"Hello?", she replied with her simply sexy voice.

"Hello Amanda, it's Jerry. I hope I am not bothering you"

"Not at all, I was just thinking about you!"

"Well, I realized that in all of the excitement of the night, I gave you my phone number, but I didn't get yours. I thought that perhaps you didn't want to see me again...", she laughed but with a laughter which seemed to hide a certain discomfort. As if she was afraid to sound too desperate.

"Well, I do have caller id. I just saved it in my favorites, but then again my dentist is there too so it doesn't mean much.", her tone of voice could tell me that she was clearly flirting with me, so I decided to risk it right away.

"I hope I can turn this around. When do you think we could see each other again?"

"How about tonight? Yesterday you picked the restaurant. Now it's my turn: on Sunday evenings, the restaurant on the 17th floor always has a special meal."

So it would be a nude date once more. I thought of risking saying something like "Oh, so you want to see me naked again", but I thought it was too much double entendre. I wanted to show that I was a true naturist and not a pervert wanting to see her naked at all cost.

Instead, I went with: "It's a date. When do you want me over?"

I always dreamed of living in a naturist center but all of them were far away from the city and with my real estate agent job, I really didn't need even more commute time. Amanda's apartment seemed the perfect compromise: it was like living in a naturist resort but deep in the city.

Within 10 minutes of hanging up, I was in my car, driving to her apartment.

I know, you will probably say that most New York residents prefer the subway or even the cabs, but the reality was that as a real estate agent, I had to drive my customers around when visiting.

It made me an expert at avoiding traffic jams as well as in finding good parking spots. Sure, I...[Continue reading on the site]

David Lloyd, 2011.

"R.F., I think that's enough for today."

The boy set his text book down on the blanket and rolled over. His mother was heading his way carrying a tray, on which lay a thick sandwich and a glass of orange juice. She bent over at the waist to offer the refreshments to her son, and he sat up to receive them, knocking the tray with the cast on his right arm as he did, thus sloping the orange juice.

"It's a good job that cast is coming off tomorrow. If there is one think I know it is that you are no leftie." she said, half chiding, half laughing at his clumsiness. She knew it wasn't his fault.

He looked about the garden, "I'm gonna miss this place. Do we really have to move? ", said R.F., settling back in the sun.

"You know we do dear." replied his mother, tenderly. "You know you can't go back to that school, not after the way they treated you, and we can't afford to keep home tutoring you whilst we sue the local authority for damages. I can't stay working as a teacher here either, not whilst I'm suing my former employers. It's a nice enough house that we've found, and that's a good school that you'll be going to."

"That garden isn't a patch on this one. It will be hard to get an all-over tan there." R.F. scowled.

"We'll be keeping an eye out for another house, once we've got you settled in at your new school, if we can't make the garden more private. Besides, we have been thinking about joining a landed naturist club, so you can enjoy greater freedom and make new friends."

"Bloody Anne! Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut? ", stormed the boy.

"Now, now. You know it wasn't really her fault. Those boys that bullied you have an intolerant streak a mile wide. You know Britain has a poor attitude to social nudity. "

"Anne knew that too. She should have known that her friends wouldn't understand. Stupid cow! "

"Hey, just you stop that, young man! Just remember how upset Anne was when she realised how her revealing that she was a naturist backfired on you. You know she dumped her boyfriend and half her friends because they couldn't get their heads around it."

"Oh, look! Suddenly my cast has gone, and I didn't suffer those other broken bones, or the cuts and bruises. ", the boy shot back, sarcastically.

His mother said no more, but just turned and carried the tray back inside. She reflected on how...[Continue reading on the site]

I wished him a good morning, but he reminded me to ignore him as much as possible.

I hate breakfast, well, two toasts and a glass of orange juice, and in silence thought of my upcoming day in school.

It wasn't so much the fact that it was a naturist school that scared me but rather the idea that I had a multi-level class with students of all ages.

