All day I had considered my opportunity—and its risks, to meet with Melina up on the hill in her fabulous villa that night. I knew it would be so far the apex of my research on the lives of a revenant population which had roamed the world in an "undead" state since ancient times.

        My studies of the phenomenon proved beyond a reasonable doubt that there actually were those who, for some anomaly of biology, could exist beyond death. They had acquired through some nefarious element an extension of life--beyond what had appeared to be "the grave" as we understand it. The occurrence of these incidents had been too universal and well-documented to escape the realm of possibility. And now it seemed, I had infiltrated a society of individuals who once existed and thrived below the radar screen of traditional science and empirical observation.

            I knew there was a tremendous danger linked to my accepting Melina's offer to meet with her. The whole business of how these resuscitates needed human blood to survive their curse or ordeal, seriously threatened my safety. My greater thirst for inquiry, however,  eclipsed this fear—at least it did while in the bright light of day as I walked across the sands of Paraga Beach once more. For there, I sought out again my young and innocent friend. The more romantic subject of my desires, Kleio.

            As if under some unwritten contract found her, as before that late afternoon, in her hidden cove, lying on her towel with a book in hand.

            "They're going to start calling this place Kleio Beach  if you continue to dominate it, young lady." I said standing unseen behind her.

            She quickly turned around and looked up, smiling.

            "Bryce!  I thought maybe you forgot me."

            I threw my towel down next to her and took off my T-shirt.

            "Would it seriously upset you if I did," I asked, trying to mask my own excitement for finding her so receptive.

            "Of course I would, silly. I was beginning to worry about you."

            "Come on now.  What could ever happen to anybody on this heavenly island?" I was, of course, very aware of what could to me.

            "Well trust me, Bryce . . . there are some elements here on the island we all must be fearful of. Mostly people who come here just to do harm to others. To take their money . . . and escape the authorities. It's not a very well-policed place, if you've noticed."

            "Yeah, now that you mention it. I really haven't seen any police here. Anywhere."

            I looked across the expansive turquoise bay to the next one, and the hills above, where Melina's white villa was absorbing the afternoon sun.

            "Well just hope you never need them," she said. "It could be days before anyone shows up to help you."

            This little revelation did not do much to settle my nerves about the night I had ahead of me.

            "So what have you been doing these past days and nights, Bryce? And if it involves any tourist girls . . . I'd just rather not know, thank you."

            "Girls?  What's that? I've been actually . . . continuing my research, you might say."

            "Oh yes . . . that highly boring stuff you would rather not tell me about?"

            "Um . . . yeah, basically."      

            Kleio smiled her charming smile. "You know. I'm glad you came back here today. I've missed you."

            Her words were surprising, and touching to me.

            "Well . . . I have to say the same. You've actually been on my mind a lot, Kleio."

            She looked into my eyes to see how sincere I was.

            "Bryce, when you kissed me several days ago . . . I felt something special. And it's not something I can say I'm used to."

            "Maybe that's one of the reasons I've been away. I felt it too. I do remember your basic rule about tourists, you know."

            She laughed at my recalling her summer rule about foreign romances.

            "Well. . . just like your crazy English language Bryce, a lot of rules . . . can get broken. It just scared me how quickly I was attracted to you. And I guess . . . how I still am."

            Kleio was obviously bearing her true heart to me, and it made me feel charged with desire there in such a beautiful setting. 

            I laid down on my towel and moved closer to her.

            "So . . . would you think I am a very bad tourist if . . . I kissed you once more?"

            She blushed, laughed, and tried to cover her face with her hand.

            I considered this humorous rejection of the offer a sort of green light. Boldly, I leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. She moved her body toward me and put her hand on my shoulder. As we kissed again more passionately, she traced her finger tips across my bare chest and I felt her tongue touch my lips during  the next kiss, invitingly. Moving my mouth and lips along her neck, I could hear her breathing increase. I could tell this was a scenario she had perhaps fantasized about, and possibly anticipated for some time, as I had. There was no question that I had not also thought and hoped for this to happen over the past days and nights, while sleeping alone in my room.

            As my hands moved across her bare torso, then up gently to her breasts, she flinched slightly. Then to my astonishment, she reached behind her, and with both hands untied her bathing suit top. Deftly, she removed it and our faces quickly came together for another deep kiss. While we embraced, our semi-naked bodies connected warmly in the cool air. Soon my mouth moved from her neck down her bare chest to her nipples. I heard Kleio moan slightly and then  she quickly directed my face back up to hers. After a long moment with our mouths together, I could feel her pelvis just beginning to push against my thigh. At first softly, then more aggressively Then,  suddenly, she stopped and moved away.

            "Oh Bryce. . . Bryce. . . Bryce!  You're corrupting me so badly! I really must stop this. . . Now!" She smiled self-consciously  and placed both of her hands in front of her flushed face.

            "Wheeew!" she said breathlessly. That was pretty amazing . . .Do you want to jump in the sea?"

            "Something about . . . rules?" I asked.

            "No. It's more about Nature. I have to slow down. . . come on. . ."

            With that, Kleio fastened back on her bathing suit top and stood up.  She then turned and ran across the sand for the sea.  I watched her wade up to her waist and then dive in like a dolphin, submerging herself below the white foam of an incoming wave.

            I was totally glad she wasn't there to witness my obvious aroused state as I too, stood up and ran into the surf to join her. When we emerged together in the warm, salty water, I realized just how comfortably sensual the summer Aegean could be.

            We moved closer together in the shoulder-deep surf and she smiled, then brushed the hair back from my face.

            "Wow. . .I needed that," she said. "How about you?"

            Feeling my manhood now returning to some semblance of normalcy, I agreed, nodding my head and submerging myself completely again in front of her. Kleio playfully followed me under the surface of the blue-green water and brought her face up close to mine, kissing me awkwardly while we were submerged. We both surfaced for air and laughed out loud.

            "So how much longer will you stay here . . . evil tourist?" She spoke excitedly but with a certain hard-to-disguise sadness in her voice.

            "At least till the end of the month, I suppose." I answered, also in a regretful and somber tone.

            "Great. . ."

            "I did not know if this comment meant something ironic, sadly defeated, or she was genuinely pleased.

            We kissed once more sweetly with our heads above the water and then walked back to the beach and our towels. Before I could speak she looked over toward Paradise Beach.

            "I know," I said. "It's the hour you go back to your friends. Right?"

            "Exactly," she said, still sounding equivocal and a bit sad.

            "Bryce . . . do you even own a cell phone here?"

            "Well . . . yeah, I do. But . . .  I've actually enjoyed separating myself from it this trip.

            "Well please . . . use it a few times before you go back. There's someone here who would like to hear from you. She reached into her bag and took out a pen. On a strip of paper she wrote her phone number, put it in my hand, and then began to prepare for her long trek over to Paradise Beach.

            "So. . . do you want me to. . ."

            "No, Bryce. Thanks. I think I just want to walk alone. I really need that right now."

            I accompanied her only as far as the cafeteria on Paraga Beach. That's  where  Kleio turned and began her ambitious daily walk back around the point to Paradise. For me it was a long, sad ride in the bus back to Chora, amid noisy and ecstatic tourists. All of them seemed anxious to return to their hotels. Obviously there they would prepare for yet another night of reveling under a waxing July moon. A moon  that was but one or two nights from being full.

        My own preparation for the evening would include regrets about Kleio and myself. But suddenly more pressing was my need for super-human courage to face a rendezvous I had agreed to at midnight. That, and a lot of detailed questions I had acquired over years of dead-end searching. 

                                                                                                 *     *     *