Under the Sweetgums

Shelby never planned to leave Grundy County. Hell, Shelby hadn’t planned much of anything in his life up to this point. He simply floated along like the sweetgum leaves as they dropped into the creek, carried on to parts unknown. Somedays, like today, he would sit on the bank and watch as the water carried them downstream towards the Miller’s farm, imagining himself as that leaf, floating between the legs of the Miller girls as they bathed in the clear, cool stream. He got lost every time he had this particular daydream, imagining the view from below as the two beauties washed and laughed, kicking water at each other with their long, sinewy, work-toned legs. He always lingered on their legs, and then even longer on the space between them, the space that had prevented Shelby moving on from Grundy county.

He had known Lily and Charlotte his whole life. His closest neighbors, and the only girls near his age in the valley, he grew up spending hours on their farm when he was younger. They spent hours running through the woods playing and the fields, and later they taught him how to ride bareback; he never took to it like they did for some reason. He would bring them fruits he foraged around his family’s land, and on occasion would bring his banjo to play them songs with their father. As they got older, he spent less time on their farm. Mr. Miller had always liked Shelby and his family, but tore him up something fierce the day he caught him sneaking moonshine with his girls in the barn. He warned his girls about what boys his age wanted from them, and he warned Shelby not to test his resolve in keeping his girls safe. And pure.

Shelby snapped out of his fantasy when this memory came to mind. He shook the painful recollection off and rose from the creek bed, turning to head back home. He took a couple of steps and the planted his foot came on a gum ball, the spiky little orb that contains the two seeds for sweetgums to propagate. He hopped back, letting out a yelp, and then a string of swears that would curl the devil’s horns, and earn him a whooping if his momma heard it.

The interesting thing about gum balls is that they don’t usually drop with their seeds still intact. Finches, chickadees and nuthatches, will peck and prod and press their beaks into the gumballs to pull out the seeds from their protective shells. The spiky orbs are all that is left behind, a failed attempt at protecting the progeny of the sweet gum from the feast of the little birds.

“Where in the world did you learn that kind of language!” A motherly voice rang in his ears from the creek, and Shelby whirled around with panic in his eyes. His panic turned to a grin as he saw Lily standing in the creek, her eyes burning with a mock fury, although the edges of them betrayed a smile. He liked Lily best, her long auburn hair and pretty, dark eyes had captivated him even as a child, and now that he was ready to drop some seeds and propagate himself, he was particularly fond of the woman she had grown into.

“Hey Lily! What are you doing here? What brings you up the creek?”

She uncrossed her arms and brushed the hair out of her face, the scowl turning into a more honest smirk. “I had you goin’, didn’t I? You thought your momma was about to tan your hide!” An easy laugh escaped her lips, and Shelby smiled back at the woman of his dreams.

“I most certainly did not, I knew it couldn’t be momma. She stamps like the the horses!”

Lily’s grin took his heart out of rhythm. “Well I don’t believe you for a second, Shelby Johnson. You lie like a rug if you’re sayin’ that your heart didn’t jump right out of your chest when you heard me holler.” She smirked at him. The way Shelby looked at her made Lily blush. They always had a teasing relationship, but now that they had entered the second decade of their lives, the relationship was evolving. Shelby was ready. Like the gumballs from the sweetgums, he was ready to drop seed. Lily saw it in his eyes, and her eyes showed reciprocity.

Lily always knew that she would wind up with Shelby. His lean, muscular build was typical of a man who worked the land from such a young age, but he was the tallest, best looking boy in the area. More than once she had snuck up to the Johnson’s land to see Shelby bathing in the creek, hiding amongst the sweet gums as the rugged, blonde haired boy washed himself. She didn’t have any experience to compare it with, but she knew that Shelby was one of a kind as she stared at the root springing from between his legs. Her mind raced, both frightened and exhilarated by what she saw. And on the rare occasion that she caught him in this state, imagining the two plum sized seeds slapping her backside caused exhilaration to win out.

Charlotte was shorter than her sister by a couple of hands, but her curves were the stuff of legend around the valley. More than a few dances ended in a ruckus when the local boys vied for her attention. A beauty in her own right, her blue eyes were the color of the flame that you only get off the purest hill whiskey, and her tongue had the same bite. But Charlotte was something of a tomboy. Lily was daddy’s little girl, but Charlotte was his favorite; the daughter that would sooner spend Sunday traipsing through the woods with him tracking a buck than to sit and help out her momma with the chores. Mr. Miller didn’t worry much over Charlotte.

She had been reading on the porch when she saw Lily taking off her shoes and wading into the creek, heading upstream towards the Johnson’s farm. She watched for a minute before following suit, enjoying the feel of the cool water on her ankles and calves, and wondered what Lily was getting into. Like Lily, she had grown up with Shelby, and she had hidden amongst the sweetgums with her sister several times while Shelby washed in the creek. Charlotte was a bit of a hell raiser, and although her daddy didn’t know it, she had decided years ago that she wasn’t one that could wait for marriage. Unlike Lily, she had been with a few boys from around the valley, but there was nobody around like Shelby. The thought of being wrapped up by his massive hands and held against his wide chest made her heart flutter in a way that no other boy ever had, and she wanted to have him at least once.