I had the student files for each of the 14 kids on my kitchen table. I spread them and realized it might not be as bad as I would have thought.

The oldest, Sally and Isabelle, were identical twin girls in 5th grade and Jeremy was roughly the same age. That meant that I had 3 solid students to help me with my tasks. All three had very good grades so far and were judged to be responsible.

I didn't have any 4th grade student, which was odd, but I had five 3rd grade students, three boys and two girls. That left me with three 1st and 2nd grade students, many of which were younger siblings of my older students.

There was a lot of literature on integrating a 1st and 2nd grade because in both cases, the kids mainly have to learn how to read, count and write. The 1st graders learn how to print letters and in 2nd grade, how to write in cursive.

The exercises might have differences, but it all boiled down to roughly the same curriculum but with different objectives.

Third grade was a lot harder, with more grammar rules and more importantly, multiplications and divisions as well as more advanced geometry. The fifth grader would also have different material but they were also more mature, hopefully making it better.

As soon as a plan had formed in my mind on how to tackle the class, I picked up my files and promptly left for the school, not even bothering to brush my teeth or take a shower. I was focused on my task and didn't care about anything else. I didn't even solve the problem of the lock on my door and simply left the front door unlocked.

Plus, it's not like I really needed to pack a lunch anyway: the school was a two minute walk from my house!

The school wasn't locked either. I began wondering if in this place theft simply didn't exist, but I quickly discovered an envelope in my desk with the key, so I could lock up behind me.

The key was attached to a pink spiral coil keychain and I realized that without pockets, this would probably prove very...[Continue reading on the site]

The tall apartment building looked nice but being new to the city, it was the first time I had seen it. It did surprise me at first that the elevator only had even numbered floors on it and thought that perhaps there were simply two elevators, one of odd floors and one for even floors.

I understood a little better when we entered her apartment and I saw the mezzanine: all apartments, she explained, were on two levels.

"Cool", was the only word I could get out as she removed her dark wool vest which had covered her elegant black little dress.

Instead of being wowed by her beauty however, I froze in fear when I realized that Amanda had been armed all night with a revolver in a concealed holster hidden by the vest. As far as I know, in New York City, it was illegal to own a revolver and to carry a concealed weapon.

For a moment, I could not see any way that this night could end well now. Was I about to get killed? Robbed?

In seconds, I reviewed how we met.

She had a profile on the dating for a little while and various comments had been left by other dates but, as she had explained at supper, none of them really interested her and it usually ended in the restaurant.

Was she a cold hearted killer and I was simply the first guy she brought home to kill?

I tried to remember our chit-chat and I realized that I didn't really know that much about her. We spoke of her dead husband, but all I knew was that he got shot, did she kill him? We spoke of vacation but even thought I shared what I did for a living, she didn't and I was in the mystery as to what she did for a living.

She did laugh a lot of my jokes and comments. She was delighted to hear that my ex-girlfriend was in another state and that I was the one who had left her. "You'd be surprised at how many guys are basically just trying to find another copy of the one that got away. It's annoying because if a girl agrees to date him anyway, he doesn't end up dating her, in his mind he is still dating his ex and anytime his new girlfriend will do something out of character it will push him away"

She was really curious as to how it ended and agreed that Lucy's immaturity had forced my hand.

For a girl about to kill me, she certainly was curious on my perception of what constitutes a couple and...[Continue reading on the site]

Every resident seemed to want to tell me his or her life story as well as tips on how to be a good naturist. Many of the younger ones grew up as naturists but the most interesting stories were from people who discovered the lifestyle as an adult.

I believe I met most of my students but I met so many people I couldn't place any names on any faces even if my life depended on it.

Now that I was finally alone, collapsed on my bed, I thought back to the communal BBQ in which I had to make a speech in front of thousands of naked people and, even more intimidating, two cameras.

As I recollected my words, I realized that I wasn't truly alone: Peter, the naturist cameraman was filming me as I rest silently in my bedroom.

