Janet Bell on the Road to..., Part 1

by Alice Gee

Any comments to [email protected].

Janet Bell stood on the porch of her home and watched the approaching vehicle as it entered her driveway. She knew that the Dodge pick-up contained family friends from upstate who would be visiting for a few days.

Nop and Ladda are a Thai couple who had immigrated to the US seven years ago. Janet and her husband Ronnie had known them back in Thailand when Ronnie had been on assignment with the construction company that he worked for. Nop had worked for Ronnie back then and the two families had become firm friends.

That was back in the days that Janet and their two children used to accompany Ronnie on his various assignments. Nowadays, Janet and the children stayed home while Ronnie continued his work overseas. Janet had decided that the children needed to form friendships at home and that they needed to become settled in their school life rather than swapping schools every couple of years.

So, after 8 years of travelling the globe, at some good locations and some not so good, Janet settled down at their home in southern California. That was 6 years ago, she still missed the globe-trotting lifestyle but knew that being home-based was good for the kids. The downside was that Ronnie still continued to travel. He was on a month on/month off schedule, as was Nop. At present, they were working together on the same project in Africa.

*****

At 36 years of age Janet was a very attractive woman. She was 5' 6" in height and of a slim build. She had shoulder length blond hair, blue eyes and a ready smile. She wore a 34 B cup bra and her breasts were firm enough that she could go without when the mood took her. Her toned legs were smooth and tanned and they rose up to a beautifully rounded butt. Janet was proud of her butt, as she was of the rest of her figure and worked out regularly at the local gym. She also swam every day in her own backyard pool. She used to jog daily around the neighborhood but stopped when a young woman was attacked at a local park. She now confined her exercise to the gym and her pool.

She and Ronnie still enjoyed a vigorous sex life – for six months out of the twelve – and even after 14 years of marriage Ronnie's dick still got hard when it was required. She liked her husband's dick and enjoyed the pleasure it provided for her. She also enjoyed fellatio and would perform it regularly, usually as a precursor to coitus. She often wished that she could get Ronnie interested in cunnilingus but had long since stopped raising the subject. She accepted the fact that it was not going to happen. Ronnie did not consider licking a women's pussy as a manly pursuit.

Janet sighed as she thought of this. She resented the fact that her husband would not perform this small service on her but deep down she knew that she should be thankful that she had a husband who had a dick that still worked and that he wanted to use it on her. Too many of her friends had husbands who were either indifferent to sex or sought it elsewhere.

So, all things considered Janet was quite satisfied with her life. Until quite recently that is. Recently a very dark and potentially dangerous cloud had brought a shadow over her idyllic existence.

The cause of that dark cloud would very soon be tumbling out of the approaching car. Melanie, nickname Nok (the Thai word for bird), was the 7 year old daughter of Nop and Ladda. She of the elfin frame and long, straight black hair. She with the prettiest face that Janet had ever seen. She with the happiest of smiles that could be guaranteed to melt the hardest of hearts, a smile that revealed two rows of even white teeth and a pair of the cutest dimples ever possessed by any girl. She of a bubbly, joyous disposition that it was impossible to be mad at her for a moment.

'This is going to be a very difficult couple of days. It will take all of my will-power to keep my hands off the little darling. Lord give me strength. I think I'm in love. I'm acting like a lovesick schoolgirl' Janet thought to herself as she waited for the car to come to a halt.

It had all started two months ago during the Thai family's last visit. Up until then Janet's feelings towards Melanie had been the same as any doting adult. She adored the cute little girl and looked forward to her visits. Then one day in the swimming pool while Janet was teaching Melanie to swim something irrevocable had happened.

*****

The house had been deserted except for Janet and Melanie. The other members of the two families had gone down to the coast on a fishing trip on Ronnie's boat. Janet never went on these fishing trips as she considered the sport to be little more than an excuse to torture fish. Ronnie had long argued that the fish could feel no pain but had failed to convince Janet.

Both Nop and Ladda thought that Melanie too young to go on the trip and Janet had jumped at the chance to babysit the charming youngster.

Janet had suggested that she should start to teach Melanie to swim. Melanie loved the idea but countered that she had not brought a swimsuit. Janet could see no problem with this as there would only be the two of them in the house.

"You can just wear a tee shirt and some underwear. No-one is going to mind as it will only be us girls in the pool." Janet said with a smile on her face.

