I climbed out of the water onto the rocky shore of the island, then sat down to catch my breath. To my left, I saw my friend Kat emerge a few metres further down. Relief washed over me on seeing that she was safe.

My friend and I were counsellors at a summer camp for children and teens in cottage country. Both experienced canoeists, we taught canoeing and took older kids on day trips. That morning, we had set out to explore routes for upcoming camps, intending to be back by late afternoon.

“What the hell just happened?” Kat asked.

“I have no idea. The canoe just suddenly tipped. Maybe something under the surface like a rock? Or a freak wave?” I responded.

I stood and scanned the water.

“Where is the canoe?” I asked, “It should be floating. They don’t sink that easily.”

Kat stood and looked around as well.

“My pack is here. It washed up just a bit past me,” she told me, “Could the canoe have drifted past us and up the side of the island?”

The pack being safe was good news. We had lunches, snacks, towels, and some other supplies in it.

“Probably,” I answered her, “Let’s go around and have a look. And we need to see how close we are to shore. If we can’t recover the canoe, we’ll have to swim for it.”

Kat started removing her t-shirt.

“My clothes are soaked. Good thing I have a swimsuit beneath,” she explained.

“Yeah, mine, too,” I responded.

My friend and I stripped to our swimsuits, then squeezed water out of our clothes as best we could. We found a flat rock in the sun and laid them out to dry.

“Okay, let’s find that damn canoe,” Kat said.

I checked my watch and the position of the sun, deciding that we were on the island’s South end. Our original route would have taken us up the East side, so I headed that way. Kat followed. We kept our eyes on the water as we walked, but saw no sign of the canoe.

The shore on that side was quite distant, too far for swimming. More concerning, the lake seemed too big to be Braden Lake, the location of the camp. The island seemed bigger than any that I knew of on the lake, too. That had me frowning. We kept going around the North and then back down the West side.

There was still no sign of the canoe. The shore was closer but still a long swim. Kat and I were both strong swimmers but had our limits. When we returned to the spot where we had landed, my friend and I looked at each other.

“Neil, what are we going to do?” Kat asked, a grim look on her face, “We’ve lost the canoe. It must have sunk or something. And it is awfully far to swim.”

I took a deep breath, then told her, “This isn’t even Braden Lake, Kat. Braden Lake isn’t this big. And I don’t recall it having any islands this size.”

My friend looked a bit pale.

“So, where are we, then?” she said, voice a bit shaky.

“I wish I knew. It’s no place I am familiar with. The camp will notice us missing when we don’t return on time so let’s stay near shore to watch for search parties.”

We found a shady spot with a view of the lake. Kat broke out some snacks so we could have a bite to eat. I knew we should ration our limited food supply in case we were here longer than planned.

“Are you scared, Neil?” Kat asked. Her voice suggested that she was.

“I am. Something feels very wrong, that’s for sure.”

Beside being too big, the lake was too quiet. Braden Lake had cottages and a resort on it as well as the camp. There should have been boaters, fishermen, and other canoeists. Instead, the lake was just an empty expanse of water around the island.

As the day wore on, I started to think about how we might spend the night. I finally stood up and told Kat, “I am going inland to see if there’s a place we can camp out. You stay here and keep watch.”

“You think we’re stranded, don’t you?” my friend responded, sounding near to tears.

“Hopefully not, but I don’t want to wait. It’s getting too late to try to swim for shore. We need a plan before dark if we end up staying the night,” I explained, “Tomorrow, we’ll see what we can do about getting to shore another way.”

Kat nodded, but did not look happy.

In the heart of the island, I was startled to find a small cabin in a clearing. The place looked abandoned and generally rundown. There was no glass in the windows; the door hung ajar on only one hinge. I approached with caution. Even if no humans lived there, it could be a hiding place for animals. However, it was empty.

Inside, I found myself in a modestly sized wood-panelled room. A rusty cast iron stove sat to one side, chimney rising through the ceiling. Based on that, I guessed this room had been the living area.

Through an opening that looked like it once had a door was a second, slightly smaller room. Along one wall of that room ran a large, low shelf that I realized was probably meant to be a double bed. At least, it looked like it could be used as one.

“I’ve seen worse. And it seems abandoned so I think we are safe to use it,” I suggested when I returned and told Kat what I found.

She sighed but nodded.

“Let’s go there, then. We are not getting rescued before dark at this rate and it’s starting to look and feel like rain.”

Kat shouldered the pack and we headed to the cabin. My friend looked around inside, then turned to me and shrugged.

