First, they bared their flesh; then, they bared their souls.

Enjoy..

*******

First, they bared their flesh; then, they bared their souls.

"We were so—" Toni paused, searching for the word that would best embody her thought—"naïve."

Behind her, the sea, blue-green to the far horizon, rolled in, white-capped and foaming, to break upon the golden sands of the deserted shore.

Rocks, seemingly stacked, one upon the next, formed jagged, jumbled pillars, against a cloudless sky of radiant blue.

A low rail guarded the platform that overlooked the forested mountainside and the meadow, bright with wildflowers, far below.

A trail, meandering among tall oaks, pines, maples, poplars, and elms, and...