Blessing of the Wood

"I guess I'll go let him know, and see if I can talk him into it."

"Let me get you the paperwork and show you where the room is. Then I'll just have to wish you luck."

"I'm probably going to need it."

A couple of minutes later, Ella walked back across the street with the paperwork in hand. John saw her as she approached, and the look on his face reminded her of a deer caught in the headlights. It wasn't any better when she sat down in the car and held the paperwork out to him.

"There's no way I can do this," he said.

"Just a second," she said. "You fill the paperwork out, and I'll take it back in. I talked to one of the lab technicians, and she set up a room near a side door. I can let you in that door so you don't have to go in the front. Then when you're done, you can go right back out that door and no one will ever see you."

He shook his head. "It won't work. There's no way I'm going to get hard in a building full of people like that."

Ella offered him a coquettish grin and said, "Well, I'm going to help you with that."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean? I don't think I'll have any trouble making you hard or making you come if I want to." She dropped her voice into a sultry whisper and added, "And I want to."

"I... Uh..." he stammered, at a loss for words.

Ella brought a finger to her lips, pulled a pen from her purse, and then said, "Start signing."

John timidly took the pen. As soon as he had it in hand, she started the car. When he finished, Ella checked to make sure he hadn't missed anything, and then drove across the street to the lab. Only one car was parked along the side of the building, and it was far from the door where Ella stopped.

She said, "I'm going to take the paperwork in. Watch that door, and when I open it, come in. The room we're going to is only a couple of steps away."

He nodded, and she leaned across to kiss his cheek before getting out of the car. Lauren was waiting when Ella arrived inside, and opened the door leading into the back.

"I'll take care of that," Lauren said, holding out her hand for the paperwork. "So far, so good?"

"So far," Ella answered. "I hope he's still in the car when I open the door."

"Best not to dally, then. Here's the sample cup," Lauren said as she handed it over.

"Thanks for going out of your way to help."

"That's what we're here for."

Ella walked down the hall, finding it empty, and peeked into the room before going to the outside door. It looked like any room in a doctor's office. The door could be locked from the inside, which she was sure was crucial for John's piece of mind. Then, she went to get him.

He started when she pushed on the bar to open the door, but didn't get out of the car. She emphatically waved him toward her, and he finally reacted. Ella held the door open, and then ushered him into the room set aside for them.

The look on his face as she locked the door took her aback. He was pale, and appeared to be on the verge of getting sick.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He shook his head and answered, "No."

Ella stepped over to him and gathered him in her arms. He wrapped his around her, and surprised her with how tight he was holding her.

While caressing his back, she asked, "What is it?"

"I just... I'm not sure I want to know."

"Won't it be better to know than to wonder?"

He sighed and said, "I guess."

"It will," she said, and then kissed him.

The kiss started out soft — comforting. Ever so slowly, she let her hands wander to his lower back, and slipped her tongue into the kiss. The familiar rush of arousal set her heart to beating faster, and she could feel the excitement building in his kiss.

By the time she stepped back, Ella knew she was soaking wet. Some of the nervousness returned to John's eyes, but it couldn't stand up to his arousal when she pulled her top over her head and tossed it on the exam table behind him. She remained just out of reach as she unclasped her bra and pulled her arms from the straps.

He reached down for a quick adjustment, which was a good sign.

Ella's bra joined her top. Before it even landed on the paper-covered vinyl, John cupped her heavy breasts in his hands. Ella moaned and slipped a hand in behind his head to tug down. A broken gasp filled her lungs when John took her right nipple between his lips. She reached between his legs with her other hand and could feel him hardening.

Quiet moans escaped her as he continued to worship her breasts. Her practiced fingers tugged on his belt, and then opened the clasp. She made short work of the button and zipper of his jeans, allowing her to feel him through the thinner cloth of his boxers. He was already as hard as stone.

He grunted around her nipple when she pulled his underwear down, freeing his cock. She squeezed it briefly to feel it throb, and then pushed his jeans down to his thighs.

"Take them off," she whispered to him.

He gave her nipple one last suckle, and then straightened to pull off his shoes — not bothering to unlace them. While he undressed, she pulled the sample cup out of her purse and removed it from the plastic wrapper. She sat it down on the exam table just as he kicked the denim away.