“I guess it beats sleeping outside,” she said, “I can use one of our shirts as a cloth to clean the bed. No mattress but it can’t be worse than sleeping on the ground.”

“We can roll up the towels for pillows,” I pointed out, “I’ll go outside and take a look around while you clean.”

When I came back in, Kat was laying on the bed.

“I found an old outhouse a few metres back in the bush,” I told her, “Not great but beats digging a latrine pit, I guess. How’s the bed?”

“I’ve slept on worse,” Kat said as she got up, “At least there’s room for both of us.”

“Are you sure you want to share a bed with me?” I asked.

We had been friends for three years but had never shared even a tent before.

Kat smiled.

“I’m fine with it. I trust you.”

There was a funny twinkle in my friend’s eyes. Was she actually excited by the idea of us sharing a bed?

We sat on the bed and ate half our lunches, sipping water from water bottles. That was something else we had to conserve. The rest, along with the remaining snacks, would be for breakfast the next day. Darkness fell as we ate. Soon, we could barely see each other.

“I’ve never slept in my swimsuit before,” Kat commented as we laid down to sleep.

“Me neither but I don’t have anything else. The clothes are still damp. I guess the only alternative is to sleep au naturel.”

Kat laughed, then asked, “Actually, could we sleep naked? We’re friends and it’s so dark we can’t really see each other.”

“If you do it, I’ll do it,” I responded, accepting the challenge.

Kat giggled as she wriggled out of her swimsuit, and I shed my shorts. Then we lay back down. I was nervous and, truth be told, a bit aroused. While I could not see my friend in the dark, the thought that Kat was naked right beside me turned me on. Exhausted by the long day, though, we dozed off quickly.

I awoke with the sun pouring in the only window, filtered a little by the trees. I had an erection, which I blamed on morning wood. Part of me could not help but wonder if sleeping with Kat had also contributed. Sitting up, I saw my friend at the window, still nude.

For a moment, I stared at that scene. My friend looked more beautiful naked than I ever imagined. Her breasts were high and firm, her behind small and neatly curved. Everything about her body seemed ideally proportioned. Suddenly, I felt a wave of desire for Kat like never before.

“Kat, you’re, um ... you’re so beautiful like that,” I stammered.

My friend turned with a smile on her face. That gave me an eyeful of her torso. Large nipples stood stiff on the peaks of her breasts. Dark hair covered the space between her thighs.

“Thank you. You look pretty good yourself,” Kat answered. Her eyes glanced down, obviously taking in my erection.

My friend came over and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Neil, does this whole thing feel like a weird dream to you?” she asked, voice tense.

“Sleeping naked with you on a mysterious island on an unknown lake. Yeah, if we weren’t both experiencing it, I might think I was dreaming.”

“Neil, sleeping with you is one of my dreams,” Kat confessed, sounding both nervous and excited, “I even wished for it on the wishing stone.”

I cocked my eyebrow. The wishing stone was a local superstition at the camp.

“That boulder in the woods? Marty, the geology student, said it’s most likely just a glacial erratic. The weird markings are probably from early settlers or the indigenous people. Maybe even past campers.”

“I know but ... Neil, I think ... Neil, I am in love with you. So I went there and put my hand on it like you’re supposed to. Closed my eyes, counted to ten, and ... yeah, I wished I could have a night with you.”

I smiled.

“You got your wish. Sort of. I suspect this wasn’t what you had in mind.”

Kat smiled and blushed a little.

“I was thinking of more than just sleeping. And no weird islands were mentioned.”

I reached out and caressed her back. Our eyes met.

“Kat, I love you, too. Your fantasies about us sound a lot like mine. I have never made a wish but I guess I’m a beneficiary of yours.”

Kat looked a bit distressed.

“We are also stranded without much food or anything else. Did my wish cause that?” she asked.

“Wishes in stories are often a bit double-edged,” I told Kat, “You get what you wished for but in an unexpected way. So I guess this could fit that. But I don’t really think so. Us getting together was probably inevitable given that we are friends and both have feelings for the other. Having it happen this way could just be timing or coincidence.”

“But we aren’t just stranded on some island, Neil. It’s like we’re in a whole different place than where we started. Or in a dream.”

I sighed and smiled.

“You’re right. But if this is us living in our dreams, then maybe we should live them out in full. Let your wish come true.”

“Can we, Neil?”

I moved closer and pressed my lips to Kat’s. The kiss lingered, then she returned it with surprising heat.

“You’re not mad that my wish might have stranded us?” my friend asked after a long, passionate kiss.

