Chapter 27

At school the next day, things began to settle into the more familiar routines. Much of the craziness of the first day had evaporated as classes and schedules had been modified, recalcitrant lockers were opened by the maintenance staff, and new students learned their way around the building. I had relieved Carol of the task of walking me to every class, although we did agree to meet at lunchtime. While I was wearing a different outfit today, the look was not too dissimilar from yesterday. The skirt and top were both too tight, and I was wearing heels again. Other students had already begun to relax their clothing styles, and jeans were very much in evidence today. I actually felt much more self-conscious in this relaxed environment than I had as a first day student. At least I could feel better in French class, and in my afternoon classes. Mr. Douglas had spent at least half of the period standing directly in front of me again, and I suspected that he would continue to do so for as long as Mom had me wear clothes like this.

After school, Carol and I took the bus home again and things settled further into familiar patterns. Once home, I did my homework, started dinner with Carol's help, and did all of the other routine and mundane things.

As the week wore on, Carol and I had to arrange a schedule for sharing the telephone time. I spoke with Debbie several times and we both expressed our wishes that we attend the same school, even though I knew that it would have made it difficult on both of us. I tried a couple of time to return calls from Sean when I got messages on the machine, but he was always either out or his line was busy.

On Friday we found a message on our machine from Mr. Daniels stating that we would be hearing from the local television studio about the broadcast of the play. He said that they were in communication with the station and that they would handle all financial matter once the station had decided upon my amount of involvement. And in fact the very next message was from the station requesting that we call them back. Mom placed the call after she came home, while Carol and I worked on making dinner. When she was done with that, and her other messages, she went upstairs to change and then came down to the kitchen.

"The station wants to get together with us tomorrow. I told them that we would be over at one."

"What do they want, Mom?" I asked.

"They want to broadcast the play as a four hour special. They have already purchased the rights from the Community Theatre, but they might like some additional involvement from the main characters. They will explain everything tomorrow at the meeting."

"Who else will be there?"

"They didn't say. I guess that we'll find out tomorrow. It looks like dinner is almost ready, so I'll set the table."

The next morning Mom took charge of selecting my outfit, as usual. She had already been selecting sexy and provocative clothes for me to wear at school, but at least she had been letting let me wear 3-inch heels. Today I was back to 4-inch heels, and because I had been getting used to the lower heels they felt as if they were 5 inches high. Mom laced me down extra tight and I squeezed into the tightest dress that I had. Then she spent an hour helping me with my makeup and hair. I didn't say a word because I already knew the reason for dressing this way. The TV station was looking to buy, and I was on the block. Let the bidding begin.

Before going to the station, Mom took all of my new clothes and put them in the car. I knew before asking that we were going to be stopping to see Barbara at the theatre. Mom had arranged to meet with her at 10 o'clock and she was at the theatre when we arrived. I was surprised to find Marge there as well, although I shouldn't have been. We spent 10 minutes catching up before getting down to business. Barbara had me try on all of the clothes so that she could mark them for alterations. When every item was marked I put on my dress again and we sat down to talk until it was time to leave for the TV station.

Barbara said, "Well kiddo, it looks like things are starting to move for you again."

"I don't know, Barb. I haven't heard what they want yet. They already have the right to broadcast the play. I don't know what they want to see me for."

"Maybe they want you to do a couple of promos for the broadcast. You know, like they always do for new shows. They build anticipation and demand, and thereby raise the cost to advertisers at the same time."

"Maybe."

Marge said, "I'm dying to see your TV series opener. Any word on the date yet?"

"No. I haven't heard a word. I don't even know if I'm going to be on for more than a minute when it debuts so I'm not going to tell anyone except my closest friends when I do find out."

"You have to be on for more than a minute. You spent a week in California."

"They could have decided to edit me out except for the opening. I haven't heard from them and they must have shot at least five or six episodes by now."

"Don't get discouraged, hon; your career is just beginning. They usually have a dozen episodes scripted out before they shoot the first one. That doesn't mean that they didn't like your performance. And every exposure is valuable, even if it's only for a minute. Remember that the opening minute will be broadcast every single week. People will start to recognize you if they see you enough, and recognition is the key to more jobs. That's why every star has a publicist."

I smiled and said, "Thanks, Marge."

We enjoyed a cup of tea as we visited, and when it neared 12:30 we said our good-byes and left the theatre after promising to let my two 'step' moms know how things turned out.

The receptionist at the TV station asked us to take a seat as she called to notify a Mr. Rusikie that we were there. Several minutes later an ebullient Mr. Rusikie appeared and welcomed us to the station. He led the way to a rear office suite and we were escorted into a conference room where four other men sat. After receiving introductions all around, we were invited to sit. We acceded to an offer for tea, more as a formality than because we were thirsty, and as soon as an intern was dispatched for beverages we got down to business.