She crept up the creek until she heard a yelp followed by language that would’ve gotten her ass as red as the sweet gum leaves if her daddy had heard it coming from her. She wondered what had happened to Shelby and was about to step out from the cover of the woods when she heard Lily chime in. She came around the bend to see her sister and Shelby on the bank of the creek making eyes at each other. Despite Lily and Shelby’s budding relationship, she still wanted to experience Shelby before they finally worked up the nerve to act on it. She loved her sister, and envious as she was, she never wanted to hurt her. Still, she wanted to spend at least one night under the stars with him. She watched as Shelby and her sister drew towards each other, and desperation spurred on a plan in her mind.

Charlotte turned back towards the lovebirds, chuckled to herself, then walked back down the creek a ways. She smiled, imagining Lily’s reaction, then broke out in a run through the creek, making a racket as she approached Shelby and Lily. Just as she hoped, Lily heard the noise and gasped. “Daddy!” She locked eyes with Shelby and planted a kiss on his lips before flying into a full sprint through the field. Shelby stood there stunned. Lily had kissed him. She KISSED him! He was floating, and after watching Lily disappear into the tree line, he turned back towards the creek, ready to tell Mr Miller that he wanted his blessing. He looked out into the creek and saw a figure approaching, smaller than he expected.

Charlotte stepped out of the creek soaked, her thin, white dress spotted with translucent glimpses of the curves that captivated so many of the boys in Grundy county. His jaw dropped as she approached him slowly, swaying her hips in a way that would bend men to her will. The wet dress stuck to her in places, showing off her thighs and teasing the object of so many of his fantasies when he sat by the creek watching leaves float by. He wasn’t captivated by her beauty, however, but was stunned by her unbelievably bad timing. “What in the hell are you doing Charlotte!”

Charlotte put on her best pout, crossing her arms in a way that would make most boys swell and forget themselves. “Awww, Shelby. Ain’t you happy to see me?” She smiled, squeezing her arms across her chest. Shelby looked, but Lily was still fresh in his mind, and despite having plenty of impure thoughts about Charlotte over the years, he only had eyes for Lily now.

“Well, no Charlotte, your timing is pretty damn terrible.” After Lily’s kiss, he was ready for action. The tension was building for so long. Fantasizing about getting Lily in the barn and sliding her out of her dress on onto his manhood, and now that kiss bringing him so close to his desires, caused him to sprout an erection that could raise a barn. His trousers strained to contain his natural reaction, and he adjusted himself out of discomfort. Charlotte’s eyes widened.

“Oh I think my timing is perfect, Shelby Johnson.” She smiled seductively, her bright, blue eyes burning with desire. She approached him, dropping her hands to her hips, causing her breasts to jiggle. Shelby readjusted. She giggled, approaching him and saying, “You aren’t mad at me, are you?” She placed a hand on his chest, slowly sliding it down. It didn’t get far before Shelby took it in his. His hand dwarfed her own, and while she was a strong woman, Shelby was something else entirely. She felt a surge of powerlessness at his powerful grip, but his eyes were soft and he had no intention of hurting her. It was intoxicating.

“A little, Charlotte. God dang it, I was about to finally make it with Lily! You popped in at the worst possible time.” Charlotte actually felt sorry for Shelby as she saw the disappointment on his face. She leaned in to hug him, apologize to her lifelong friend and neighbor, but feeling the source of her desires press into her belly, she acted without thinking. She wouldn’t pursue Shelby, for fear of hurting Lily, but she had to see it. To touch it just once. Like a dog catching the scent of a hog, she turned wild, ripping his pants down to his ankles in one hard yank, dropping to her knees for leverage. SMACK! Shelby’s cock sprang free from his trousers, slapping Charlotte in the chin. She was faced with a man not only longer and thicker than any of her previous lovers, but with enormous balls. He was like the horses, and she was so entranced by it that she was completely unaware of her surroundings.

Shelby took a split second to react to Charlotte exposing him in the cool autumn air, reaching down towards his trousers and shouting, “Woah, Charlotte!” He was bent over, trying to push Charlotte away while also trying to reach his pants. He didn’t hear the footsteps behind him.

Lily couldn’t tell what he was doing. After seeing her parents in the window of the house, she turned and sprinted back, knowing Charlotte had been the one in the creek, and furious at her for spoiling her moment with Shelby with another stupid joke. She rounded the corner of the tree line just as Shelby had shouted out her sister’s name, and seeing him, pants down with her sister on her knees, sent her into a blind rage. Before her brain could process thoughts, acting purely out of anger, she ran up behind Shelby and sent her foot flying between his legs, crashing into his full, heavy seeds.

Charlotte sat taking in the sight of Shelby unaware of Lily’s approach. She was in awe of him, and nearly jumped into the creek when her sister’s foot broke the spell, lifting both low, heavy balls up into his pelvis, and causing his cock to slap against his stomach up past his navel. She watched with wide eyes as Shelby, the paragon of manliness, crumbled into a whimpering heap on the ground. Lily stared at her in a rage, but as Charlotte started to speak, Lily turned and flew back towards the farm. Charlotte wanted to run after her and apologize, explain what she did and try to make things right, but when she turned back to Shelby, she was mesmerized. The man that was the object of her desires seconds before was rolling amongst the gumballs clutching his seeds, and the sight of of him was igniting new feelings and desires. Enraptured by his state as he rolled around, his eyes wide and full of shock and pain, letting out an animalistic, guttural sound, she felt a tingle creeping up her spine. She looked at his oversized package, now soft and tamed as he cradled himself, unable to soothe the pain that wracked his manhood. She would apologize to her sister and try to make things right, but not yet. She sat watching his face contort in response to a pain that she would never know, and she slid a hand down under her dress, a new passion cemented by the contorted visage of a man brought to tears in one fell swoop.