Sam & Penny Short-Stories *English*

CALL OF THE WILD - mosquitoes and wild animals

Danger! In this chapter you will find 'hints' of adult content. But first of all, have fun reading.

"Oh my God. I must have been bitten by a hundred mosquitoes," Lizzie whined.

"Don't you think you're exaggerating a bit?" Helen replied skeptically as she watched her ointment for insect bites running out far too quickly while everyone complained about becoming victims of these little bloodsuckers since they entered this swampy area.

"She definitely doesn't. If I count every single stitch, I'd definitely come up with a lot more," Ellie groaned as she took the ointment from Lizzie. Penny rolled her eyes in annoyance and decided to ignore her friends. She gave Helen a questioning look and she immediately caught up with Penny gratefully. She certainly wouldn't get the ointment back and she hadn't even rubbed it on one of her own stitches.

"Why are the beasts so aggressive here? Can't they find other victims?" Penny complained as she hit another mosquito on her neck.

"Are you talking about the mosquitoes or our colleagues?" Helen murmured with a grin and they both laughed briefly.

"I meant the mosquitoes. They bite like crazy," Penny explained to her.

"I can understand them. They probably think you look good too," they heard a familiar voice behind them and turned in surprise to Sam, who had just had a smile on his face, but now turned bright red under Penny's confused look "I...um...Here. That helps keep them away," he then objected sheepishly and gave Helen and Penny some leaves from a plant before shooting past them and walking a good distance ahead to take a deep breath.

"Lemon balm. Of course," Helen then objected as she examined the leaves and began to rub them between her fingers and rub the scent into her skin. She glanced at Penny, who was still looking thoughtfully at Sam. "What is it?"

"Did he say 'too'?"

"He did," she replied, grinning.

"Who else thinks that?"

"Oh Penny. Really?" Helen groaned and then laughed. Ben now also overtook her, while Sam delved into the map in front of them. "Finally grab him. If not on this hike, then when?" she then whispered to her friend.

"Helen. Please. Not again. If he really would care about me, he would have done something long ago."

"You are such a modern woman and stand up in an absolute male domain, but when it comes to love, you live in the past. Come out of your romantic medieval novels and take the first step. You certainly won't be disappointed. "

Penny awkwardly adjusted the backpack on her back, but said nothing about it. She still couldn't get over her own shadow, no matter how hard her friends tried to make her realize that her dreams were true, would come true if she would open her mouth. But it was too good to be true. She had never had much luck in love. Why would a man like him lose his heart to someone like her?

"Sam, can I talk to you for a moment?" Ben turned to Sam when he caught up with him, just as he was putting the card away. They had just finished their lunch break, but no one had complained this time when Sam had suggested to going further. There was no one there who couldn't wait to get out of this swampland.

"Sure, Ben. What's up?"

"Well, it's about Penny." Sam silently took a deep breath. What else? This conversation had to come at some point.

Ben and he knew each other from childhood. They had already played together in kindergarten, but then lost touch. Sam's excitement at seeing an old childhood friend again had quickly faded after it became apparent that Ben was attracting every female eye - including and especially Penny's. He wasn't a bad person, more a good friend and colleague, but there was still that voice in his head that branded Ben as his competitor. He didn't know if he had or ever would have a chance with Penny, but from the moment Ben showed up in town, he had vowed to woo and win Penny over. Well, he wasn't very good at courting and he was probably still a long way from winning her over, but at least they had both grown together in the last few years in a way that he had never experienced before with a colleague and they really became very good friends. There was only one thing he couldn't talk to her about and that was his love for her.