Ella wrapped her fingers around his shaft, looked into his eyes, and smiled. He stifled a groan from her touch. She loosed a chuckling moan at his reaction. "I told you I could get you hard."

He nodded, breathing heavily.

Then she got down to work.

John leaned against the table and grunted as her hand slid up and down his shaft. "God, that feels good," he said in a growled whisper.

"Uh huh," she agreed while adding a twist of the wrist to her strokes. "I like this. Someone could be just a few feet away and have no idea what we're doing in here."

"Don't remind me."

She stuck her tongue out at him and grinned.

Ella kept up the slow pace, drawing grunts and gasps from him that he seemed to have more trouble controlling by the moment. He squeezed her breasts, and watched them jiggle from the motion of her hand on occasion, though most of the time he was caught up in the desire smoldering in her eyes. She was so turned on that she had to forego tickling his balls with her other hand to reach between her legs to assuage the growing ache. The moment she whimpered from her touch, his eyes lit up.

When he tugged on her shorts, Ella quickly helped him pull them down. The shorts pooled at her feet, but her panties only made it far enough to stretch between her thighs. She clamped her lips tight to stave off a yelp when he pushed a finger deep into her canal.

A second finger joined the first to pump into her depths. Ella whimpered, squeezing him tight when the pleasure shot up her spine and exploded into her every nerve ending. As soon as the wave passed and she could loosen her grip, she picked up the pace of her stroking hand.

John began to breathe heavily, his fingers losing their rhythm. The sound mingled with her pants and the fap of her hand sliding over the ridge of his cockhead, filling the quiet room. Caught up in the sexual energy, she nearly forgot the whole purpose of their risky tryst.

"I'm getting close," he grunted, snapping her out of an aroused trance.

It was with the greatest of reluctance that she stepped away from his wonderful fingers and reached for the sample cup. She could see it in his face, hear it in his breathing, and feel it in his throbbing cock. He was near the edge. She positioned the plastic container over the head of his cock and pulled down on the rigid organ to straighten it.

Her voice husky, she said, "Come for me." After a few more fast strokes, she said it again. "Come for me. Give it to me."

"Ah, baby," he growled. "Here com—"

That was as far as he got. He lurched and his cream spattered audibly against the bottom of the plastic cup. Ella held him tight, keeping him aimed into the cup, and twisted her hand around the swollen organ. Spurt after spurt pattered on the plastic as he fought to remain still and upright.

When a gentle ooze rolled over the head, Ella said, "That's enough for them," and dropped to her knees. Once there, she simultaneously sat the cup down on the floor and took him in her mouth. The moment her lips wrapped around him, he let out an explosive gasp and offered up one last bittersweet blast of cum.

He went weak in the knees as Ella moaned and sucked him dry — down to the last fitful dribble. When she let him slowly slip from her lips, he turned and leaned heavily on the paper-covered table, setting off a loud crackle. A sensual chuckle bubbled up inside Ella as she licked her lips and watched him fight to keep his legs under him.

She scooped up the cup and stood, pulling her shorts with her, and feeling a chill as the breeze from her motion touched the wetness between her legs. She sat the cup down on the far end of the table from where John trembled and twitched so she could finish pulling on her shorts and panties.

Still bare-breasted, she put the lid on the cup, and then pulled out the labels the technician had provided. Once the sample was secure, she laid a hand on her man's back and caressed it.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Oh god, Ella," he muttered.

"Mmm... Good, huh? I know you tasted good."

That set off a full body shiver in him.

"Come on, John. We need to get dressed so I can drop this off, and we can get home," Ella said. She then leaned in close and whispered, "There's more where that came from."

Not surprisingly, that motivated him.

****

Ella peeked into the bedroom after getting out of the shower that evening to see John was out like a light. Considering he'd provided his third donation of the day an hour or so before, it was hardly a mystery as to why. Still riding the euphoria of her most recent orgasm, Ella tapped on her phone before drying her hair. No messages had arrived during her shower, but she started when the phone rang before she could remove her finger from the screen.