“I can think of worse ways to be stranded. And I am too horny to be mad right now,” I responded.

Kat grinned.

“Me, too. I want you more than ever. But I’ve never done this before. That was even my first serious kiss.”

“I’m a virgin, too, Kat. Kissing is as far as I have gone.”

Kat stared at my stiff cock for a moment. Then she caressed it with her fingers. My cock twitched at her touch.

“It’s big,” she commented, “Or looks big.”

“Just based on seeing other guys nude in locker rooms and stuff, I’m not the biggest. I guess I am not small either.”

The touch of her fingers was getting me more aroused.

“May I touch you?” I asked.

“Please.”

I slid my hand between my friend’s thighs. With some guidance from Kat, I stroked her soft lips and massaged around her clitoris. We kissed again, then we lay down. I lowered my face to my friend’s breast and tried licking and sucking her erect nipple while stroking her pussy.

“How’s that?” I asked her.

“Feels nice. Try putting a finger inside me. I want to see how that feels before ... before we put your penis in.”

She was quite wet inside. I soon had two fingers in her, moving them back and forth slowly.

“Take me, Neil,” Kat said softly.

“You’re sure?”

“Very. This is my wish, after all.”

Kat lay her back and spread her legs. I guided my cock to her opening and eased the head inside. She smiled and nodded so I went in further. My friend winced, then seemed to relax once I was buried inside her. We locked eyes.

“Are you okay? Is this good?” I asked.

“Very. It hurt at first but I like the feel of you inside me.”

I lay down on Kat and we kissed for a while. Then I raised myself up on my arms and began to move back and forth, savouring the feel of my cock in my friend’s tight, wet vagina. My friend reached up to caress my face and body, a look of bliss on her pretty face.

“Yes, Neil, like that. So nice,” she whispered.

Kat moved her hips a little in time with me. She closed her eyes and gasped. I felt a light sensation, a fluttering, around my cock. Was this her orgasm? My own was starting to rise.

“Here it comes,” I warned her.

“Do it,” she said, “Come in me, please.”

My orgasm blew as she finished saying that. I kept thrusting, feeling wave after wave of pleasure as my seed poured into my friend. When that wonderful feeling passed, I lay on top of Kat for a few minutes, then kissed her and rolled off.

“Wow, that was something else,” I said, taking my friend’s hand.

“It felt so good. Can we do more?”

“I need to rest for a bit. We can cuddle until I’m ready for more.”

I suppose that we should have been looking for a way off the island. In that moment, though, all I wanted was more sex with Kat.

We snuggled for a while, arms around each other. Then Kat moved down so her face was over my cock. Tentatively, she kissed then licked it.

“How’s that taste?” I asked her.

“Good. You and me mixed together. Can I try putting it in my mouth? I know guys are supposed to like that.”

“I won’t complain. Might get me hard again.”

Kat smiled, then put her lips around my cock. She sucked gently, teasing the head with her tongue. Then, slowly, my friend took more in. My cock started to stiffen.

“Can I taste you?” I asked when my cock was half-erect.

“Sure,” Kat answered.

She returned to her back, opening her thighs. I lay between them and ran my tongue along her slit.

“There, like that,” she gasped when I found her clitoris, “But gently.”

I stroked her with my tongue, then licked along her opening. I had tasted my own cum before but this mix of that and my friend’s juices was different.

“Keep going,” Kat urged.

I entered my friend’s pussy with a couple fingers, moving them inside her while I continued to use my tongue to tease and stroke her clit. Her body arched and writhed as she let out a loud gasp, then a cry. Realizing that I had made Kat climax, I kept going until she wanted me to stop. Then I lay alongside her and gave her a kiss.

Kat bent low and kissed my cock. She asked, “Are you ready to be in me again?”

I wasn’t clear if my friend was talking to me or my penis. The answer was the same either way.

“Yeah, I think so. “Want to try being on top? I’ve seen women do that in porn.”

Kat smiled.

“Sure. Let’s see.”

I lay on my back and Kat straddled me, then I guided her onto my cock. Slowly my friend slid down onto it. There was no issue getting in this time. Kat began to move slightly once it was all the way in.

“Lean over me with your arms for support. Then I can get to your body easier,” I suggested.

Kat did so. I reached up and caressed her torso, then massaged her breasts and nipples. All the while, my friend held my cock inside her and moved a little to grind against me.

“Oh,” she gasped, and I felt her vagina fluttering around my cock.

“Another orgasm?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said, eyes still closed.

Kat opened them and smiled down at me. She rode me like that a bit longer, clearly enjoying herself.

