the same way after that."

"What happened to her, officer?"

"Ohh, there's no tellin', Mr. Jeffreys. My Daddy worked with a bunch of other police tryin' to find her. She loved swimmin' in that river so much they thought maybe she'd drowned, but never found a trace of her. But see, Carson River meets up with the Mississippi about 20 miles west. The current's not that strong, but she moves, you know? She coulda just...I dunno. I keep thinkin' one day the divers'll go down for a missin' person and they'll come across her instead." He licked his lips, looking distant. "Polette's not been the same since. I was a young'un back then, but everyone loved Lutra deeply, with all their hearts. She actually washed up here, did ya know about that story?"

"No," Mark replied softly, greatly intrigued. "Enlighten me, please."

The officer shrugged. "My Daddy told me she practically came from the river. She and her hubby had crashed in their car, sank in the river. She got out, he didn't make it. Lost everythin' she had and the whole town just plain adopted her after that."

"She was a peach..." Sheila joined them, papers in hand. "And she loved to swim more'n anythin'. When I was a girl, I used to call out at her to dive for us."

"Oh ayup, Daddy said she swam like a fish. Like a mermaid. She could stay underwater so long..."

Sheila laughed softly. "She used to dive from the highest bank, and she'd disappear for minutes at a time. We always counted...you know, to see how long she stayed down, and-"

The officer chuckled, nodding. "That's right, my Dad said he lost count sometimes, and was ready to dive in after her on more'n one occasion."

Mark listened to them thoughtfully. "Seems like she was quite a woman. It's weird how she just vanished like she did."

The officer shrugged. "Ohh, son, the river's got her, ain't no doubt 'bout it. And when she's ready to...I'm sure she'll let her go..." He trailed off, glancing at the grieving family. "Ya'll have to excuse me, folks. I gotta file a report on the kid. Nice to meet you, Mr. Jeffreys." He went over to the family and Mark noticed that Brian had stopped crying and was stroking his father's shoulder comfortingly.

**

Diana came to see him Thursday afternoon as the rest of the students filed out of the classroom. She looked resplendent in a strapless thigh-high white sundress that sharply contrasted her brown skin, along with brown leather high-heeled sandals, and a strand of tiny shells around her throat. "Still have your mind set on tomorrow, Mark?" she said casually as she sat down on the table and crossed her legs, watching him pack his books.

"I'm ready if you are, Diana," he grinned, "Actually looking forward to it." He turned serious. "I heard there was another drowning though. I would propose we keep the kids away from the deep end altogether, if you think that might help."

"Did you know the boy who drowned, Mark?" She placed her hand tenderly over his and the twitterpation inside him ratcheted up a notch.

"I didn't, no. Did you?"

For a moment her face took on a peculiar look, a flash of recollection mixed with curiosity, and then it was gone again. "No...but they said he was home-schooled so I wouldn't have met him. Maybe it's for the best. This school's had enough deaths over the years."

Mark nodded, looking at her. "Let's try and keep it that way tomorrow, okay?"

She looked troubled and folded her hands in her lap. "Of course, Mark. I'm sure nothin's gonna go wrong."

He gave her the boyish grin again. "Besides, everyone will get to see the pretty English teacher in a bikini."

She laughed and her blue eyes looked bright and merry again. "Oh, that's why you want me along, hmm? So I can bare myself in front of the hot, new music teacher?"

They shared a laugh together, then looked away, their eyes trying to focus anywhere else. "I guess..." Mark said gently, finally looking at her again. "There's probably not much of a secret here that I have...the most incredible crush on you, Diana."

Diana closed her eyes and a hard blush went to her cheeks, followed by a smile Mark felt would melt icebergs. "I...I feel the same way...'bout you..." She got off the table, her sundress rustling like a song, and walked towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mark. Maybe after the picnic, we could...um...get dinner or somethin'."

Mark's heart thumped. "Dinner, movie, a play, a bank robbery, whatever you desire..."

Diana giggled, toying with the necklace around her throat and biting her bottom lip seductively. "See you tomorrow. Bikini and all..."

Mark practically floated home.

