Ginnie

We arrived at the camp and immediately got our dive gear together. Ginnie Springs was famous for its caverns and crystal clear water. There's something about the afternoon sun of summertime on a Saturday in June when you're 25 that makes the whole world seem fun, relaxing, and extremely carefree...especially if there's water and bikinis nearby. And there was some very nice ones there, sunning themselves on a towel. The curves were too perfect to be anything except too young....probably less than 20.

The water was unbelievable. Such amazing visibility I've never seen before, better even than the Caribbean. I followed a shaft at the bottom of the springs which lead to an opening. Through this opening I went and was in an enormous cavern, probably 100 feet wide and 30 or 40 feet high. Towards the back of it was another opening with bars across it and a padlock, this lead to the famous caves of underwater Florida, miles and miles long, only for experienced cave divers. You hold on to the bars and the force of the water being expelled from the cave pushes you straight back. You let go and feel yourself propelled through the water towards the center of the cavern.

After emerging and drying off, I notice one of my two buddies is chatting up the bikinis, and they certainly are lookers, both blonde, of course, but definitely young.

That night, just at dark, we are once again in our dive gear, holding lights this time, and some glowsticks. Now we have a fun plan, though. Once we're all assembled in the cavern, we all dowse our lights. Utter blackness reigns, and I feel myself floating in space, the only sound is my breathing through the regulator. My buddy, although I can't see him, is taking his knife out and cutting through some glow sticks. As the flourescent liquid comes pouring out he holds it to the cave opening in the back and tiny globules of light are sent to the far corners of the giant cavern.

I hold my breath. The sight is stunning. I'm floating through a galaxy of stars, flying, almost dizzy. I'm surrounded by little flashes of light, some going past me, others hovering nearby, nothing else is visible. I realize I can't even see my bubbles and have no idea which way is up. Panic almost sets in...almost...but the feeling of being so close to panic is a rush in itself.

I float for an immeasurable amount of time, winging through stars and planets, with an almost drunken feeling. I never touch bottom or top or another diver. I am completely alone in a universe of comets, stars, planets, moons, and hovering dieties.

It all ends abrubtly as another group of night-cavern divers enters our domain, spilling light everywhere. Then I see the cavern again, the top, the bottom, the other divers...I return from my jaunt through the Milky Way, and we exit.

Back at camp, we throw open the cooler and start downing beers as a roaring fire is prepared. The beers feel good, both relaxing and stimulating. Now and then I stumble into the darkness, grab a huge armload of pine needles from the ground, and drop them on the fire. For a moment the flames are gone, then a sizzle is heard, and then with a rush of heat they head skyward and the fire rises higher than ever as the needles are consumed.

It's about this time that the bikinis show up, this time wearing jeans. "Hot damn" I think, "These girls are looking for a good time!" Then I begin to wonder who they're here with and where those people are? But no matter, we sit and talk and laugh the night away.

I notice they never take an offered beer, and so I start hinting.

"So what do you two do?" I prodded.

"We don't work...yet," the tall one responds.

"Are you still in school," I asked, imagining which colleges might be nearby, FSU coming to mind.

"Yes," tall blonde replies. This seems odd, they didn't offer anything more.

"So you a Seminole or a Gator?" My friend asked innocently.

"High school...."

All was silent. I sipped my beer and stared into the fire, my friends probably doing the same thing. No one replies for what seems like ages as the realization of our folly sets in. But then one of my buddies makes some joke and the ice is cracked again. We talk at length about nothing in particular, all the while the three of us wishing these stunning girls were old enough to..well..you know.

Eventually it comes out that they're here with a group of people who are renting a cabin. My friend, sometimes a little too outgoing and always looking for a party, suggests we all go and party with them...after all, they must be party people...surely.

Against our better nature, we grab the cooler of beer and follow them to the cabin. The five of us enter rather loudly and in our best party mood and then stop. There, sitting in a circle, praying I think, was the group with which they had come. A Church group. And here we were, three young drunk dudes barging in with a cooler of beer. The girls had scurried off to a back room, apparently realizing too late how foolish the whole idea was. Our embarrassment is unbelievable, nothing else can compare. We made a hasty retreat. My friend tried to explain things and apologized. Then we all went back to our tents, crawled in, and slept the whole thing off.