Just 24 hours ago, I would have never dreamed of forgetting there was a nude man standing next to my bed but here I was, blending in.

I moved to place my head on the pillow and pretended to fall asleep. I listened as Peter eventually turned off his camera and silently left my house so I could really be alone.

It was weird: they made me tour the whole resort, almost forcing me to swim in their magnificent pool and trying their spa while the whole resort looked at my reactions. They also almost pushed me into the school so I could see my place of work, but no one had even bothered to tell me which of the houses were mine.

I was simply escorted by one of the employees at the end of the day and given the key without any ceremony or decorum. No one even told me what do to with the key when I left my house!

I initially accepted the job partly for the free house, to be honest but they seemed to place no importance on it.

As soon as I was sure to be alone, I left the bed and explored the building. It was a simple four room square house, with a single bedroom, a living room, a kitchen / dining room and a spacious bathroom with a nice pedestal tub and a separate shower. I peaked in the attic, but the roof was almost flat and I would never be able to store anything up there.

The movers had done a great job. My toothbrush was in place as were all of my personal beauty products. My food was in the fridge, but it wasn't my old fridge. Instead, I was supplied with a new bigger fridge with a ice cube and cold water distributor. My oven was also replaced by a new...[Continue reading on the site]

I did pack a few clothes, I am not crazy, but I knew the chances I would be using them was slim. My laptop bag contained almost everything except my books, making me feel I was packing way too light.

Still, I nervously returned to the limo waiting downstairs, not even then thinking of what would be happening to my apartment.

Only one of the cameramen, Tom, was sitting in the limo for the 2 hour ride. I presumed the other would be already on location to film my arrival.

I tried to engage Tom but he preferred not to talk to "remain professional".

After a few minutes in silence, I called my parents on my cell phone to inform them of my new position and the situation I had dragged myself into.

Tom filmed everything so I tried to stay strong and only present it has an opportunity. I am sure I would find time to express doubts and fears in private, but not was not the time. I repeated to them my first confession to give the editors a second take on my views.

I was scared shitless, but I needed to appear strong if I was to be the new face of naturism. I wanted to do them honor.

My father took the news surprisingly well. He explained that he was proud of me for sticking to my principles and doing what is right. My mom had a little more reserves but not because she was against naturism per se, but rather because she always hated reality shows.

I also called Julie, one of my naturist classmates. She had been one of my closest friends while studying and I had spent many days at her naturist center, clothed.

She could barely contain her happiness for me and promised to visit me frequently to help me with the move or even just to support me in my new lifestyle. She offered to come tonight to have a sleep over, but I admitted that I preferred to take it slow and do the transition on my own.

She did have a very big advice to give me: if I was to undress, I should do it as soon as possible because the longer I would wait, the harder it would feel. Julie had not been raised in a naturist center, her family converted when she was a teenager and the first week-end they had spent at a resort, she hesitated to undress and ended up unable to change her mind until the next...[Continue reading on the site]

Tim came back a few hours later with my contract signed by the network, with the terms more or less consistent with my demands.

Things were thigh. Our third and fourth choices had been found unreachable on such a short notice and our fifth choice, Amy, wasn't in the top four for a pretty good reason.

We couldn't quite put our hands on what it was, but there was something which turned us off about her. Perhaps because she simply bore us out.

Both Sophie and Susanna had a kind of youthful energy, a passion for life which Amy lacked.

But hopefully, we wouldn't need her. Susanna had told us in an interview that she did have two passions: kids and fame. As a kid, she wanted to become a singer and tour the world but she realized she lacked the talent, so she sadly settled to become a teacher.

The vicious lack of employment offers meant that now, she had no luck in either becoming famous or teaching kids. We were the solution. 

Our two cameramen were in place and we decided to exploit her enthusiasm rather than go at it in a boring sad way.

"Are you excited Susanna, you are just one interview away from getting your own TV show?"

"Yeah, I am pretty wild. When would we start filming?"

