Ben wandered through the trees, heading in the general direction of the pool. Soon, he heard the sound of girlish laughter. Slowing down so as to make less noise, he drew closer until he could tell his goal lay just around the next tree. He sidled up to the tree’s trunk and peeked around it. Sure enough, he could see a group of naked girls playing in the water.
Wow! Ben thought. I hit the jackpot!
Suddenly, one of the girls turned in his general direction. Ben quickly hid behind the tree again, hoping he hadn’t been spotted. After nothing happened, he exhaled with relief and started to move back around. Something seemed to catch his hand, however. Looking down, he stared.
His hand seemed to be stuck in the tree. A close inspection revealed no sign of a crack or cavity in the bark. It just looked like his wrist ended at the side of the tree. Bracing his other hand against the tree, he tried to pull himself out. To his horror, his other hand sank into the bark as easily as through molasses.
“Hey, let go!” Ben yelped, no longer caring about possible detection. Desperately, he yanked on his arms, but nothing gave. “I-I’m stuck! Help!”
Immediately, the giggles coming from the pool went silent. After a bit of splashing, the whole group of girls came around to investigate. Ben gawked openly at all the naked flesh now in his view, but the girls didn’t react. They instead focused on the boy’s predicament.
“Oh, look at that!” One girl said. Her voice sounded inhumanly musical to Ben’s ears. It even had a faint echo! “Could it be?”
“Looks like this lonely oak has finally found a friend after so many years,” another remarked with a laugh.
Ben glared. “Hey, this is no time for jokes. Get me out of here!”
The nearest girl shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that’s impossible at this point. The tree has chosen you.”
“What are you talking about? My hands just got stuck in a hole or something,” Ben insisted, now in total denial. “I just need you to help me pull it out.”
“Nope,” the girl said. “We can’t do that. You’ll have to go in completely before you can come out again. That’s just how it works.”
Ben gulped. “Go in? Completely? That’s crazy! This whole thing is crazy!”
“Don’t worry. It’ll work. Believe me.” The girl smiled reassuringly. “And afterwards, to make it up to you, we’ll let you play with us. Alright?”
The teen considered it for a moment, his confusion and fear warring with his hormones. In the presence of these stunning girls, hormones won. “Fine. If that’s what it takes.”
“You’ll have to take off these clothes, of course.”
Ben’s head snapped back up. “Huh?”
Before he could react, the girls descended on him, stripping off his clothes and even tearing his shirt in the process. Soon, he stood entirely bare. Giving him no time for embarrassment, they began pushing him further into the tree. Inch by inch, the tree swallowed his arms, then his legs, then his lower body. He almost expected to see his hands and feet exit from the other side, but nothing did. It felt like a portal to another dimension or something.
When only his head and shoulders were left, Ben squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself.
“Almost there,” one of his helpers whispered in his ear. “You’ll like it, I promise. And we’ll enjoy having another sister.”
Ben’s eyes shot open again. “Sister? Wait, what do you m-Mmmmmph!” The girl gave him no more time to question before she shoved his head inside and all went still.
“That should do it,” the girl said to the others. She waited a few seconds before placing her hand, fingers spread, on the rough bark. “Alright, sweet Oak. We the daughters of the river wish to welcome our sister of the oak. Please, release her to us.”
As they watched, five slender fingers poked out from between the girl’s own, curling inward to grasp her hand. When she pulled back, the new hand followed, bringing with it a dainty wrist and a creamy white arm. Closer to the tree’s roots, a tiny foot materialized, leading a long, smooth leg. Just as a cute feminine face came into view, two fleshy nubs emerged below which soon became a perky pair of breasts.
Quickly, a curvy torso arrived to connect all these features into a stunning whole. With one more step, the figure’s other foot came free even while the last strands of silky, dark green hair slid from the tree to brush a heart-shaped backside. In the end, a fully-formed girl stood swaying on her feet, her eyes closed and her hand clasped firmly by her new sister.
Then, those large eyes cracked open to unveil deep amber irises that zeroed in on the others. Soft lips parted, and a sweet, silvery voice said, “WHAT THE FENNEL DID YOU DO TO ME!? Wait, did I just say fennel? I meant to say fennel. Daisy!”
One of the other girls grinned. “Oh, I like her! Dryads can be kinda boring sometimes, but she’s funny!”