Practice her art

Marla decided to use the painting as a practice piece. She retrieved her paints and canvas and began to carefully examine the painting, and attempt to reproduce the realistic scene, to learn the techniques the artist had used to paint it. She first covered the background with a layer of blue for sky and a mixture of brown and green for the forest beneath it. She would paint the scene first, and the people would be added in later, of course.

As she worked, she glanced up from time to time to re-examine a detail in or a brushstroke in the original painting. The technique was not particularly difficult or unusual, she decided, but the skill of the artist was high. She supposed that was to be expected in a place like this...only the best.

After a few hours, Marla's vision was beginning to blur, and she realized that she was getting tired. She had not yet placed the figures of the man and the woman into her copy of the painting, but she guessed she would do better after a little rest.

Marla covered her canvas, and cleaned her brushes, then went to lie down. As the first suitable surface was the couch in the next room, Marla did not bother to go to the bedroom, but simply lay down to take a quick nap. And she began to dream.

Marla awoke with her dark skin shining with a sheen of perspiration. She tried to capture the dream in her memory but it was already slipping away. Marla could remember hands on her body, lips against her lips, but not a face or a voice. She could almost still feel a pair of strong hands clasping her breasts and teasing her nipples. When she looked down, the points of her stiff nipples were visible through her shirt. And there was a warm feeling between her legs. She knew the dream had been erotic, but the details were slipping away too fast, leaving only the ghosts of the sensations she had experienced while sleeping.

Marla was disappointed that the dream was over without even remembering what it had been, but she was awake now and even the warm feeling was fading. Ah, well, she thought. There's always more time for dreams.