"Right now. You would move tonight and meet the 14 wonderful kids tomorrow morning on your first day of class"

"Wow, this is moving so fast. I will need to revise the pedagogic programs in a crash course."

"Don't worry about that. You can start with just fun activities. We'll even give you a budget and spend a few days to get to know the kids. They were almost all home-schooled and their parents will help you out. They just now want a school to help socialize the kids"

"Oh, that's even better. I wasn't sure why you wanted to do such a reality show. I mean, I thought, maybe they all have down syndrome or behavior problems"

"Oh no, not at all. They are all very sweet. There is an angle however. Something odd"

"Here we go."

"Yeah, well, it's in a naturist center."

"Ha, now it makes sense. I couldn't figure out why you also offered a house. I take it that I will need to live on the center and won't be allowed to wear clothes during filming?"

"Well, if the weather permits it."

"What will be the rating?"

"What do you mean?"

"In short, will my students be able to watch it because it's a reality show respectful of their lifestyle or will you go for the shock...[Continue reading on the site]

Candidates were simply told that they would have to teach one full semester to a small school with kids from grade 1 to 6 and that they would have all their expenses paid.

They would live in a house supplied to them and would have to stay there without leaving for the duration of the TV show but that if they succeeded, they got to keep the house free of charge.

They were even shown pictures of the modest house which had been professionally prepared to make it look better than it actually was.

But, like they were told, if they succeeded, they would have the option for a second season and possibly, the road to glory on television.

In all cases, they would win: they would get a real teaching job which was something hard to get by in today's society for a new graduate, and they would get a house free of charge with the possibility of an acting career.

That's why we received so many potential candidates.

We knew that part of the success of the show would have been on the sex-appeal of the teacher so we had to let go roughly 3/4 of all of the girls who didn't fit into our standards of beauty.

That may have felt cruel, but it's the sad truth of television: if you are not thin and pretty, you don't belong in the spotlight.

We also eliminated the girls who dressed a little too revealing because we wanted the initial transition to naturism to be rather brutal so that the conflict would attract non-naturist viewers sympathising with our star forced to live like the "evil naturists".

But we didn't want those who were too prude or religious, because our final goal was to see the selected girl adapt to the situation and live happily in the naturist resort, as to not offend our base viewers.

It was a thin line and we had thought that Sophie fitted the position perfectly, especially since she barely had any family and they lived on the other side of the country.

During the interview, she had admitted that one of her "wildest adventures" had been skinny dipping with friends as a teen, showing open-mindedness to our cause but at the same time, she buttoned her blouse all of the way to the top and seemed to try and hide her feminine side.

We explained that we needed a photo-shoot for the network and she accepted to pause in a skimpy bikini, making us think that she was the perfect girl for us.

And so, we casted her, made her sign her...[Continue reading on the site]

"Come in guys", was the first thing he said, in a warm friendly way. Tim and I entered his office, filled with Emmy awards  and framed posters of hit TV shows he produced.

"Who's 'they?'" asked Mungo acknowledging Kylie's presence.

"The kookaburra," said Kylie pointing to a bird in a nearby tree. She did not say whether or not she was joking. It was best to let Mungo figure that out for himself.

"Yer lookin' well," said Mungo giving her a hug. "You too, Wirinun," said Kylie returning the hug.

Releasing the hug, Mungo asked, "So yer gonna start callin' me 'Wirinun' too, huh?"

"Yes," replied Kylie adding, "when it is appropriate."

"So how's the editin' goin'?" asked Mungo. "Have ya finished yer documentary?"

"I've decided not to go through with production on my documentary," said Kylie. "I've also decided to give the evening news a break; a permanent break."

"So I'd heard," replied Mungo winking. He didn't say how he'd heard. It was best to let Kylie figure that out for herself. "So what'll ya do now?" he asked.

"I hadn't exactly figured that out yet," Kylie said truthfully. "I was thinking, though, that it should be something special; something I'll really enjoy."

"Sounds like a beaut plan," said Mungo.