**

The next morning, Mark and six of the seniors from his music class joined an entourage of approximately 50 students and a few teachers down by Miller's Point. The weather was unbearably hot, making the water extremely inviting to everyone. As he had suggested, the deep-end was deemed off-limits and no diving or jumping would be allowed, much to the chagrin of the students. He had just joined a couple of the students in the shallow end of the river to soak when Diana arrived and waved down to him from the top of the bank.

Mark grinned and waved up to her, noting even from this far away, she positively glowed in a white-mesh string bikini that covered ripe, brown breasts, a triangle between her legs and hardly anything else. Before Mark knew what was happening, she was padding up to the edge of the bank and standing on tip-toe.

"Wait! Diana!" Mark called out, but it was too late. For a moment, Diana was arcing her lithe form, and the next she dove in head-first, slicing into the water with very little splash. Mark immediately ducked his head down under the water worriedly, and watched as Diana continued to descend into the murky river, her shapely legs and pointed toes kicking her deeper and deeper. "Stay here, all of you!" Mark roared at the students and took a deep breath, diving down.

Underwater, the feeling was like pure silk against his body as he pumped his legs hard, angling down, immediately plugging his nose as the pressure changed. When the ghostly bottom loomed up, he realized he had to be 50 feet deep or more. He wildly looked around, fanning the water, looking all over for Diana. There! He saw a billow of blonde hair not far from him and swam hard towards it. As he got closer, he saw that Diana was there, pressed up against the door of a submerged, older car. She smiled at him, and raised her hand, waving him closer to her. Mark shook his head at her and pointed to the surface.

Diana continued to smile and blew a few bubbles from her lips, beckoning Mark again to her. With his lungs starting to strain, he pushed off the bottom and swam towards her, getting an arm around her waist and trying to urge her to come up with him. But instead, Diana wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him against her. The combined heat of her body, and the lust of his own overtook Mark, and he parted his mouth to accept her kiss, his tongue eagerly rolling and batting gently with hers as they made out heavily in the deep water.

That was when Diana began to change. It started with her hair first. The flowing blonde locks pulled away, like paper strips, from her head. Long, tangled dark hair started to form. His eyes still closed, he never saw Diana's eyes shift from deep blues, to bright sightless whites, and then to deep greens, nor did he see the bikini dissolve away, revealing her nude form. As they continued to kiss, her skin started to change. Soft, bristled dark brown fur began to push up through millions of pores, and soon covered her whole body. A muzzle started to form, pinching her face inwards, and sharp teeth poked through what were once her lips.

Mark slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was now kissing what appeared to be a river otter, with a human body. He let out a bubbly cry, trying to wiggle free. It smiled and held him in an unbelievably crushing hug, not letting him go. It then churrriped softly at him, and a thick almost prehensile tail wrapped around his waist, rooting him to the bottom. Mark struggled now to keep breath in his lungs, and his vision became cloudy and dizzy. He felt his swimsuit being ripped apart by sharp claws, stinging him, and his erect and full sex bobbed free. He felt new warmth as the otter-creature wrapped its legs around him and mounted his sex, taking it deep into incredibly silky, wet and desiring heat. He heard a few bubbly whimpers of pleasure, the sweetest chirps and clicks, and then he did not hear anything as he succumbed to the river.

**

"Mr. Jeffreys! Mr. Jeffreys!" He heard anxious voices around him and opened his eyes, coming out of dark cobwebs and into blinding sunshine. Huddled around him were ten or twelve students, all looking down at him worriedly. He blinked a few times and then rolled over, throwing up river water in several gouts.

"Oh so gross!" One of the girls gagged.

"Shut the hell up, Linda, geez. You okay, Mr. Jeffreys?"

Mark sat up slowly, his lungs burning and his chest flaring in pain. "Yeah...I'm okay...I'm okay...I think." He looked around him bleary-eyed. "What the fuck happened?"

A few of the students snickered at the language. "We dunno," one of the boys took his arm. "You went into the deep end and dove down and you stayed under a while. We got worried and then you suddenly came back up, coughin' and wheezin' like no tomorrow. Then you passed out right there on the surface. We dragged you over, feared maybe you'd almost drowned or somethin'."

Mark rubbed his head, which was pounding dully. "All I remember was..." He tried to think. What the hell had happened? He remembered going into the river and seeing Diana, and- "Where's Miss Chordata?" he suddenly snapped, looking around frantically.