The station manager, Mr. Wittman, said, "Ladies, welcome to WTGF. As you know we have purchased the rights to broadcast the videotape rendition of 'Guts and Garters' in the form of a four hour special 'local' event. The three people who shot the footage were among our most experienced employees, and I'm sure that you'll agree that they did a marvelous job. They had received permission to use station equipment because we thought that we might use some highlights in one of our news broadcasts. As a result, the 'master' tapes are of the highest quality, unlike some of the amateur tapes that are typically shot. The post-production tape looked so good that we began formulating this idea to broadcast it. But the more that we dissected it, the more that we felt something was missing. We suddenly realized that the missing ingredient were close-ups. There are no close-ups because the video was shot exclusively from the balcony of the theatre in order for the crew to remain as unobtrusive as possible. They did a fine job with their zooming and panning because they sat through the matinee performance and then scripted the 'shoot', but all shots are still from high up, looking down, and all from the same angles."

When he paused to take a breath I said, "Mr. Wittman, you mentioned that the play will be a four hour event, but the play only lasts about 2 and a half hour hours."

"That's correct, but this is a commercial station and part of the time will be devoted to advertisers, plus there's the introduction, closing remarks, and the cast party."

"Cast party? I didn't even know that that was being taped."

"A camera was left running in the balcony, plus the other cameras were setup in the wings as the stage was being cleared and setup for the party. We decided that we would show the award ceremony as part of the broadcast."

"Oh my God," I said in a horrified voice.

Sensing my embarrassment Mr. Wittman said, "Miss Ramsey, you looked charming during the award presentation. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. It was because of the innocence and spontaneous response to the award that we decided to include it in the broadcast even though it wasn't included on the videotapes distributed to the cast members. For that matter, your wonderful standup routine during the introduction wasn't included either. But we want to show it all."

Mom said, "Mr. Wittman, since you have all of the tape already, why have you asked us to come here today?"

"Mrs. Ramsey, as I have said, all of our tape looks down on the stage from the balcony. We would like to have some footage shot from the stage itself during the performance."

"But that doesn't exist."

"Not yet."

"Yet? You mean that you want my daughter, and the rest of the cast, to begin scheduling more performances so that you can do more filming?"

"Not exactly. What we would like is to do is to have selected cast members reprise their roles at a number of points in the play during closed-door performances. These shots would then be blended with the original footage and soundtracks, including audience responses. Only the principal characters would be involved."

"And have all of the others agreed to this?"

"Your daughter is the first to whom we have made this proposal. As one of the two lead characters, and the only professional actor involved with the exception of Mr. Tucker whose role was minor, we felt it incumbent to get her assent before approaching the others. Without her agreement we will have to go with what we have. If she agrees then we'll approach the others."

"What if the others refuse?"

"I don't really consider that to be very probable. This is not a volunteer effort. Each actor will be compensated for his or her time and, unlike your daughter who has an upcoming TV series that we'll be broadcasting as the network affiliate in this area, this may be the highlight of his or her acting career. I don't expect that any of the others will hesitate if Miss Ramsey agrees. But as long as one or two others agree also, than we will proceed with shooting new footage."

"How long do you expect that the new shooting will take?"

We have laid it out in three evening sessions, one for each act of the play. All of the actors have full time jobs and your daughter is still in school, so evenings or a weekend would be the best time. Then we would need Crystal for a Saturday or two for the rest."

"The rest?"

"Yes, the… Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't get into that yet. We would like Crystal to 'host' the presentation."

"What do you mean 'host'?"

"She would do an introduction that would be shot here in one of our studios, and then opening remarks before each of the acts. We're still working on the format for that. We haven't decided if she will be on camera alone, or with one of our staff."

I said, "You want me to do a stand-up routine like I did at the theatre?"

"No. Just simple introductions explaining the play, and possibly some explanation of what was going on behind the scenes between acts. You know, human interest stuff."

"That shouldn't take multiple weekends."

"No, that won't, but Barrett's would like to use you for their commercials during the presentation and those may be shot in our studios."

Mom said, "And you have discussed all this with Mr. Daniels?"

"Of course, as has Mr. Greening from Barrett's Department Store. When you decide I will speak with your agent again."

Since I would be compensated for doing this, I nodded to Mom when she looked at me. After all, I was doing all this for the college money that I could earn. Mom informed Mr. Wittman that I would do it, and then we spent some more time discussing the broadcast timetable and shooting schedule that they had tentatively arranged. By three o'clock we had completed our discussion and were escorted out after saying our good-byes.