"Oh, by the way, I've brought you a little something," said Kylie. She reached into her purple purse, the one with the green polka dots, and got out Mungo's gift. "It's a copy of the tape from the trip," she explained. "It's the only copy I made. It's the only copy I'll ever make. This way you'll have a copy, and I'll have a copy." She knew Mungo did not have a TV or VCR, but that was irrelevant. He would appreciate the gift all the same.

"Thank you, Wirina," he said graciously accepting the gift.

"What was that, you just called me? Wirina?" asked Kylie. "That's a beautiful name. What does it mean?"

"It's somethin' I made up. It means medicine woman. Sorta like a counterpart to Wirinun." Mungo explained. "You have the makings for a very powerful medicine woman. If you like, I can teach you more."

"That sounds good, and all," replied Kylie, "but maybe later. Right now I could really go for a swim in the pool. Would you care to join me?"

"Ya read my mind."

A shower. A shower came first. Kylie went upstairs to her bathroom. She turned the water on nice and hot. The mirrors in her bathroom immediately fogged up. Kylie could care less. She left her clothes in a ball on the floor, and stepped under the water of the shower.

She had enjoyed her various swims during the walkabout (both the real ones and the one metaphysical one), but nothing compared to having heated water. She turned the tap up just a little more. Normally she didn't like her showers this hot, but tonight she made an exception. Kylie half expected the waters to run brown from all the dirt. She had expected to need to shower for an hour to get fully clean. Almost disappointingly, she got clean rather quickly. She shaved her legs and armpits, and after that stayed under the water for a few more minutes, before she decided not to waste any more water.

After her shower, she applied an ample amount of facial cream, and various moisturizers. Perhaps she used these products in excess, but she wanted to feel and smell as clean as possible. She left her clothes on the floor of the bathroom. Laundry would have to come later. Now it was dinner time.

She left her dishes in the sink. Dishes like laundry would have to come later. Her bed was calling to her. She went to her bedroom, and slipped underneath the covers and sheets. The feeling of her smooth skin against her high thread count cotton sheets was amazing. "Ohhh...I've missed this," she murmured, as she drifted off to sleep.

She awoke at 11:06am the next morning. She never slept in this late, and ordinarily she would feel guilty about it. But after the walkabout? She had earned every minute of last night's sleep.

Kylie went to the kitchen, and...[Continue reading on the site]

It turns out that she didn't need to wake anybody up. Mungo and Oscar awoke with the first rays of the sun, just as she had.

"Mornin'," said Mungo stretching his arms above his head. "Sleep well?"

"I did," said Kylie. "No more nightmares," she said, adding, "I guess I have you to thank for that."

"Well, I don't know I'd go THAT far," said Mungo being modest. He gazed out at the lake before them. "Wanna swim?"

"I do," said Kylie hesitantly.

"But?"

"But...well...I'm kind of anxious to get home." It was true. She was. "I was thinking we'd get an early start?" She then added, "if you're feeling up to it. I don't mean to push you after the day you had yesterday. We can stay a bit longer."

"Nah, that's okay," Mungo replied. "I'm feelin' much better, thanks to you. I've got noproblem startin' early. It means we'll get to spend more time with Lars at Kurrajong."

At the mention of the station, Kylie felt an excitement come over her. Tonight they would be at Kurrajong. That meant running water, and a home cooked meal. And a bathroom! And two nights after that? She'd be home and eating her food, using her bathroom, and sleeping in her bed. She had come to enjoy her time in the Outback, but now it was time to go home.

Packing up to leave went quicker than usual. Since they didn't have a tent to pack away anymore, they were ready to go in minutes. Both of them made it a point to check and double check that the water bottles and water bags were completely full. Yesterday had been a close call for both of them. Even though they would be at the station tonight, there was no need to take any chances.

"Care for some sun block?" asked Mungo holding up a piece of charcoal from the fire pit. He was already black and sooty from the ash.