“Can we finish with you on top again?” my friend asked, “I like being under you.”

Kat dismounted and lay down. I quickly mounted her and slid my cock in. For a few minutes, we just gazed into each other’s eyes as I moved against her. Then I lay down on top of her, skin to skin, and we kissed for a long while.

When I felt my arousal peaking, I raised myself up and began moving inside her more vigorously. Kat moved her hips, timing her thrusts to mine. My orgasm hit hard, drawing a string of husky moans from me. Then it passed and I settled on top of my friend once again while my cock softened.

“We are a mess,” Kat finally said, “And we really need to figure out how to get off of this island.”

“A quick skinny dip should get us clean. Then we can plot our escape.”

Truth be told, if Kat and I had more food, I wouldn’t have minded spending the day in that cabin. More sex with my friend was a very inviting prospect.

Kat and I walked to where we had landed wearing just shoes. When we reached the shore, our jaws dropped. The canoe sat there, washed up against the shore. My friend and I both stared in astonishment.

“Are you kidding? Where did it come from?” Kat asked.

“No idea but I’m not about to look a gift canoe in the mouth. Let’s swim first, then we can head out.”

Kat and I plunged into the water and got the canoe securely beached. Then we headed into deeper water for a swim. It was cool but not uncomfortably so. After swimming for a bit, we stood in chest deep water to bathe.

We soon moved from bathing ourselves to bathing each other. That led to some passionate kissing. Awareness of our situation kept us from going too far. Still, my cock was partially erect when I emerged from the lake.

Clean and refreshed, we headed back to the cabin. We dried ourselves, put our swimsuits on, then ate the remaining lunch and snacks. Soon, my friend and I were out on the water in the canoe, paddling in the direction where I hoped we would find the camp.

About fifteen minutes out from the island, I felt something had changed. I glanced at the sun, then my watch. The sun was now further to the West. The time was now just before five on the day we left.

“What the hell?” I said aloud.

“Now what’s wrong?” Kat asked.

“Time’s all messed up. It’s like last night never happened. We are returning on time.”

Kat looked back at me, surprise on her face. Then her eyes widened.

“The island is gone. I think we are back on Braden Lake. Everything looks familiar again,” she said, surprise and joy mingling in her tone.

After that, my friend and I picked up our pace. A boat passed and we waved at them. They waved back. Along the shore we could see cottagers barbecuing on their decks or sitting by the water.

“Well, well, just in time for dinner,” sang out André, another counsellor, when he saw us pulling up to the canoe dock.

“Hey, we put in a long day, man. Hope the cook’s got lots prepared. We need it,” I responded to giggles from Kat.

That evening was a campfire and party, a final night for the counsellors to enjoy themselves before the campers arrived. Still meditating on the events of our canoe trip, I slipped away to visit the wishing stone while others prepared for the evening’s fun.

I studied the surface of the boulder as closely as I could without touching it. After the events of the past day, I had no desire to make a wish. The boulder did not seem especially distinctive. It was the only large chunk of rock on the property, but the geological explanation fit that. The markings definitely looked made by humans but were kind of random and did not appear to be writing.

“Hey, there you are. Making a wish?” Kat sang out as she approached.

I turned to my friend and smiled.

“I got my wish already. And, honestly, that thing kind of scares me.”

“Why?” Kat asked.

“Think about it. We slept a night on the island, then spent at least two hours having sex in the morning. And yet, we returned on time on the day we left. It’s like we were in hyperspace or something freaky like that.”

Kat smiled and took my hand.

“There’s nothing scary about you taking my virginity, though, is there?” she told me, “Or us sharing a bed for the first time? That’s what I remember about that night, whatever night it was. Love is a strange, powerful thing. Maybe our feelings took us into a dream like we talked about there. The stone is just a catalyst or something.”

I thought about it, then nodded.

“You could be right. And, yeah, the important thing is that we finally got to express our feelings for each other. Guess the whole time warp thing just kind of spooked me.”

Smiling, Kat put her arms around me. I hugged my friend back and she kissed me lightly on the lips.

“Me, too. But I bet I know how to take our minds off it,” she said.

“Oh, really. Do tell.”

“There’s an old camp building that’s not in use these days,” Kat told me, “Some other counsellors have been sneaking back there for hookups. Maybe not now but, um, let’s watch for opportunities.”

I grinned and told her, “No need for a wishing stone, then, eh.”

“Nope. We can make our wishes come true all on our own, I think.”

Kat and I kissed one more time and then headed for the campfire.