The following is based on actual events, the age, identity of the characters have been changed and no names have been used.
My Love Ios
Ios is a Greek Island, a small Greek Island in the Cyclades group of islands, it's a short ferry ride from Santorini and somewhere i had always wanted to go and being an adventurer by nature and with a break from studies i make the journey there from the dark streets of South London one August in Summer.
Santorini has an airport, which is just as well as this week away would take a lot longer than i've got time for being a Sports Medicine student who is in the last year of my studies, originally i'm from Shropshire and a bit of a country boy, tall (ish) blond with blue green eyes and a pale but soft complexion, my accent has changed a bit since i went to study in London, as it often does with Middle England people who move to big cities, in was in effect a big, strong, blond, rugby playing blue blooded English youth who happens to be 100% homosexual and come to the find love and explore the Greek Islands.
Santorini is not a bad place, don't get me wrong, it's got the usual quota of tourists from all over Europe, British, German, Scandinavian and the odd few Americans who take short detours on land from their luxurious cruise ships moored in the harbour, you can always tell who they are because they'll always be in large groups huddled around the souvenir 'art' and clothing shops in the miriad alleyways and lanes that make up 'Fira' the capital of the Island that seems to hang off of the cliffs, only to be held up by gravity and a prayer.
The ferry ride from Santorini was short enough, three hours at most and i boarded at the small port on the southside of the island with a few dozen others to make the short journey to Ios, the sea was calm enough and the weather was beautiful sunny with a light breeze and with the sea breeze from the movement of the ferry it was an on the deck experience all the way, passing the volcano which is just offshore Santorini and into open sea i begin to exprience all the excitement and anticapation of my first night on a Greek Island........alone.
Ios harbour is busy, busier than i expected, being one of the main destinations for many travellers, backpackers and regular tourists alike, the port was a hive of activity, especially when a ferry docked, disembarking i was confronted by the sea of people advertising rooms/hotels/guest houses, most of them seem to be old ladies dressed in black who were obviously the wives/mothers/grandmothers of the owners, a small lady with a placard bearing the 'rooms for rent local' approached me and i bartered 20 euros for a room which seems a fair price and i arranged to stay for 3 nights thinking 3 nights should be enough here as i had only one week away from the UK and Santorini to explore on my way back.
The room was reasonable enough, away from the main buildings and after all the formalities and registration was completed i unpacked, took a shower and headed for the beach which was within sight and should only be about a ten minute walk.
It was hot, this was Greece after all, in August, why wouldn't it be? and with my pale skin and straw trilby i must look like an typical Englishman, i took my place on the sand and watched the sea shimmering away and the assortment of holidaymakers enjoying their visit, i even mustered up enough courage to take a dip in the ocean in my little blue and orange Speedos, the water was a lot colder than it should have been but hell i'm not in South London now, this is Greece, it's hot and i'm alone and looking for love!
My first night is pretty uneventful, a shower a quick meal in a Taverna that was a bit out of town and a walk along the harbour watching the sun go down in a riot of reds and purples, against this backdrop i look back at my days journey, the flight, the ferry and the swim and realise how tired i am, i'm back in my room by 9 and fast asleep.
My second day shows more promise, as a keen walker i decide to explore the Island in greater detail, Ios town is a nice enough place but i needed to get away from the harbour area and take a look at some of the more out of reach places that i had read about in the 'independent traveller' guides, a short bus ride and i was on the other side of the island, the quiet side.
The sea over this side is much rougher and rockier and not a place for a leisurely swim by any account, i took a slow walk for at least an hour down the coastal tracks and now it's past 5 and getting slightly cooler, i decide to head inland and explore some of the ancient churches and ruins that are there waiting for me lurking in the hillsides.
You never know in Greece who the land belongs to that you're on and the chance is always there that you could be chased by some irate Greek farmer with a short fuse and a big temper, as it happens i do appear to be on someone's farmland as behind me appears a large herd of goats with their loud clanging bells and bleets and i rest beside what looks like a deralict old stone built habitation that was maybe some kind of herders outpost to rest in during the hot summer days, from this position i can see the sea in the distance and most of the southern part of the island in the background, idyllic it is too and i need to rest a bit, take off my top, stretch out on a flat piece of earth on my now wet t shirt and stare at the azure sky above with a clear head and a strong thirst.
I've always been a bit of a dreamer and this is a dreamy situation, alone, unexplored land, sea on one side and the cool cool wind blowing through the odd Olive tree that sits in an otherwise barren landscape, in fact it's so quiet and peaceful i hear the footsteps behind, beyond the first stone building further up the hill, slowly i turn arms spread out and see what looks like a man dressed in black trousers, white shirt, with a black jacket over his shoulders smoking a cigarette and obviously curious with my presence, we stare at each other a while and instinctively realises i am alone and hence not a threat or likely to cause any damage.
As he walks slowly up the hill he turns momentarily as if beckoning me to follow, i quickly gather up my few belongings and scramble up the barren slope in an effort to keep up with him as he disappears over a ledge leading to......?