"Actually, I'll use the lotion," said Kylie. She had done the whole 'black and sooty' approach yesterday. It had kept her from burning in the heat of the sun. It worked. She knew that...[Continue reading on the site]

"Much," he said. It was true. His eyes were bright and vibrant. His mouth was no longer chapped after having slaked his thirst. He looked like his usual self. If anything, he seemed more vibrant and vigorous than usual. "I'll light a fire."

"And I'll bathe," replied Kylie. She left Mungo to his own devices, and went by herself down to the small lake. She stood at the edge of the water, and dipped her toes in to test the water. She found it to be quite pleasant. It was not too hot. It was not too cold. It was just right. Grinning in anticipation, Kylie began to wade out deeper and deeper.

She dunked her head under water, and then ran her fingers through her blonde hair. She wished, then, for some shampoo and conditioner. It was wishful thinking to be sure. Still, it was nice to get her hair wet. She rubbed her hands over herself to loosen some of the stubborn trail dust. She didn't get entirely clean, but it was the cleanest she had been in over a week. It would have been nice to apply some facial lotion, and some moisturizer after her bath. That would have to wait until she got home. She found herself more than a little homesick. Today had been the hardest day by far. Thoughts of home cooked meals and curling up with a good book made her miss home all the more. How much longer did Mungo plan to stay out here?

Glancing back at their campsite from the river, Kylie could see smoke. Mungo had the campfire ready for the evening. She decided she was finished bathing. It was time to join him back at camp. As she walked out from the water, her reflection in the water caught her eye. Kylie had always thought of herself as being a bit chubby. She still felt this was the case, but had grown to be more accepting of her figure. Yet in the reflection in that pool, she looked practically svelte. Her stomach was smaller from the time spent in the Outback. Even though she was not completely clean, she looked remarkably good. "Not bad, girl," she said to herself striking a model pose. Not bad at all...

Kylie returned to camp to find Mungo tending the fire. "Enjoy yer bath?" he asked.

"Very much," replied Kylie who was still air drying from her bath. "You're looking better," she said. It was true. He looked nothing like the weak dehydrated man she practically had to carry that day.

"Same old Mungo," he said. "Just gimme a little food and water, and I'm back to me...[Continue reading on the site]

Slowly opening his eyes, Mungo managed to utter a single word. "Ky...lie?" His speech was broken and slurred. He seemed dazed. Kylie could see that his mouth and his tongue seemed to be covered with a white film. He was dehydrated, and probably suffering from heat exhaustion. Or was that heat stroke? Admittedly, Kylie did not know the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke. All she knew was he needed water.

How had this happened? He had seemed so vigorous, so full of life around the campfire last night. So why was he so weak and feeble this morning?

Perhaps playing music had taken a toll on him. Kylie could not be certain how long he had played last night. But the physical activity of clapping the sticks together would have been tiring. The singing, too, would have left his throat dry. If he hadn't taken any breaks he would probably be dehydrated. After all, it had hot last night. Very hot. And with the way the morning was, it would be much hotter by this afternoon.

There was another possibility. If that really had been Wirinun, er Mungo, in her dream last night, then maybe that sort of magic was physically demanding. Kylie put that thought far from her mind. Such things were not possible. Were they?

Acting quickly, she went to his pack. She quickly searched his pack for one of the animal skin bags that he used to hold water. She found one, but it was disappointingly light. It was empty. So was the second. She found the third bag to be nearly empty, but still had a few sips left. There were no other water bags.

Kylie began to panic about their water situation. Mungo was nearly out of water, and she only had two 20 oz bottles left in her pack. It would be enough for one day, and that was it. The situation had suddenly become desperate. They needed to find water today. If she didn't get Mungo to a reliable source of water, he could become seriously ill. He could die out here! And if Mungo died out here in the outback, what chance did Kylie have of making it home. She could die out here too...stop thinking about that! Thinking like that didn't help the situation, it only made things worse.

She took the skin bag over to Mungo. "Here, drink this," she said.

He could scarcely hold the bag, so...[Continue reading on the site]