[interesting]

That night, I dreamt of Danielle.

I was on a ship, its first mate, and Danielle was a prisoner in the hold. The captain's face was hidden, and Danielle was his captive, but we were secretly in love, and I was planning to have her freed. But then a storm came, and we all drowned.

I awoke to a dizzy feeling. Grabbing a bite to eat after a quick shower, I headed off to school, only coming back late in the afternoon. I immediately logged on and checked my email. There was an answer for me.

Hi Frank,
It was great to hear from you. I'm glad you're well... and I'm glad you agreed to play. I'm feeling giddy right now. There are lots of things going on through my mind, but I'll start with the obvious one.
My limits, for the time being, will be truths only. I will not be able to perform dares until some time, so I do apologize. If we want to make this fair, we can play with only truths on your end. As with you, no subject is taboo. I'll tell you everything.
You asked for a picture... so I'm sending one as an attachment. However, there is a catch to it... if you're game. And it would be the only dare I would be willing to do at this point. Since we'll be doing dares apart from each other, it would be nice if you could take some pictures and send them to me as confirmation. It's not mandatory, of course, but if you do, I'll keep sending you pictures of myself... and I'll remove articles of clothing each time. Would that be interesting to you?
Now then, a few words about me. I'm doing good, and I'm currently studying human sciences to possibly become a grade school teacher, once I get to university, next year. I'm not very involved in anything since I moved in with Stan, and I'm dying to do something bold, something new. Hopefully, our game can provide me with that... I don't mean to keep bringing him up but he's here for the moment so you might as well be aware of his existence.
So... if we're going to play, then I'll start. Truth me.
Sincerely,
Danielle

I reread her email before setting it aside to ponder what I was going to ask her. I didn't mind doing dares while she did truths. In fact, I wouldn't have minded doing things on my own while she enjoyed the luxury of knowing I did them.

I downloaded the attached picture and stared at it. She was wearing a beautiful green dress, with a white short-sleeved blouse. Her hair was tied behind her head. She smiled on the picture. It had obviously been taken by a webcam. She stood a few feet from the edge of a desk, her posture almost defiant. I printed the image immediately and set it against the wall with blue gum. I stared at it for a moment, my senses tingling, my mind wanting to explore the image further.

I got back on the keyboard, clicked reply and started typing.

Hi again,
It's lovely to hear from you, and I know you're eager to get started. I know I am. I just want to say that I don't care about Stan, or that you mention him. Whom I care about is you, and if you need to chat, complain, rant or just talk, about anything, I'm here.
You want the truth? You can't handle the truth! Aha. Just kidding.
Seriously, here it is:
- Under what circumstances did you get to come by Sherbrooke? Or, what made you decide to come study here instead of elsewhere?
I'll be asking for a truth as well. But I don't mind doing dares... and I'll definitely look into having some pictures taken, eventually. Would you mind if I involved a friend of mine, but only in taking the pictures?
Thanks,
Frank

I didn't know how long it would take her to answer me, so I decided to go do something else. Supper rolled around, and I went back to the university to chat with some friends, although in truth, my mind was mostly on the eventual mail that might be waiting for me at home. It was a pleasant evening, and we played card games for a while. For a long while, I kept thinking of playing strip poker, even though we were all guys there. It made me smile, and my friend Robert said something about it.

"I'm just happy, I guess."
"Whacha got to be happy about?"

I didn't answer. The night rolled on until I got home, a little before midnight. Before retiring to bed, I checked my email. There was a reply. Again, it took me a moment to open the file.

Hi again again,
Thanks for a quick answer. I was somewhat bored and hoping your mail would come in, and it did, so I'm all giddy.
No, I don't mind someone else taking the pictures. In fact, it's good that I know because I'll remember it when I'm giving you dares. Of course, don't mention me by name, but I think that was a given. And you didn't tell me what you wanted, so since I started out with a truth, I'll return the favor and ask you something in return. So:
- When was the first time you had sex, and who was it with?
As for my answer... there's no simple explanation. I came to Sherbrooke for two different reasons. The first one was that I was looking for some place removed from my family. I still love them but I needed to be out on my own. But I didn't want some place too remote. Sherbrooke seemed an acceptable solution, and I had visited it in the previous year (I had actually tried to look you up at the same time but that's another story). The second reason was that Stan, who was not my boyfriend at the time, was studying there (he's one year older) and we became roommates. I didn't have to go apartment hunting. So, that's about it.
I can't wait until I hear from you again.
Thanks,
Danielle

What to do? Answer now, while it was still fresh, or let things simmer a little... I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't answer, and yet, I wouldn't be able to sleep waiting for her reply. The irony made me smile. But why wait then?

I don't know what it is but I feel as you do - I'm so looking forward to each email.... but maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves. I was glad to read your answer. It's true. Sherbrooke has all the commodities of a larger city and the feel of a large village. It feels homely. I love it here. I want to spend the rest of my life here, if I can. It's nice and quiet, and there's not much going on, which suits me fine. I'm interested to hear your story about the time you came to Sherbrooke and tried to look me up, but there are other questions in my mind.
I'll answer yours first. The first time I had sex was two years ago. And I wouldn't call it sex. I've never had full intercourse (sorry, that sounds strange). I've done a lot with a former girlfriend, we played with each other. Her name was Vicky. She had long black hair, brown eyes, and the perkiest breasts. I used to enjoy kissing her. We dated for several months before she broke it off. I haven't been with anyone since then.
Btw, I'm ready for a dare.
Here's my truth question, and it's a two-parter: Where is your friend Rita now, and how far did you ever get with her?
Sleep tight, read you in the morning (I hope)
Frank

And with that, I went to bed, and fell asleep instantly, assailled by dreams as incoherent as the one that had spawned this wonderful day.