"OK, Aunt Janey." Melanie shouted before turning and running upstairs to get changed.

Janet made her way to her own room to change into her swim wear. She chose a Melissa Odabash white halter neck bikini and slipped it on. As she tied the strings to hold the top in position she glanced at her reflection in the wardrobe mirror.

"Not bad for an old married woman with two kids." Melanie said as she ran her hands over her hips.

She wondered if the suit might not be a bit too revealing for an afternoon in the pool alone with a seven-year-old. She looked again at the cleavage revealed by the push-up top and decided that no harm could come of it as there would just be the two of them.

She turned from the mirror and walked out of the room. "Now to see what that little imp is up to."

Janet picked up two towels, sun block and a couple of swim caps as she made her way to the yard.

Melanie was already there jumping up and down in excitement.

"Aunt Janey you look beautiful. I really like your swimsuit."

"Thank you darling. I bought it last week and this is the first chance I've had to wear it. Now, first things first. We are both going to have to put sun block on. Me, so that I don't burn and you because I know your mother would not like you to get too much of a sun tan," Melanie explained before continuing, " also, when we do get into the pool you have to do as I say. No fooling around. Understand?"

"Yes Aunt Janey." The little girl nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Good, now let me put this swim cap on you. It will not keep your hair completely dry but it will help to keep your hair out of your eyes."

Janet proceeded to fit the cap over Melanie's hair.

"Are you going to wear a cap as well, Aunt Janey?"

"Not at first, sweetheart, while I teach you to swim I will be standing up and my hair will not be in the water. I will put one on later if I decide to have a swim."

The little girl nodded her understanding.

"Now let's put some sun block on you," Janet said.

As Melanie was wearing a tee shirt it was only necessary to put the lotion on her face and arms. 'After all,' thought Janet, 'her legs will be in the water.'

After seeing to the young girl Janet proceeded to apply the sun block to herself. After smearing it on her face, arms and tummy she asked Melanie to apply some of the sun block to her back.

"I need to get it on the places it's hard to reach." Janet explained.

"OK," Melanie said brightly. "I would like to do that."

Janet sat on a lounger and held her hair up to give the little girl full access to her back and shoulders.

Janet was pleasantly surprised by the little girl's touch. She had half expected the girl to slop the lotion on and just give a quick rub. Instead the girl's touch was soft and gentle. She began on Janet's shoulders and then moved down, her small hands gently caressing Janet's skin.

"Wow!" Janet exclaimed. "You are very good at this. Remind me to ask for a massage later."

"That's OK," Melanie replied. "My mom taught me how to give someone a massage. I can do it for you any time you want."

Janet wondered at the advisability of teaching a 7-year-old massage techniques but figured that it might be a cultural thing.

Janet was luxuriating under the gentle ministrations of the young girl when she began to feel a change in her mood. Whereas previously she had felt a certain maternal affection for her young charge, now under Melanie's skilful caresses, Janet began to feel a sexual arousal.

'My Goodness,' Janet thought to herself. 'This is a 7-year-old child but she is turning me on as only a grown man should be capable of doing.'

Janet stood up quickly and shook herself out of her reverie. She turned to the young girl and said rather brusquely, "I think we should get in the water now, honey. We are wasting time out here".

*****

For the next hour the older woman and her young charge splashed around in the water while Janet attempted to instill some rudimentary swimming skills into Melanie.

Janet could see that the young girl was begin to tire and decided that they needed to take a break.

"That's it for now, honey. We will take a short break. I will go and get some soda from the kitchen. You go and sit on that lounger under the umbrella."

When Janet returned carrying the two cans of soda pop she was surprised to see that little Melanie had removed the tee shirt and was stood under the umbrella wearing only her underwear.

"What was wrong with the tee shirt, precious?" Janet asked curiously.

"It felt all wet and yucky now we are out of the water. It felt uncomfortable wearing it. There is no problem taking it off is there Aunt Janey?" The little girl asked pleadingly.

"Of course not, petal. As I have said before there is only us girls here." Janet responding but even as she spoke she ran a speculative eye over Melanie's immature chest.

"Here you go, sweet thing. What would you like, orange or strawberry?"

"Strawberry, please."

