Erica By The Collector The Night Visitors Copyright 2001 The Collector Send comments to ChuckSt35@aol.com I lay in bed with Erica lying on top of me. It was 6 AM. We’d just finished a marathon in which I did more than I thought I was capable of. And I knew the only reason I did was the inspiration Erica gave me. I had never before met a woman who could inspire me the way Erica did. Her mind, her body, and her power had lifted me to levels I hadn’t known before intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. Her face was so beautiful she could cause a train wreck...and her body was so beautiful, I had fantasized she could bring any man or woman to their knees for want of it. And her strength was a seeming inconsistency with her looks. No woman that looked like Erica should be allowed to be as strong as she was. Nor should any woman as strong as Erica be allowed to look like she did. It was an irreconcilable dichotomy that gave me pleasures I’d never dreamed of, and that I’d do anything to keep. The scent of her body flowed through me as I held her. She lay half-asleep in my arms as I held my hand on her arm. I always reached for her muscles as though her strength was a magic elixir that remedied anything that bothered me. But it always seemed to work. "I love you baby" I whispered as she rested in my arms. "I know honey...I love you too" she said barely audible. As I lie there, I heard the bedroom door open. Two women dressed in white appeared and walked into the room. "Who...who the hell are you?" I asked. "Oh oh" Erica said as she woke up. "What?" I asked. "It’s time Tom," she said. "Time for what?" "Erica has to go" one of the women said. I rose from the bed and started towards them, but held back. Some instinct within me told me these were not ordinary women. They were both dressed in white, almost sheer gowns through which I could see the outlines of their bodies. They were incredibly beautiful...a 5’4" blonde and a 5’6" brunette. Their bodies were nearly perfect, nearly only because Erica’s was just that. I don’t know how I knew...but I did...perhaps it was an aura they gave off that told me they were women of power, of immense strength, more powerful than any male could dream of, let alone achieve. And the inconsistency I saw in Erica was evident in these two women. I looked at Erica. "Tom...I told you this was coming...you knew that" "Erica...you can’t go...I love you" "I know you do...but it has to be Tom" I jumped out of the bed, putting my reservations behind me, and started for the two women. "Tom! Don’t’! They’ll hurt you...they’re as strong as I am," she said. I knew right away to back off. I was no match for Erica’s strength...not on my best day and her worst. "Tom...they’ll have no reservations about hurting you...and they can...trust me" "She’s right...listen to her," the smaller one said. I moved back towards the bed as Erica climbed out of it. She went into the bathroom and closed the door. I started to follow her, then the brunette stood in front of the door to block me. I started towards the door. "I wouldn’t...you heard what Erica said" she said looking at me. I was 5’10"...she was 5’6", yet she instilled fear in me. Erica was a shade light of 5’5", yet I knew full well what she was capable of, what strength she held within her body to summon at will. A few moments later, she emerged from the bathroom dressed in white as well, her body outlined against the sheer garment. She looked so appealingly delicate, so feminine, and yet I knew she was as powerful as any woman could possibly be. "Don’t try to follow us," the blonde said. "Goodbye Tom" Erica said as she moved towards the door. No emotion...no tears...nothing. The door closed...I lunged towards it and opened it...they were gone...the living room was empty. It was as though she was never here. I ran outside...nothing...she was really gone. I was frantic. I slipped on my robe and went outside looking for her, calling her name at the top of my lungs until I was hoarse. And I realized how much I needed her. How desperately I needed to have her beside me, even just to hear her voice. I got in my car and looked for her. I didn’t know where to look...I just looked. All day I drove until I was mentally and emotionally exhausted, unwilling to accept that she was gone. I drove back home. It was early evening. I went inside hoping to find her waiting for me. She wasn’t. I climbed back into bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering how I was going to survive without her. And at some point I fell asleep. * * * I awoke in a cold sweat. My body was drenched. "Erica...Erica! I called. "Honey...what’s wrong?" she called. A moment later she walked into the room, as beautiful as I‘d ever seen her. "You...you’re here!" I said. "Of course I’m here...why wouldn’t I be?" she asked. She sat down on the bed beside me and looked down at me. Her strawberry blonde hair hung in curls down to her shoulders. Her green eyes had a softness that always seemed to calm me...and her lips gave me a sweet contentment just knowing they were mine for the asking. The breasts I’d cupped in my hands the night before were prominent in her tight T-shirt. She reached a hand to stroke my face and I saw the muscle in her pretty arm dance for me. "I don’t know," I said. "What’s the matter baby?" she asked. "I...I guess...a nightmare...or something" "It’ll go away honey...give it a few minutes" "Erica...did I ever tell you how much I love you...how beautiful you are...and how much I love your strength...and your muscles" I said. "Yes Tom...every day. That’s one of the things I love about you. You’re the only guy I’ve ever known who likes to play with my muscles...and who thinks my strength is a turn-on," she said. She slipped out of her clothes and crawled inside the bed with me. In less than 10 minutes, I’d gone from my worst nightmare...to my most erotic, obsessive fantasy...only one of the many reasons I loved her.