"She's right here. She saw you dive down and wondered what was going on. Then when you didn't come up right away, she got worried and was about to go down and look for you, but you came up."

Mark looked over at Diana, who was watching him anxiously from a few feet away, curled up prettily on one of the larger rocks, wearing a blue one-piece. Seeing he was alright, she hopped up from the rocks and came up to him, hugging.

"Oh Mark, I was so worried..." She sighed and pressed her nose to his cheek, trying not to cry. "Dammit, why did you do such a foolish thing when you promised me you'd stay outta there?"

Mark looked at her, open-mouthed and speechless for a moment. "But...I...I saw you..." He looked into her blue eyes, completely flabbergasted. "You...you dove in...and I..."

Diana looked at him, puzzled. "But I didn't. I...I haven't been in the water yet today..."

"Yeah, Mr. J." piped up one of the girls. "She didn't wanna get wet so she said she was just gonna sun. Told us ain't no way the guys were gonna see her in a bikini anyway."

Several students laughed and even Diana chuckled a little before nuzzling Mark's cheek again. "Are you sure you're alright, Mark? We can send for an ambulance if'n you're out of sorts."

"No..." he said quietly, shaking his head as much to negate as to clear his vision. "I...I guess I'm okay..." He continued looking at her in wonder. "It's just...I...I saw something down there, I know I did. And it felt...right somehow...like..." He tried to think about the underwater kiss, but already the memory was fading from him. "It's nothing. Help me up, kids."

They did so and he managed a smile as he looked at Diana. "Guess I've had enough of the river for one day. Ya'll go on now and have fun. Stay in the shallows like we said." He sat down next to the other teacher, drawing a towel around him and shivering.

"Mark?" Diana reached for his hand. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," he smiled as he looked at her, and he had to admit, even in the one-piece, the English teacher was the most beautiful woman in the world. "Um...we're still on for dinner, right?"

She giggled and reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze, and they sat like that for the rest of the day, watching the kids play and eat until sundown.

**

They made love later that night and it was glorious. Mark spent a great deal of the night lavishing attention to Diana's breasts, along her stomach and down between her legs, getting her wetter and hotter with every thrust of his tongue into her. She mewled several times in pleasure as she rolled over on top of him, straddling his waist, and pinning his hands to the bed as she took him, sinking down onto his yielding hard flesh until he was balls-deep inside of her. They enjoyed several orgasms, each more powerful than the next, and finally fell asleep spent and exhausted, holding each other naked, their heads close together.

**

When Mark opened his eyes, it was still pitch dark and the moon was long gone. He stirred and felt around for the comforting warmth of Diana next to him, but felt nothing but cool sheets. He sat up and called out her name in the darkness. No answer.

He fumbled for his shorts and pants and got up, padding out his bedroom door and looking through the house. "Diana?"

There was only silence, save for the incessant chirping of crickets surrounding him.

He quickly went back to the bedroom and noticed her clothes were still here. Worried now, he got dressed and grabbed his car keys from the nightstand before heading out into the cool night air.

"As I went down to the river to praaay...

Stu-dy-ing about that good old way and who shall wear...

The star-ry crown, Good Lorrrrd, show me the waaaay..."

He shook his head, hearing the song in his mind, and quickly tried to rid himself of it. Only the singing did not seem to be coming from his head. He glanced down the driveway and along the street, and heard the song again, but louder.

"Ohhhh sin-ners, let's go dowwwn...

Let's go dowwwn, come on dowwwn...

Oh sin-ners, let's go dowwwn...

Down to the river to praaay..."

Confused now, he walked past the car, down his driveway and along the main road, heading towards the singing as it continued to flow through the night air, like a gentle breeze.

He walked nearly two miles, following the song as it grew louder with every step, no longer just hearing it in his ears, but actually feeling the song seeming to envelop him in so much warmth and joy, as if his spirit itself was being lifted up to an incredible pleasure he had never experienced. Soon he found himself standing on the long dirt road leading down to Miller's Point. The song was gentler now, no longer pounding in his brain, and he thought he could recognize the voice as well.