Janet handed the young girl the soda can while she still ran her eyes over Melanie's body. Without the tee shirt she could fully appreciate the smooth, clean look of the child's caramel colored skin. Her eyes took in the two dime sized, chocolate colored areola, dark against the light brown skin of her chest. No nipples were yet discernable on her undeveloped chest but Janet considered her areola to be very attractive and she felt a strong urge to touch the girl.

She reached out her hand and stroked it down the young girl's arm. "How are you enjoying the day, Melanie?" Janet said while savoring the delicious sensations her fingers were experiencing on the child's satin smooth skin.

"Oh, I'm having a great time, Aunt Janey. I much prefer to be with you. You are my most favorite person in all the world."

An amused smile crossed Janet lips as she said, "what, even more than your mom and dad?"

"Oh yes!" The little girl exclaimed. "I love my mommy and daddy but you are my most favorite person. I always want to be with you."

"Well, thank you sweetheart. That's a very nice thing to say."

Janet continued to stroke the girl's arm as her eyes wandered over the rest of her body, naked save for the blue underwear.

Janet's eyes moved down from her bare chest and over her young girlish tummy. She noted the cute little indentation of her navel and wondered what it would be like to try to poke her tongue into it. She continued on down to the girl's very wet pale blue underwear.

The underwear was looking a bit worse for wear and sagged away from the young girl's body. Whereas before the pants had been tight up against the girl's crotch they now sagged down between her legs and a gap could be seen between the material and the girl's leg.

Janet raised her eyes back up to gaze upon Melanie's pretty young face.

The girl gave a shy smile as if in acknowledgement of the older woman's scrutiny.

"I like it when you look at me, Aunt Janey. It makes me feel all warm inside. It's kinda nice. It makes me feel special."

Janet looked away quickly and removed her stroking hand. She realized that she must have been leering at the girl. She would need to get a grip on herself before even this little girl gets suspicious.

"Well, you are very special to me and I think you are a very pretty little girl."

"Even more special than Nancy?" Melanie asked referring to Janet's 9-year-old daughter.

"Well, you are both very special to me. I love you both."

With that the young girl threw her arms around Janet's neck and hugged her tight. "Oh thank you so much for saying that because I love you too. There." The final part of the sentence was accompanied by quick, very wet kiss on Janet's cheek.

A flustered Janet said quickly. "Well yes, OK, now let's finish our sodas and get back into the pool."

They both finished off their drinks. As she was doing so Janet's attention was on the surface of the water in the swimming pool. If she had been looking at Melanie she would have seen the girl looking intently at her face, her mouth creased by an enigmatic smile.

*****

Janet put down her soda can and turned to Melanie and said. "Now, we need to re-apply some sun-block before we go back in the pool. So who goes first?"

"I want to put it on you first. Please Aunt Janey let me do you first."

Janet smiled and handed the bottle of sun block to the youngster and said, "OK sweetheart, you can put it on me first."

"Yeah! Now a want you to sit down first and I will do your arms, shoulders and back. Then I want you to stand up and I will do your tummy."

"I can do my own front and tummy, Melanie."

"Aw! Please let me do it. I promise that I will do a good job."

"Oh all right. Go ahead."

So Melanie began to smooth on the sun block onto Janet's body. Firstly she her small hands ran up and down Janet's arms and then moved to her back and shoulders.

While Melanie's hands caressed her skin Janet marveled at how soft and soothing they were. She was luxuriating in the almost hedonistic pleasure that she was experiencing through Melanie's very young but very adept fingers.

"Your mother has certainly done a good job on teaching you how to massage someone, Melanie. You are making me feel very good indeed." Janet purred as the youngster's hands applied the lotion to her skin.

"Oh yes, my mom gives me lessons every night before I go to bed. It is my favorite time of day."

Janet pondered this for a while and thought to herself, 'Most moms are reading bedtime stories to their little girls but Ladda is giving her daughter massage lessons. Wow. Asian culture is certainly different to ours.'

Melanie finished on Janet's back and reached over to start on Janet's upper chest.

Janet's white bikini top was a very brief affair and the tops of her breasts spilled out of the cups.

Melanie reached over and began to spread the lotion on the exposed flesh.

"It's all right darling. I can do that." Janet said while trying to prevent Melanie from massage her breasts.

"Aw! Please Aunt Janey; you said I could do it."