Who is he? my mind races, he looks a bit of a character, one of the old school, after all who would wear a jacket in this heat, he must be well used to it.
By now i'm sweating, quite a bit, even though it's getting on for 5.30 it's still pretty hot and hill climbing in this temperature is an effort for even the fittest, over the ledge there's a small stone building similar to the one's i'd just been resting against but this one looked lived in, even had a small chimney which seemed to have smoke coming out of it, although it was quite hard to see in the haze, the man beckoned me down and turned to come forward.
I edged down gingerly, what if he was a savage? had a gun? a bandit? all sorts of things were going through my mind and i was uneasy for the first time since i'd arrived, the building did look primitive and there was no sign of a road or any electricity, basic living is obviously where it's at with this farmer, i stood in the clearing in front of the house and must have looked slightly ridiculous with my shorts and straw tribly and small backpack, the man came out and was fairly close so i could see what he looked like for the first time.
He was around his mid forties, shorter than me, dark wavy hair that was not too short, sturdy and strong looking with big muscular forearms that were heavy on dark curly matted black hair, this man was used to manual labour, he removed his shirt and went over to a large metal basin, half filled it with water from a makeshifrt hose and began to splash himself and wash under his arm pits and torso, he beckoned me over to do the same, i did this and the frozen water was more than welcome to say the least.
"You Germany man?" he enquired, cigarette dangling from his lips.
"No" i replied "Me English, Angleterra"
"ahhh" he laughed and for the first time i could see his mouth, it was exquistie, his teeth were china white and his eyes the darkest of brown, in fact black as the night.
"You Hungrys?" he enquired.
"No no no hungry" i replied nervously trying to avoid imposing myself on him.
He laughed loud and lit a cigarette as he tossed the present one away into the rocks.
"I gets food" he then dissappears into the dwelling and leaves me there wondering what happens next, he is a sexy man by all accounts, actually stunning close up, this belies his rough and work like demeanour, all sorts of thoughts race through my mind, is he alone? does he live here on this mountain all the time? maybe he's some kind of outcast, my ponderings don't last long as he returns with a large tin plate, some feta cheese, sliced tomatoes and bread and a large knife which he hands to me with an open arm gesture.
Here i am on a hillside in Ios with a farmer/shepherd eating his food and soon to be followed with Ouzo a glass of which i knocked back in one, well it's the traditional way, it's getting on and by the the time we finish this feast and exchange smiles and sighs it must be getting on for seven, i can tell by the position of the sun and it's slowly moved down, it's still hot though, this allows me to momentarily examine the muscular curves of his torso and the thick matted dark hair that clings to his frame, it looks like heaven to a young blond white boy from Shropshire and the mix of sweat/tobacco and ouzo that assaults my nose is the smell i had dreamed i would find in Ios, the smell of desire and love.
Without a word he grabs my arm and beckons me to the door of his dwelling, in my slight panic and shyness i pull away "No no, i have to leave, getting late" again he pulls, quite forcefully this time and i shrug and resign myself to his hospitality, after all i've eaten his food and i am on his land.
The inside of the house is as basic as i had imagined, just one room, a small fire in the corner with a large pot hanging over it, a large rug on the floor covering the stone and a makeshift bed at one end that is strewn with old quilted blankets and pillows.
"Yasso Yasso" he gestures to one of the old wooden chairs "Pleases pleases"
With this instruction i sit and begin to quickly look around at the interior, the trinkets and pictures hanging from the walls and ceiling, pictures of a younger him and some of his (dead?) relatives, i sit in admiration, his family were obviously not rich but they all have his looks, his dark sultry alluring features.
The soft wind hisses through the shutters and the coolness is a welcome relase from the intense hillside, this dark cave become more homely and laiden with history and resonance the longer i am here and the glaze of the sun gives way and my eyesight adjusts to the relavite darkness of the cave like interior.
He beckons me to lift my feet, i do this at once and he slowly removes my walking shoes which must be sweat laden by now, he removes my shoes and produces a large metal bowl filled with water and adds a liquid that makes it go cloudy, lifting up my size 11's he gently places them in the liquid and gives me a reassuring tap on the knee, if this is traditional Greek hospitality i'm not complaining as my feet are indeed in need of a soak.
So here i am on a hillside in Ios, just my shorts, feet in a bowl and the farmer is now outside and i hear clanging and splashing, a dog barks and i hear him shouting and cursing a bit, he returns with a handful of what look like figs, fresh figs?
"You likes" he gestures
"No no please" i reply feeling like i've taken too much of his hospitality now
"Please" i plead, but he has already sliced one and proceeds to lick the seeds and juice from it whilst offering me the other half, what can i do, i capitulate to his offer and he stands bolt in front of me whilst he offers it the juice dribbles down the dent in his unshaven chin and i find myself staring at his lips, i can see his fingers close up, large, worked and smelling of cigarettes, cheese, oil with a strong aroma of sweat mixed in, the figs taste good, this is real food, the way it should really be consumed, with thought and appreciation.
