Seduced by the Satyr — sample
This is a story in my latest collection, Hot for Horns. If you’re interested in reading the story in its entirety and other stories featuring horned monsters you can purchase the collection here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1402415
Vina had fallen behind the group walking through the forest. She had been interested in a guided tour to sightsee and to not be alone in a strange environment. She was a ditz without a sense of direction, and she hated being an inconvenience to others, even when she was flustered and confused. She caught a quick glimpse of the last in the group’s person’s backpack. “Oh, good.” She scraped her possessions from the dirt trail. Vina then scurried, straining her leg muscles to catch up with the others. “Please! Wait!” Vina slid, taking the corner sharply. “I fell behind!” She stared at the gradual incline before her. How did the group get so far ahead? Where did they go?
Confused, exhausted and in need of rest, she begrudgingly took to the staircase-like footpath. While Vina chased the presumed footsteps of her tour group, the sun moved across the sky. The fading gold light trickled down between foliage. Vina sat on one of the steps and groaned. She had spent hours on her feet. Sweat soaked her shirt and cargo shorts. She grabbed her bandana from her bag, then wiped away the excess sweat from her face and neck. Vina tightened her ponytail. She let out a groan of defeat. “Nature, you win,” she mumbled. “You’re pretty. I’ll stick to pics on my computer from now on. No more immersing myself.”
Vina shook her mostly empty water bottle. She needed to find her bearings and soon. Night would set in soon and she was dressed for an afternoon hike, not an overnight camping trip. She took a small sip of water, but not enough to quench her thirst. Her mouth was dry, and her body still felt hot. She put away her water bottle, then she began her hike, trailing after her group.
Music pulled Vina from her path. She was no expert, but the melodic sounds reminded her of flutes and similar instruments. Vina cut through the brush, tall stocks of grass and humble flowering shrubs. She hummed along with the music while she meandered, searching for the origin of the performance. A short distance off the trail Vina found a lagoon at the base of a waterfall. “This had to be part of the tour,” she muttered, awestruck. Vina snapped several quick photographs on her phone before the music distracted her once more. Off the clearing beside the lagoon Vina spotted a man playing a wind instrument. Shadows began to tease the eyes with illusions and tricks played on the mind. Vina shrugged off what she first thought she saw — fur on the man’s legs — and she approached him.
