A short story for Sonnenfreunde (Issue 2021 – Theme: "Encounter")
“The water’s warm today,” Uwe said, sitting down a respectful meter away. “Warmer than the air, almost.” Sonnenfreunde Magazine 2021
A long silence. A finch sang. A child laughed from the water. A short story for Sonnenfreunde (Issue 2021 –
A man stood at the edge of the clearing, just where the pine needles gave way to the soft grass of the naturist zone. He was perhaps thirty, lean, with the pale complexion of someone who spent his days in an office. He clutched a rolled-up towel like a shield, and a pair of swim trunks bulged from his backpack’s side pocket—still dry. A child laughed from the water
Uwe chuckled. “Son, the sign at the gate says FKK . It doesn’t say ‘optional.’ But the mind takes longer to undress than the body.” He nodded toward the lake. “First time?”
Uwe returned to his oak tree. He didn’t say I told you so . He didn’t need to.
Uwe watched as the man sat down stiffly behind a bush, still wearing his linen shorts. He looked like a spy in a foreign land, afraid to be discovered.