Mom pointed the car towards home before smiling and saying, "This is wonderful. You will receive phenomenal exposure throughout the entire broadcast area. I saw a map on one of the walls that showed how far their signal reaches. They have coverage into more than twenty counties. And you'll have a wonderful entry on your resume. Not only the play, but acting as host for the presentation, and appearing in some of the commercials. I'm excited, and happy for you dear."

"Thanks, Mom," I replied inattentively.

"What's the matter. You don't seem to be excited?"

"I am. It's only that I didn't know about them taping the cast party."

"And?"

"And… I was embarrassed about getting an award. And now they're going to broadcast it on TV. Nobody else was honored at the party, and I feel funny about having been singled out to receive the award."

"Crystal, that award was presented by your fellow actors. They wanted you to have it because you deserved it. It's not something to feel guilty about, but rather something to be very proud of because it was awarded by your peers, not by some faceless committee."

I thought about what she had said and replied, "I guess so."

"Between the acting, the hosting, and the commercials, this job should add a nice little boost to your college fund. Oh, let's stop here at the market and get a few things."

Mom turned into the supermarket parking lot and we walked into the store. As we picked out some oranges, a woman approached me and said, "Aren't you the girl that that was in the play downtown?" I nodded where upon she started gushing "Oh, you were just so wonderful. My daughter wants to be an actress because of your performance. Would you give me your autograph please?"

"Certainly."

The woman opened her purse and took out a small notebook. As she handed it, and a pen, to me she continued to prattle on about how much she had enjoyed the show. Her remarks began to attract attention and other woman shoppers began to crowd around me like I was offering free oranges. The produce manager spotted the growing group and came running over, fearing that an accident had occurred. Pushing her way into the group of people she stopped short when she reached me. I was in the process of signing my third autograph.

She said, "Who's hurt?"

Mom said, "Nobody. My daughter is just signing a few autographs for some of her fans."

Looking at me the manager said, "Who are you?"

One of the women in the crowd said, "She's Crystal Ramsey, the stage and TV star."

The produce manager, who got a dumb look on her face since she obviously didn't have a clue as to who I was, just said, "Oh." Working her way back out she stood on the periphery of the group until it started to shrink.

As I completed the autographs the women shoppers slowly started to return to their shopping. When I had signed the last one, the produce manager asked me to sign one for her. I obliged although I wondered why she would want it. Mom had finished selecting the oranges and we completed our shopping in relative quiet, although everybody that we met in the aisles smiled at us, and we heard a lot of whispering.

As we walked to our car later, Mom said, "Crystal, it's so exciting when you get a spontaneous reception like that. I am so proud that people want the autograph of MY daughter."

"Thanks, Mom. You realize that it's only going to get worse, don't you?"

"Yes, but only until the novelty wears off. Then people will just accept your celebrity."

"I hope that you're right."

Carol had arrived home just before we did after having spent a hard day shopping at the Mall with Sheri and Heather. She wanted to know all about our meeting at the TV station so we sat at the kitchen table and filled her in.

"Wow!" she said. "You're going to be on the TV so much that evening that they should just call it 'Crystal Night'."

"You're right," I said thoughtfully. "It may be too much. Maybe I should cancel the hosting, or, the commercials."

"Don't you dare." Mom said. "Each of those roles will increase the college fund. You sister is graduating this year, and you'll be graduating next year. We have little enough time to build the account as it is. This is a wonderful opportunity and we need enough money to pay for eight years, or more, of college. Now Crystal, you have to get over this attitude. I know that I raised you to share, and to be considerate of others, but you can't pass up the opportunities that have come your way because you feel that you are taking more than your share of attention. I’m proud that you feel that way. However, the public will decide the other for you. I don't want you to step on anyone as you climb to the top, but I want you to accept all opportunities when they are presented. Okay?"

"Okay, Mom."

It was approaching dinnertime by now so we continued to talk as we started to prepare supper. Carol told us about her trip to the Mall and the great clothes that Heather and Sheri had gotten for the new school year. I couldn't get too worked up about it because Sheri and Heather had spent their teen years buying new clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics, but I did my best to show interest.

After dinner I worked on my homework as Carol talked on the phone, and then I talked to Debbie when it was my turn to use the phone. When it was Carol's time again I said goodbye to Debbie and returned to my homework, completing all of my weekend assignments before bedtime. After supper I had changed out of the form hugging dress that I had worn all day, but I was still tightly laced into the corset that had been laced down extra tight to accommodate the tight dress. Carol loosened my corset now and I breathed my first full, deep breath since early this morning. I said goodnight to Carol and finished preparing for bed.