She pulled the towel turban on her head away from her right ear, and then answered, "Hi, Dad."

"Hey, honey. I'm not waking you, am I?"

"No, I just got out of the shower. What's up?"

"I thought I'd let you know what I found out about the campground. Unfortunately, there's not a lot I can do."

Ella sighed and asked, "Too much red tape?"

"The opposite, really. Because of the circumstances, everyone involved has been stalling the foreclosure process as much as possible. They're running out of red tape to slow things down. The biggest problem is that the church can't legally negotiate a payment plan. Otherwise, they'd be golden. From what I hear, they've raised over half the money."

"Would have been more if they'd taken ours," Ella grumbled.

"Close to what they need," her father acknowledged. "But that's neither here, nor there. As it stands, the property owner, Ms. Welker, is the only one who can legally negotiate a deal."

"Is there any chance of that?"

"I'm afraid not. She's in the Davon Center Hospice, suffering from dementia. Since she didn't have any surviving family, she'd made preparations for something like this, but the property tax on the campground was one thing she forgot."

That was that. "Well, thanks for trying."

"Oh, I'm not done yet," he said, and she knew he was smiling from the tone of his voice. "I'm calling in a few favors to see if I can have the campground folded into the state forest after a foreclosure. The property is on the border of the forest anyway, and at least that way it won't end up on the public auction block."

"What do you think the chances are?"

"A lot better than average," he confidently replied. "Cross your fingers, and keep your hopes up. Now, I'll let you go so you can get some rest."

They said their goodbyes, and Ella saw herself smiling in the mirror. She knew what kind of connections her father had, and that he never sugar-coated things for her. If he believed he could do it, then he could.

Just in case, she crossed her fingers for a second before picking up the hair dryer.

****

"Eight o'clock," John promised, standing next to the car after the last class the following day.

"In the door by eight o'clock," Ella reiterated. "I know how you get when you're playing D&D. Tell my brother he's in just as much trouble as you are if you're not home on time."

He held up his hand and said, "Promise. Dale said your mom told him seven, anyway."

"Okay," Ella said, and then kissed him. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

Ella shook her head and rolled her eyes as John hurried to her brother's car. She'd never understand the game, but she knew how much he loved it, so she didn't argue about him playing.

In moderation, anyway.

She climbed into her car and tried to think of something to do for an hour or so. She knew her sister, and the looks Terra had been giving Nathan before they left strongly hinted that she would hear things she didn't want to if she went straight home. Nothing was really coming to her, though. She was on the verge of going to watch her brother's game when she reached the city limits and a sign caught her eye.

Ella pursed her lips in thought as she neared the turn to the hospice. The thought of the woman being there with no family to come visit tugged at her heartstrings. She had no idea if anyone would let her in, but she made the turn anyway.

"Can I help you?" the woman at the reception desk in the lobby asked as Ella approached.

"I was wondering if I could see Ms. Welker."

"Are you family?"

"No. I—"

A nurse standing nearby asked, "From the church?"

"Not exactly," Ella answered. "That's how I know her, though."

"You do know about her condition, don't you?" the nurse asked.

Ella nodded. "I just wanted to visit with her for a few minutes."

The nurse gestured behind her. "She's out back enjoying the sunshine. She's always much more lucid when she's outdoors. I was just about to take her some iced tea, if you'd like to come along?"

"Thank you," Ella said as she followed. "My name is Ella."

"Christine," the nurse said. "Penelope doesn't get many visitors. Her condition causes her to say things that are difficult for people from the church to handle, and that's really all she has left. Her language can be salty, and sometimes she talks about outrageous things."

"I'm not easily offended."

Christine smiled. "That's good, because she has her days, sometimes." She stopped in front of a door and said, "Let me get the tea. I'll be right back."

Ella noticed how quiet the building was and thought of her phone. She pulled it out of her purse and set it to silent, not wanting one of her ring tones to suddenly intrude on the quiet. The vibration was strong enough to feel through the strap of her purse anyway. By the time she put her phone away, the nurse had returned.

"I bring it from home," Christine explained. "Penelope knows her tea, and she's not fond of what we make here."

"That's nice of you," Ella said as they set out through the halls again.