Janet gave up and allowed the young girl to continue.

Again Janet marveled at the touch of the girl. It was very erotic to feel her young hands on her breasts even though she did not have access to the whole breast area. Janet felt her nipples harden and press against her bikini top.

'Just as well she cannot get to my nipples. I think I would be cumming if she did. As it is I am beginning to feel a bit wet.' Janet mused to herself.

"OK Aunt Janey, you can stand up now and I'll finish off with your tummy."

Janet obediently got to her feet and stood in front of the 7-year-old.

"You are so beautiful, Aunt Janey. I hope that I can look like you when I grow up. I hope that I can have boobs like yours when I am a big girl."

Melanie began rubbing the cream into Janet's tummy.

Janet sexual arousal continued when the girl began her ministrations on her stomach. The girl's feather-light fingers brushed over the skin. Janet gave a little giggle as a small finger dipped into her navel.

"I'm sorry Aunt Janey; I didn't mean to tickle you."

"That's alright honey. I was not expecting it."

Just then Melanie's fingers slipped beneath the waist band of the bikini bottoms and Janet practically jumped.

"Sorry again. I was just making sure I covered everything."

"OK. That's enough. Hand me the sun block and I will get you slicked up. Turn around and I will do your back and arms first."

Melanie leaned over while Janet started rubbing in the lotion.

"Your massage feels very nice Melanie but I thought that it was for older people to do because you need a lot of strength to give a proper massage. Sometimes you have to push and massage the muscles. Not just smooth over the skin."

"My mom has taught me how to do both. I used the smooth one on you because I needed to apply the stuff on your skin. Besides I like to do it like that with you. Your skin feels so nice to touch."

Janet began to wonder which one was the adult here.

"I am also learning how to massage with my feet. I am not very good at it yet but mom says that I am a quick learner and I will be able to show you by the next time I visit."

"Well, I'm not sure about that. It sounds too grown-up for a youngster like you. I will ask your mother about it and see what she says."

"Oh don't worry about that. Mom will tell you that everything is alright."

Janet wondered, not for the first time on why Ladda was teaching her daughter how to give a massage. She wondered whether it would be considered rude to question it.

"OK little one. That's your back done. Turn around and I'll finish your front and we'll head back to the pool".

Melanie turned around and stood between Janet's parted knees. She rested her hands on Janet's bare thighs. Her hands began to gently move back and forth over Janet's sensitive skin.

Janet stared for a moment at the caressing hands and a small tremor of arousal passed through her loins. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Now then this will not take long."

After taking care of Melanie's face she squirted some more lotion onto her hand and began to apply it to Melanie's delicate chest. Janet felt the smooth satiny skin beneath her fingers and began to have some sympathy for pedophiles.

'Goodness, this girl feels so good. I have never thought this way before and if I had been told this morning that I would get turned on by rubbing sun block onto a 7-year-old's chest I would have said someone was mad. But, for sure I am feeling wet right now. I need to get into the pool and cool off.' These jumbled thoughts passed through Janet's mind as she caressed the smooth, flat chest of the young girl. As her fingers passed over the slightly browner skin of the areola she noted the change from the silky smooth texture of Melanie's light brown colored chest and the goose-bumped feel of the areola. Another shiver passed through Janet's body.

"Right, princess. That's enough, let's get in the pool."

Instead of moving away Melanie looked deep into Janet's eyes. She raised her hands and placed one on each side of Janet's face and said, "Do you like me, Aunt Janey. I mean really like me?"

"Of course I do sweetheart. I really like you. I love you."

With that Melanie placed her lips on Janet's and began a slow, sensuous kiss.

Janet's eyes flew open in surprise. She froze in position unable to move. She then registered the feel of Melanie's tongue pressing against her lips.

Janet sighed deep within her throat and surrendered herself to this warm, wonderful feeling. Her hands reached out and around the young girl, coming to rest on the taut, rounded cheeks of the young girl's bottom. Her lips parted to allow entry to Melanie's small probing tongue. Her own tongue responded almost of its own volition and went to duel with darting invader.

Her hands began to gently cup and squeeze the yielding flesh of the young girl's bottom.

Her tongue felt slow and awkward against the nimble organ of the youngster. Eventually Janet's larger tongue pushed back Melanie's and entered the girl mouth. There it proceeded to lap around the child's teeth and gums. A taste of strawberry filled Janet's mouth.