He removes my feet from the bowl and produces a very old looking cloth, gently he pats them dry and takes special care with the toes, making sure he dries in between, this gives me a momentary tickle and i stifle a laugh.
He goes behind with the bowl and i hear him tossing it through the open window, the dog barks.
Then everything goes quiet, i wonder what he's doing, maybe he really is mad and any minute now he will stab me in the neck, or strangle me from behind, just then quickly and forcefully a hand appears on my head from behind, it grips my skull hard and the strong fingers begin to massage my scalp, first one hand then two, every once in a while a finger of thumb makes it way around to my mouth and i take it in twisting it around with my tongue in a fit of ecstasy, i sit passively, completely relaxed, completely turned on.
He slowly works his way down to my neck and proceeds to unknot the muscles there, his fingers are strong and he momentarily moves one hand around the the front of my neck gently caressing the soft red flesh and mixing the sweat in with the oil and the smell of the food and tobacco, this is the smell of work, live and love, Ios style.
This goes on for a while longer and he slowly comes around the front of the chair, it's then i realise he is naked, for the first time i see his thick hairy legs, and his perfectly formed dick dangling down, i suddenly go very hard and with this he slowly removes my shorts to reveal my large white, purple helmeted erection, am i dreaming this? no, this dark almost animal like shepherd is in front of me with one thing on his mind, and a body and soul to carry it through, this is hospitality Ios style and it's pure animal need.
I've never been keen on a smokers breath but when his lips and tongue entwine with mine i feel a cold but somehow electric current pass through my body that almost leaves me incapable of movement, i stroke his chest, the thick carpet like hair a mixture of sweat, oil and coarsness, his eyes close up are hypnotic and between kisses i look deep into their mystery, he is mystery, alone on a hill a beautiful man with a dark passion is consuming my very existence, living in the present is forced on me, the heady unimaginable present that poets, lovers and artists can rarely capture is here with me now, i know i will never forget this.
His dick is now very hard and it's big, it's huge and very well shaped, he bends his legs and eases himself foward while he lowers himself to his knees, he looks up and gives me a longing gaze as his mouth opens and his lips embed themselves on the helmet of my cock, he is like a hungry dog, a hungry Greek moutain animal, i'm his dinner, he's a hunter not a shepherd, the sheer velvet texture of his mouth is beyond a description and his mouth stays on there for what seems like a very long time, all the while i glimpse down when i catch my breath and look over his wide back, the dark, strong hands on my knees and glimpse that large twitching erection hovering above his feet, this man is like a dream, is he real? he must be, soon i'll come, if i'm not careful.
After a while he leads me over to the makeshift bed and beckons me to sit, i do this and with a quick stroke he places himself on his knees again and puts his head on my now red abdomen, he gently kisses it all the while pulling his cock slowly, lifting my legs he takes my balls in his mouth and sucks them gently working his way down to my sphincter, at this point i then begin to feel the softness of his tongue and the roughness of his whiskers, it's a feeling i've never had before, all the fumblings i've had till now are of nothing compared to this bliss, his tongue gets deep into my crack, the sounds he makes is nothing short of animal, he's almost like a hungry goat on the hillside after a day's grazing, this goes on a long long while and i'm having a hard time stopping myself ejaculating.
I can stand it no longer, my long white stick, shoots so hard it reaches the wall behind me, at this site my shepherd stands and rubbing his chest with one hand and wanking with the other he shoots the white pungent cream over my chest and legs and collapses on top of me on the bed very out of breath and with a slight laugh rubs my smooth chest and nipples with his hard hands, then he collpases on the bed next to me and proceeds to kiss my soft red lips, he gazes into my eyes with his, stroking my soft blond matted hair, we entwine and the exertion and passion fades into a deep and reassuring sleep.
I wake, it's dark, i've been here for hours, entwined and sticky from love i ease myself away from his body, the flickering fire gives enough light for me to see him lying there, his face, his chest his now flaccid dick, i rise pull over him softly a light blanket and stand slowly, he looks peaceful, mysterious as ever, i kneel down and smell his skin making sure i don't wake him, he smells fanatastic, he's my love, i'm his, i belong to him now as he belongs to the moutain.
Gathering my stuff i realise it's still only 10pm but i decide to head back the way i came, will i wake up and realise it's all been a dream? maybe, but it looks real enough, i find a pen in my backpack, draw on it a heart and arrow, rub it on my dickhead which is sweaty and red, place it in his hand carefully and head outside while he still sleeps.
I can see the lights from the shore and have a torch to guide me, if i'm lucky i'll be back in my room by midnight.
will i see my shepherd again? would i be able to find him once more in this remote place?
I am left to ponder the question that afflicts all men that happen upon such unexpected love, should i go back to find it was all a fantasy, the closeness, the affection, the love? was it just lust or sex? or i should i never return take the memory of that night with me for the rest of my days?
Ios in love i found, never to one place i shall be bound.
Good luck and love to all you travellers out there.