"Diana?" he whispered softly, walking down the dirt road slowly, almost as if in a trance. As he got up close to the bank, he saw her standing by one of the nestled oak trees, naked. Against the darkness of the river, her blonde hair was like star-shine. And she was humming now, the same song he'd been listening to inside his head on the whole journey down to the river. "Diana?"

She waved to him, smiling widely, and stepped away from the tree, taking a few timid steps towards him on bare feet, until they closed the distance and he was enfolding her tightly in his arms, kissing her passionately.

"I...I couldn't take you..." she sighed as their long kiss ended, caressing his cheek. "I...I wanted to, but...something just felt...right about you..." Her blue eyes sparkled like moonlit pools as she fought with tears. "I felt...everything was right, for the first time since..." She gazed deep into his eyes, her lips trembling. "Randy..."

Mark swallowed hard, caressing her buttocks slowly, realizing his erection was full and plump inside his pants. "My...my grandfather..." he whispered softly, "You...you're not Diana...are you?"

The woman smiled sheepishly and before Mark's eyes, her appearance changed. The shine in her hair faded and winked out and her head was soon covered with thick, beautiful raven strands that traveled all the way down her back. Her lips became fuller, more pouty, and her cheeks became hollow, as if gently sculpted by loving hands into the face of a goddess. Her blue eyes flashed to white and then became a deep sea-green.

Mark stared wild-eyed at her, completely spellbound. He had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. "Lutra...?"

The woman bit her bottom lip and slowly nodded, looking almost embarrassed at her transformation. "I've never shown anyone before. Who...who I really am...what I am...but I showed you, Mark. When we were in the river together..."

"That happened?! Oh my God, that happened..." He kissed her hard again, elated, his heart pumping with joy. "Oh my God, I thought I was crazy. And we...I mean...we really...?"

She giggled softly, looping her arms around his neck and nodding. "We really did, yes. We made love at the bottom of the river, Mark. We kissed and we undressed and we made love for a long, long time..." She looked into his eyes. "I kept you from drowning. I didn't want you to die...like the others...I wanted you so much...I've never wanted a man so much." She touched noses. "I...I love you, Mark...I love you so much. Say you love me too, and the curse is lifted from here. I...I can finally leave..."

"I do, Lutra," Mark found himself almost moaning, then kissed her passionately, using a hand to push down his pants, allowing his swaying full member out. "I love you...I love you..." He pushed her up against the oak tree and tried to mount her as her legs slipped around him. But before he could, she was gently pushing him back, smiling at him and licking her lips.

"Come for a swim," she whispered, "Down to the river." She padded past him and to the edge of the bank, looking back at him. "Come with me now..." Then she was gone. For a split second the moonlight surrounded her form in a burst of light, and then she had dived off of the bank, ripping through the water far below without a splash.

Mark immediately ran to the bank and jumped off feet-first, pounding into the river and immediately sinking. He closed his eyes against the bitter chill of the dark water, but then felt warmth and softness envelop his body. He opened his eyes against a glare. Lutra was floating in front of him, glowing brightly enough to light the water around her, making soft churring noises through her smile, before wrapping a thick ruddertail around his waist and pulling him down into the black depths.

**

"Mark...?"

He felt something cool against his cheek and slowly opened his eyes, turning his head weakly to the side to gaze at the otter's face close to him. He started to speak but instead he quickly rolled over onto his stomach and vomited river water helplessly in several steady streams, coughing uncontrollably throughout. When he felt done, he rolled over again onto his back, gasping, his insides feeling like there were on fire.

"L-Lutra..." he panted, "It hurts. Ohh..." His vision swam in and out of focus looking up first at a starry night sky, and he saw the otter-woman slowly crawl up on top of him, straddling his legs and placing webbed paws on his chest.

"It will for a while." Her 'w' sounds came out as soft whistles. "You gotta get used to it." And then she giggled, caressing his chest. "God, you should see yourself, my love. You are...so handsome..."

Mark tilted his head forward until he could look at his chest. Lutra's paws were almost burrowed against his dark brown chest-fur. "What happened?"

Lutra blushed and her long black whiskers drooped sheepishly. "I think...the river wanted you too, Mark..."