This was what brought Janet out of her trance like state. Her mind switched to speculate on the source of the strawberry taste and she remembered the can of soda that the girl had drunk. This in turn reminded her that it was a young child in her arms.

She quickly broke the kiss. Her hands came off Melanie's bottom and gripped the child's arms. Janet held the girl at arms length and said, "I'm so sorry Melanie. I don't know what came over me. That should never have happened. Please forget this ever happened."

Janet's mind was in a whirl. 'What have I done? Oh my God! How do I explain this?'

"Please Aunt Janey; please don't be angry with me. I just wanted to kiss you so much and when you said you loved me I thought it would be OK to kiss you. That's what people do who love each other, isn't it?"

Janet looked at the young girl and saw tears forming in her eyes. Her confusion quickly turned to compassion for the child. She pulled Melanie into her embrace and began to pat the girl on the back.

"There, there honey. Everything is alright. There is no problem and I am not angry with you. So hush now and just forget all about it."

Melanie wrapped her arms around Janet and began her caresses anew.

"I'm sorry Aunt Janey but I thought it would be alright to kiss you. I thought people who love each other kiss all the time."

'Oh God! How do I explain the difference between love with consenting adults and the innocent love between friends?' Janet's mind whirled with conflicting emotions. She was also very conscious of Melanie's bare legs pressed against the inside of her thighs and the soft caressing fingers on her back.

"We need to get into the swimming pool and cool off." Janet said firmly and clasped Melanie's arms and held her at arms length.

A look of disappointment spread across Melanie's face. Janet misread the look believing that the child still thought that she was angry with her.

"Now, let us forget all about what happened. No one is angry; there was just a little misunderstanding that is all. Let's get back into the pool and start your lessons again."

With that Janet took hold of Melanie's hand and walked towards the pool steps. Once in the water Janet turned to the girl and gave her, what she hoped, was a reassuring smile.

"Now then Melanie, let us start again and forget what happened before."

Janet reached out her hand and cupped Melanie's chin in her hand and said. "And let's have a little smile from you to let me know that everything is forgotten."

Melanie returned the older woman's gaze a speculative look in her eye. "OK Aunt Janey, let's start again." Melanie responded as her mouth creased into a small mischievous smile.

"Good, now let's just work on your leg kicks for now. You grip the pool rail and I will support you with my hand to make sure that you keep your legs up."

Melanie went to the side of the pool and caught hold of the rail. Janet reached down with her left hand and placed her hand on Melanie's bare tummy to ensure that the young girl was lying flat along the surface of the water.

Melanie began to enthusiastically kick her legs.

"Slow down young lady. You will tire yourself out kicking like that. Just try to kick one leg at a time and stretch out your foot as you kick."

Melanie did as instructed and Janet stood by her side looking down at the young girl. Janet took in the swell of the child's rounded bottom as it crested the water. She noted the girlish brown legs and felt a little tremor pass through her body at the thought of that smooth skin pressing against her thighs when she held the girl at the poolside. She became aware of the feel of Melanie's tummy on her fingers.

Janet could feel her resolve and all her good intentions slipping away as she stared at the youngsters little bottom covered by the now translucent underwear. She could discern the darker shadow of the girl's ass crack beneath the sheer material.

Without even realizing it Janet's right hand came up under the young girl's body to place itself on the front of the underwear.

Janet held her breath as a vision of Melanie stood by the side of the pool appeared in her mind's eye. She recalled the sight of the girl's underwear and how the soaked material had sagged between her legs. The memory of the gap between the material and the child's leg came clearly into her mind.

Janet let out a loud sigh as the thought of that little gap entered her mind.

As if by their own accord the fingers of Janet's right hand moved closer to the junction of the girl's thighs.

Using her left hand as the main support of Melanie's body her right hand moved inexorably towards where Janet knew the small gap would be.

Janet knew that what she was thinking of doing was very wrong. She had climbed back into the pool with only the thought of instructing the girl at swimming. She had vowed to herself that what had happened at the side of the pool would never be repeated but now the temptation was proving too much for her after only a few short minutes in the pool.

Janet was by now hopelessly lost. Strange new desires had surfaced in her consciousness, thoughts that she would have never have believed possible. Her mind was filled with the memory of the poolside kiss, her tongue dueling with the Melanie's small darting tongue: of Melanie's caressing fingers: of the feel of the girl's tight, young buttocks as she kneaded them with her hands.

