Hercules and Virgo

          Rustling leaves and the gentle flowing of a waterfall echoed throughout the quiet forest. Tonight he was a light sleeper; almost every sound coming from almost everything had jarred him awake. It was as if his very soul suffered from inexplicable insomnia.
          He left the campfire to stretch his legs and clear his head; making his way through the dense woods to where he guessed the river must be. The bright glow of a full moon was his only light on the trail and it made travel hard, but it also made the serene landscape all the more beautiful.
          After a while, the path widened into a large clearing; divided in half by a long, sparkling river and he could see the other half of the forest opposite him. He splashed some of the fresh water on his face and sighed with content to the cold liquid as it dripped dry off of his cheeks.
          Out a ways into the water was a large rock, big enough to rest on and close enough to jump to; so he did. He looked up at the stars, tipping his head thoughtfully as he scanned for constellations glittering in the vast river of the Milky Way.
          Leo, Taurus, Cancer, Pegasus, and Cygnus all shone with unwavering glory; connected by unseen lines between each glimmering spec. But it wasn’t until his head turned so far that his eyes found the waterfall that he found the most beautiful of the star signs; Virgo.
          The flow was calm enough so that it was possible for her to stand under the cool water unhindered by force or by rapids. In the radiant beams of the midnight sun he saw her eyes were closed, her lips smiling peacefully as the water fell over her naked body. She spread her arms to the sides, tilted her head back, and let the water rush through her long blonde hair with a sigh heard only by the waterfall.
          Small glistening rivers rolled over her shoulders and down her chest; washing impurities from her skin as they dripped over her stomach and legs before returning once again to their family rising up to her ankles. She ran her fingers slowly through her hair and turned her back on the man still gazing at her as she bathed in the moonlight.
          He looked on not with lust, but with philosophy. This was the definition of beauty, of simplicity, of nature. He saw her leafless form as something brought by a subconscious nostalgia; man and woman had first seen one another like this. Bodies uncovered, hearts and minds unknown yet still connected by a friendship created by a higher power.
          This was beauty in its natural form, he thought, when she turned back around and rubbed her hands over her sides; a lone woman bathing in the purest water with the purest spirit. His head tilted again, gaze thoughtful and mind peaceful; he wished to join her. He wished to share in this simple act of nature; bathing in cold, pure water in the glow of a moon.
          With a light splash he fell into the water, ignoring the wetness seeping into his boots, and walked slowly through the shallows to meet the beauty in water. She jumped a bit and turned to him, but otherwise didn’t move. In his eyes she could see his meaning, the unyielding purity of his wishes and she smiled. She moved to the side; giving him room under the waterfall while staying under herself.
          He returned her smile and stripped off the censoring fabric of garments and undergarments; tossing them to the bank while removing the hold from his hair.
          Hercules and Virgo stood as in nature. Naked and pure as when first born and smiling; being washed by a downward torrent in the light of an untainted moon.