GOING BACK TO YESTERDAY #19
The Later Adventures of Han Solo
"Leia woke with a wonderfully serene, peaceful, calm feeling. She couldn't remember being this relaxed in years. The brightness of the morning sunshine added to her mood. Stretching like a satisfied czhat, she noticed Han's clothes and blaster gone. Sitting up, she grabbed her pants and shirt and quickly dressed. Exiting the shell-rock that had been their room for the night, she inhaled a deep breath of the flower-scented, fresh air, looking around the area.
Last night's campfire had burned out and the cold ashes were scattering in the slight, warm breeze. She spotted Han in the distance. Dragging her fingers through her hair, she began twining it against the nape of her neck, finishing with a knot to hold it in place.
She watched as Han walked closer. She would never tire looking at him. She could see he was carrying something. She waited, watching as he walked toward her. Dressed in his tight black pants and white shirt, strapped down blaster, black boots, a lock of shaggy brown hair falling over his forehead…. even now, he still had that confident, male swagger. She smiled noticing his face, he hadn't shaved yet and the dark shadow of beard gave him a definitely dangerous look.
"Han Solo. You look positively wicked with that growth of beard." She teased as he
knelt down and placed the items on the sand.
"Well," He smiled, rising to face her. "I thought I liked the sound of you calling me a 'scoundrel'
years ago, but I think I like 'wicked' even better." The low timbre of his voice caused shivers to
race down Leia's spine. They embraced and shared a long, tender kiss full of love and meaning. Breaking the kiss, Han said. "I brought the morning meal and cold water in the canteen mugs I brought from the ship."
Leia noticed the dozens of colorful berries on a piece of shell he'd broken yesterday. Water beads standing on the skins from where they had been washed.. Sitting down, they ate from the shell. "These are unusual." Leia said. The berries were oblong, star shaped, square and some had holes in their center, but all were tasty. Han began to playfully show off for her, throwing berries high in the air and catching them in his mouth. Leia giggled when a particularly mushy one hit him square in the eye.
She began to feel uncomfortable…looking around for a private area…."Uh…where…is there
a.."
Han caught on to what she wanted. "This place has everything. Even a lavatory."
"Where?" She asked.
Han pointed to a dense clump of shrubbery in the distance. "Oh, cute." Leia said, rising.
"I've already been." He told her, laughing.
When she returned, Han had dug out a small bowl-like area in the sand, filled it with water and was
shaving. "Just brush your teeth and rinse with the rest of the water." He suggested.
After they'd refreshed themselves, Han grabbed what she thought were a couple of blankets.
They strolled around the moss laden lake path watching the gentle waves roll to the sandy shore. Han stopped at a low place by the water. "How about a swim?"
"A swim?" Leia echoed. I didn't bring a swimsuit."
"Neither did I."
"You mean?" Leia smiled.
"Yes… be one with nature." Han said unbuttoning his shirt.
"Come on." He urged his wife as he shed his boots, pants and the rest. "We're the only ones here."
Leia laughed as Han backed up and took a running start and belly flopped into the water with a yell. She winced… that had to hurt.
Looking around, she doffed her clothes and, taking a gentler approach, waded into the water,
which was nice and warm.
"Race you to the other side." Han challenged.
"You're on!" Leia began swimming, wanting to win.
"Oh…Oh…" Han stopped mid lake, acting like something had hold of him. "Help…help."
In alarm, Leia swam back to him. "What's wrong?"
"Just this." Han placed his hands on top of her head and ducked her under, laughing.
Leia came up sputtering. "Why you…." While Han swam the rest of the way to the opposite
shore…winning the race.
Afterwards, they spent some leisurely time in the warm water, relaxing, talking, just being together.
"I want one of these, too." Leia said, enjoying the warm water as she leaned back against the sloping bank.
"I'm getting pruny." Leia told him after a while, raising a foot out of the water, wiggling her toes.
They waded out of the lake, hand in hand. "Here's a towel." Han held it out to her.
Unfolding and wrapping it around herself, Leia was swallowed in the material. "This is a towel?"
she commented, watching Han swipe his body with the other one." "Pretty big isn't it?"
"That's Chewie's" Han told her. "Even Wookiees have to dry off sometimes."
"Just wrap that towel around you like this." Han said draping his towel.
Both dry and clad, Leia said, "Let's go see the flowers. Barefooted, they walked to where they grew in profusion.
"Look at this one," Leia said to Han, "It's shaped like a heart." She lifted the bloom with her
finger…"and this white one looks like a dove." She moved from flower to flower, amazed at the colors and shapes in this seemingly forsaken place. "I think I know what this one is." She knelt
down. "I remember seeing these when I was a child. They're called a fainting flower. She squeezed the flower just below the bloom. Immediately the whole flower fell to the ground.
"You killed it." Han accused.
"No, watch."
Gradually, little by little, the stem of the flower raised it self, unharmed. Leia pinched several of the delicate flowers and watched them rise.
"I want to show you the waterfall." Han said, tugging her away.
The drone of the falls grew louder the closer they approached. It wasn't a large waterfall, only
about fifteen meter's high and flowed down into a pool, with runoff toward the lake and down a hillside.
"Hold out your hand and catch a droplet." Han urged her.
She dipped her hand near the falling water, catching a one. "It's shaped like a diamond!"
She exclaimed before it spread out. She caught droplets several times, amazed that it would hold it's
diamond shape for a few seconds.
"You getting hungry?" Han asked.
"More berries?"
"No..something else."
"With you and this place I never know what to expect." She told him, laughing.
Walking past the waterfall, Han stopped and pointed out several, meter high, rough barked
stumps. "That's the mid-day meal."
Leia just stared. "You want me to eat stump bark now?"
Han laughed as he sided up to one and pulled some bark from the core. Tearing it into
two segments, he handed one to Leia, who wrinkled her nose.
"You don't eat the bark." Han told her. "Turn it over, pull the pulp from the back. That is what you eat."
Tearing off a piece, she followed Han's lead as he took a big bite of the orange, spongy food.
"This is good." She commented and finished her part.
After consuming a few more pieces of the bark food, they wandered back toward the waterfall.
"Ever seen the inside of a waterfall?" Han asked.
"The inside?"
"Come on." Han tugged her toward the side of the falls. "You may get a little wet."
Holding on to her husband's hand and avoiding the downpour as best as she could, she followed
him into the shadowed, cave-like interior behind the falls, walking on the cool, dense growth of soft moss.
Han removed his towel, spread it across the overgrowth and laid down, pulling Leia with him, tugging her towel to cover them both. She scooted up against his chest and Han laid his arm across her waist. Leia watched the water as it fell and sprayed into the pool, the rhythmic sound like music…saw the many colored flowers just beyond, the sunlight now making shadows of the rocks and trees, the white leaves once again falling like snow.
"Oh, Han, this is a beautiful place." She snuggled her head against his chin. I'm so glad you brought me here.
"I thought you might like it." He whispered, kissing her temple. "There are a few places like this all around the galaxy. We never did have a real honeymoon, guess this will have to do."
"This more than does." She smiled up at him. After a few moments, Leia remembered something.
"Hey, how about that second present you said you had for me?"
Han smiled his crooked smile…I still have it and will give it to you tomorrow."
Leia clasped her arms around her shoulders. "I don't want to leave. I want to make as many memories I can of this place."
Han put his other arm under Leia's head, pulling her closer, drawing her lips to his. "I'm making memories, too." He whispered against her mouth….
MORE TO COME…. Dec. 29th.