She could feel the child's smooth skin as she supported her body in the water. The sight before her now was of those same small tight buttocks as they stretched and moved as Melanie's legs kicked in the water. And above all these thoughts was that of the small gap at the pant's leg and the treasures that lay inside. Janet did not know where these forbidden thoughts had come from. If she had ever thought of pedophilia before it would have been with a feeling of disgust but now her she was straining her fingertips in an attempt to touch the child's genitalia.

Her searching fingers reached the edge of the flimsy material and passed over to feel smooth young flesh. She was dimly aware in the back of her mind that Melanie's kicks were slowing down.

Her fingers moved inside and passed over the firm flesh of the child's tummy. Janet closed her eyes in order that she might see through her fingers, for her mind to conjure up the sights that her fingers were feeling.

She moved her fingers down from Melanie's tummy and over the protuberance of the girl's mons pubis. The soft swelling of her mons seemed very pronounced under her gliding fingertips. To Janet it felt enormous especially compared to the small frame surrounding it.

Janet's fingertips moved on over the mound of the girl's mons and arrived at the soft pouty lips of her labia.

Janet gave a shiver of delight as her fingers encountered the girl's hidden charms. She opened her eyes briefly to note that Melanie had stopped kicking her legs and had in fact spread her legs wide to accommodate Janet's probing fingers.

Janet's mind did not take in the significance of the parted legs and she closed her eyes again and resumed her exploration.

Her fingers glided over the labial lips and these in turn felt unusually large beneath her questing fingers. She pressed her finger into the slit between the girl's labial lips.

In her mind the girl's vaginal crack seemed disproportionately large for such a small body. Her fevered mind somehow realized this was due to the fact that she could not see the girl's treasures and that everything seemed larger to the touch.

Janet used her forefinger to trace the opening of the girl's vulva and her eyes flew open in surprise when the tip of the finger actually passed the labial lips and entered into her vagina.

Janet looked down onto Melanie's spread legs as her finger wormed its way further into the girl's body. She was quite surprised at the ease in which her finger entered the girl's vagina.

The realization that hers might not be the first finger to enter that tight channel slowly dawned on her. Her eyes travelled up the length of Melanie's body until finally she came to the girl's face.

Melanie head was turned towards her and a big wide impish grin played across her lips.

Janet realized the futility of denying the inevitable. She returned Melanie's smile whilst wiggling her finger inside the girl's water lubricated cunt.

"I think we should get out of the pool and into the house, young lady. It looks as though you and I have some unfinished business."

Janet slowly, almost reluctantly removed her finger from the child's tight vagina. She also removed her supporting hand and the girl stood up in the pool.

Melanie took a step towards Janet and wrapped hands around the older woman's body, due to the disparity in their heights the girl's hands came to rest on the top of Janet's thighs just below her bikini bottoms.

The young girl looked up at Janet and said, "I love you Aunt Janey, I would do anything for you. You really are my most favorite person in all the world."

Janet closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of this young beauty in her arms. But then another thought entered her head and she thought about the enormity of what she was about to do. She felt trapped and helpless in her lust. Never before would she have even considered having sex with a child but now she knew that this was inevitable and she was powerless to prevent what was about to happen. She just had to know, she had to feel the experience, to know what it would be like. What was driving her lust she could not answer but its urge was overwhelming. Whatever the consequences Janet knew it must happen.

Then another vision entered Janet's mind. She imagined a winding road leading off down into a long valley. In the distance a huge wall was stretched across the valley floor. The road led up to a pair of large wooden gates set into the wall. The gates were shut fast at the moment but Janet sensed that should she go through with act of seduction of a child then those gates would start to swing open to receive her. A feeling of dread came upon her as her mind dwelt upon the awful prospect but she knew that even the threat of purgatory would not stop her having sex with this child.

Janet opened her eyes in an attempt to dispel the vision of the gates. A steely resolve took over her body. She turned to Melanie and said, "Come child, let us go indoors."

Grabbing the girl's hand in her own Janet pulled the girl towards the steps leading out from the pool. Not stopping for towels to dry their bodies the older woman led the young girl across the yard and into the house.

*****

To be continued.