He looked up at her deep green eyes and saw the way her smile was tucked up against a thick muzzle, a beady black nose, whiskers, and cup-shaped ears, all surrounded by dark brown, bristly fur. He glanced down further, noting her slender neck and high, pert furry breasts capped with thick dark nipples, and down to her trim, muscular stomach. He glanced at either side of him, where her legs still straddled, noting the shapely, sensual curves of her calves and thighs, traveling down to petite, webbed footpaws.

Truly Mark had never seen a creature more beautiful in his entire life, and he told her so. She did not say a word, but moved closer up his body, until his furry sheath was behind her buttocks, and she could reach behind her, taking him into her paw. In seconds, he was hard, thick, and ready. She sank down onto his flesh, gasping at the size of him, and rocked slowly atop of him, building them both up to orgasm.

"Mark..." she whimpered between deep breaths, "You...are...with the river now. And we can stay here, if you want...or we can go anywhere we want to. It'll let us go..."

"I don't care where we go, Lutra. As long as we're together...forever..." His webbed paws came up to hold her breasts as she continued to make love with him, bouncing on his hardness until she was oozing juices in climax.

Afterwards, they rested again, gazing up at the slowly-lightening sky. Mark felt his chest experimentally and realized the pain was now gone. He felt his thick tail trapped beneath him and whipped it around side to side, trying to find a proper place for it to lay on the ground. "Erf. Gotta get used to that too, huh?"

Lutra giggled against his cheek, nuzzling, her legs and feet slowly stroking his. "Mmm...I love you this way. No wonder you were such a swimmer growin' up," she cooed, reaching down to stroke his sheath. His hardness poked out through the flesh and she slowly toyed with it. "Just like me...just like..." For a moment her expression changed and her eyes narrowed.

"Lutra? You okay?"

She shook her head, and her hair trailed down his chest as she nuzzled again. "I always loved the water, Mark. My husband...I can't think of his name now. He was very angry, all the time. Drank a lot, beat me a lot. So I spent a lotta time at the local pond, just swimmin'. Then one day, he says I gotta pack up, that we're leavin' to Memphis. I was so angry..." She sat up slowly and looked down at him, frowning. "I just couldn't accept it. Makin' me leave my friends, my fam'ly. I never wanted to hurt someone so much...I...I hated him, Mark. With my whole heart."

Her eyes brimmed with tears and a few dripped down her muzzle. "It...it was my fault," she whispered, "All my fault. I...I grabbed the wheel when we was goin' over the bridge. I...I made the car crash. It was me. The car went down and he was grabbin' at me, tryin' to swim, and..." She grit her teeth. "I held him down deep...wouldn't let him come up. Held my breath a long time and swam up when he was good and drowned in that car..."

Mark swallowed a lump in his throat. "And then the townspeople found you..."

Lutra nodded sadly. "No one ever knew. But the river did, Mark. The river did and it never forgot. It kept me here, all those years."

"So that's what happened to you when you vanished?"

Lutra chuckled dryly. "No, I gotta thank Peter Clark and his friends for that l'il mess. But...I took care of them, sure enough."

Mark nodded and held her close to his chest, nuzzling her ears and coaxing her into making soft, sweet churring sounds again. "So what happens now, Lutra?" he asked quietly, stroking her backside and tail.

Lutra smiled and rolled over until she lay atop of him and kissed him passionately. "Now," she said as their muzzles pulled away, "I think I'd like to swim. I've been dyin' to see where the river goes all these years."

Mark nodded and kissed her nose, getting up from the cool ground and padding paw-in-paw with her towards the bank. For a moment he looked behind him, towards his car, which already looked like an old relic standing on the dirt road. Farther back, he saw the road lead out into a countryside of beautiful trees and just-blooming flowers. Overlooking it all, he saw the spreading town of Polette, with all its small businesses, houses, cottages and bungalows, and all its people.

And all its secrets...

Lutra started to sing softly:

"As I went down to the river to praaay...

Stu-dy-ing about that good old way and who shall wear...

The star-ry crown, Good Lorrrrd, show me the waaaay..."

He followed the beautiful otter to the edge of the bank, and after a few deep breaths, they dove off side-by-side, slicing down into the water below and swimming away, following the gentle-flowing current as it took them towards the rising sun, and away from the small town.

END