"Anything to make the residents more comfortable. Oh, don't be surprised if she calls me Wendy. I can only assume it's a nurse from her past that I resemble. She may call you by someone else's name, too. I usually play along and don't say anything too specific. Oh, and call her Penelope. Calling her Ms. Welker usually results in a bad spell."

"I understand."

Christine led them out the back door of the facility and pointed. "There she is."

Penelope sat on a park bench, looking out over the manicured lawn toward some trees beyond. Her hair was completely white, and her wrinkles gave her a distinguished, wise appearance. She was smiling and toying with a walking cane leaned against the bench at her side. Another nurse sat on a nearby bench, keeping an eye on her.

"Let me go first. Stay a few feet behind the bench, and I'll introduce you."

"Okay," Ella agreed, and then followed the nurse across the lawn.

"Here's your tea, Penelope," Christine said when she stepped in front of the bench.

"Oh, bless you, dear," the old woman said as she took the glass in a reasonably steady hand. She brought it to her lips, sipped, and then let out a satisfied sigh. "Thank heavens you know how to brew tea. Everyone else must make it with toilet water."

Christine laughed and said, "You're welcome. There's someone here who would like to visit with you, if that's all right?"

"Oh, who is it?"

Christine waved for Ella to approach. "Her name is Ella, and she knows you through the church."

"Ella... Ella... That doesn't sound familiar," Penelope mused.

"That's okay, Penelope. I'm sure it will come to you. Here she is."

"Hello, Penelope," Ella said, and offered a wave.

The old woman's eyes widened, and she gasped. The glass fell from her nerveless fingers, spilling tea all over her lap and the bench. She put her other hand over her heart and reached out with the hand that had held the glass.

"Xantwilla. Oh, it's been so long," Penelope said.

Ella's heart nearly stopped upon hearing the xan that preceded her real name, and that of every other female member of the family.

The wizened woman continued, "You've come back. I've missed you so much. Where have you..." She trailed off, and then suddenly shrank back against the bench. "No. It can't be. You're gone. The fire. Your hair. Your hair isn't green. It's not you. Oh, it's not you..."

Ella was both stunned and heartbroken. She had no idea what to say as the old woman's chin dropped to her chest and she began to weep. She jumped when Christine laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Ella said, still at a loss.

"It's okay. You just triggered some memory or fantasy of hers," Christine whispered. "You should probably go, but you didn't do anything wrong. Don't worry. She'll be fine in a few minutes."

"I... I'm sorry," Ella said again.

Christine clasped her hand for a second and said, "Don't be." She then sat down on the bench and reached for the old woman's hand.

Ella turned to walk across the lawn shaking and ashamed. As she neared the door, the memory of Penelope mentioning green hair hit her hard. There was no missing the significance of that and the name the woman had called her. Some time in the past, Penelope had known a dryad.

There was only one person who could possibly tell her what that meant.

****

Xantina stood waiting at the edge of her pool when Ella arrived. The dryad held out her hands. "Come, Xanella. I know what you seek."

"So, she did know a dryad?" Ella asked as she pulled her purse off her shoulder to undress.

"Yes," Xantina answered, and Ella saw a rare hint of longing in the nymph's sparkling eyes. "Come. I will show you."

Though not as deeply aware of her great-grandmother's thoughts as the dryad was of hers, she could sense that Xantina didn't want to wait for her to undress. So, she pulled her purse back onto her shoulder and went to take the dryad's golden hands.

"Close your eyes," Xantina said.

Ella did so, knowing that it meant her great-grandmother was going to magically take them elsewhere. Like almost every other member of the family, she'd peeked once when traveling this way, and regretted it. The whirl of green and brown along with the sudden change of location had left her nauseous and dizzy.

A sensation of floating and dew settling on her skin marked Xantina's magic taking hold. In the space of a heartbeat, they were somewhere else.

"We are here," Xantina said.

Ella could feel the familiar touch of magic that permeated the woods near her home, but it was subtly different. She opened her eyes to see cabins nestled amidst trees in the distance. She stood just within a much denser forest. "Is that the campground?" she asked.

Xantina nodded. "Here is my sister Xantwilla's place."