Remember The Moon Read Online Free PDF Page A

tankers.
    “It sure is humbling, isn’t it?” I said.
    “Yes it is,” she whispered. A shiver shot up the back of my neck as Maya took my hand.
    “You ready?” I asked as I stripped off my shirt and shoes, wearing just my shorts.
    “Oh. God. Won’t those waves smash us against the cliff?”
    “You have to wait until the wave is out, then jump in and swim to the grotto before the next wave hits. There’s a ledge you can stand on just inside the entrance. C’mon, you can do it!” I pulled her closer to the edge. She tentatively removed her shorts, revealing sexy red panties that took my breath away. She then slowly unbuttoned her shirt and revealed a matching red bra. The bony child-like figure of my memory had grown womanly curves. Pale, untanned patches of skin created by her obvious habit of tanning in a bikini caused me to turn away to prevent myself from licking a pale coin of flesh between her breasts.
    “Ready?” I asked. She took a tentative step closer to the edge of the rock platform and looked into the sea.
    “Ready as I’ll ever be...”
    “One, two, threeeeee!”
    We jumped, holding hands, just as a wave pulled away from the cliff wall. We were pulled away with it but swam toward the grotto’s opening and a new wave pushed us into the cool dankness. Just inside, we scampered onto another outcropping of rock to avoid the full force of the wave as it thundered into the entrance. We sat for a few minutes breathing heavily, our skin goose-pimpling as our eyes adjusted to the dark. On the water’s surface, pools of sunlight reflected onto the ceiling of the grotto, creating an undulating constellation. Long, limestone stalactites blistered down from the ceiling, threatening us with their menacing fangs. From their tips, large droplets of water fell into pools etched into the rocks by their Chinese torture dripping, creating a cacophony of high pitched tones, echoing throughout the cave in a methodic beat.
    “Oh, wow!” Tiny flecks of gold reflected off Maya's freckled skin as she looked up at the ceiling. “It’s so magical.” Her voice reverberated off the walls.
    “A temple of the sea, so to speak,” I offered.
    “It’s very beautiful, but it’s also kind of claustrophobic. I feel as if I’m in some sort of underworld.”
    “Maybe this is where you go when you die.” I laughed. “I guess you don’t want to see where some of these passages go, then?” I pointed to one of the tunnels leading off the main chamber.
    “You can. But I think I’ll stay right here, thanks.” We sat together in quiet reverence, feeling both cradled and threatened each time a wave entered and then retreated. My heart began beating fast with my desire to pull Maya close and kiss her, each beat surely amplified throughout the chamber.
    Maya turned to look at me, her eyes soft, and I leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. It felt at that moment as if we had known each other a thousand years, a feeling I had never felt with any other girl.
    “Wow,” she said as she pulled away, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. “I wonder what would’ve happened if we’d done that ten years ago?”
    “I wanted to.”
    “You did?”
    “Don’t pretend you didn’t know that.”
    “OK. I guess I did know. But you were just a kid to me then. A lowly freshman.”
    “Yeah.”
    We sat in silence for a long time, mesmerized by the iridescent mural of rock deposits painting the walls and ceiling of the grotto. I wanted to stay in this grotto forever, savoring the moment. Maya shivered.
    “You ready?” I asked.
    She nodded. “How’re we going to do this?”
    “Same way we got here. When a wave goes out, swim like crazy back to the rock platform.” Her eyes widened, but she took a deep breath and looked determined.
    “Ready?” I asked, as a wave began to move out of the grotto. Maya nodded.
    “Now!”
    Blinded, I re-emerged into sunlight. I looked around for Maya, who was already scrambling onto the