I slept very soundly and woke up to find Miss Scarlett in my arms. It was the first time in a week that that had happened. I put her back into her place of honor on the shelf and went into the bathroom to wash up, before putting on my robe and slippers so that I could go downstairs. I retrieved the Sunday paper from the front step and sat down in the kitchen, with a glass of orange juice, to read the paper.

As had become my custom over the past several months I looked at the entertainment section first. There were reviews of new movies, and a few articles about the upcoming television season, but nothing about 'Oliver On Board'. I finished the section without finding anything of real interest, and I was reading the comics when Mom same in. After kissing me good morning she took out a pan and began to make some scrambled eggs. I got up and helped by making toast and pouring juice while she put on a pot of tea. Carol came in rubbing her eyes just as we sat down to eat. Everybody grabbed a section of the paper and we passed the mealtime in relative silence.

As we cleaned the kitchen Carol said to me, "Do you want to go to the Mall later with Heather, Sheri, and me?"

"You just spent the day there yesterday."

"Yeah. So?"

I smiled, "No thanks. I was spotted yesterday at the market. I don't want to risk spoiling your trip."

"Okay."

Mom said, "Is all of your homework done Carol?"

"Almost."

"No Mall until it's ALL done."

"Oh, Mother. I'll have it done before tomorrow."

"You'll have it done before going to the Mall. Understand?"

"Oh-Kay. I'll have it done before I go."

"Good. Crystal, we have to go pick up your clothes from Barbara. She said that she would have most of them done today, if not all."

"Okay, Mom. I'm done here. I'm going upstairs to bathe."

"Okay, dear."

I relaxed in the warm fragrant water for as long as I could. Then it became a matter of adding more hot water or getting out, so I reluctantly got out and drained the tub. I knew that Carol would be waiting to use it right after me. After drying off and wrapping a towel around my torso, I knocked on Carol's door and went into my bedroom.

I pulled on a pair of panties and dropped the towel as I stepped in front of my mirror so that I could examine my breasts. After a through examination I could not detect any sign of the seam where the breasts met the skin of my chest. I knew that it would be time to remove them and clean the skin underneath within the next couple of weeks. Just handling them caused my breathing to quicken, and I remembered what Barbara had said about sensory deprivation of the skin beneath. I put on my bra and wrapped my corset around my waist. I tightened the laces down as much as I could, then sat down to work on my hair and face. Carol came into my room after she got out of the bath and tightened my corset for me. It had become a regular part of our morning routine.

An hour later Mom and I were ready to leave for the theatre. Carol was working on her homework and was nearly done. Mom had come into my room and tightened my corset again before selecting a tight skirt and blouse, and a pair of 4-inch single strap heels for me to wear. I would almost have rather stayed home where I could be comfortable. Mom still felt that I had to maintain my 'look' every time I left the house.

As we entered, I was immediately struck by all of the activity in what I had expected to be an empty theatre. The stage lights were on and the crew was working on the scenery. Mom and I walked to the makeup room, where we found Marge and Barbara, playing cards, as usual.

"Hi. What's going on in the theatre?" I said.

Barbara said, "They're cleaning everything, touching up the scenery, and doing a little painting. Basically, just getting things ready for the videotaping this week."

"When did it get approved?"

"Mr. Tucker called last night after the television studio made the decision to go ahead with the taping. He contacted the entire crew to get them down here today. They should have the theatre all set before the end of the day, and I think that they plan to start taping on Friday. You weren't notified?"

Mom said, "My daughters had the phone tied up all last night. They'll probably call today and leave a message on the machine. Crystal told them that she was flexible for scheduling right now since she doesn't have any other jobs."

We sat down and enjoyed a cup of tea and some conversation with Marge and Barbara before collecting the clothes that Barbara had altered, and returning home. I was glad to get out of the tight skirt and heels, and into my tee shirt and halter-top shorts. I lounged around the house for the rest of the day spending a little time with my schoolbooks and a little time watching TV. As Mom had predicted there had been a message from the television studio, on the answering machine, asking me to report to the theatre at 6 o'clock on Friday.

During the following week Barrett's Department store called and made arrangements for me to do the commercials. They had cleared everything with my agent, and Mom had confirmed that, and the other deals, when she spoke with Mr. Daniels at the agency. The videotaping at the theatre would be completed first, so that the post-production work (or editing) could be started. Then the commercials would be shot at Barrett's during the following weekend, and then the host sessions would be done after that. I already knew the script for the play forwards and backwards, but I had to learn the scripts for the commercials and the host activities.

On Friday, Mom took me to the theatre right after dinner. I had barely touched my food because I knew that I would never fit into my costumes if I ate very much. It was wonderful to see my friends again. The television studio had contracted with Rick Verkasky, who plays Captain Martin, Neil Broderick, who plays my father, Patricia Silbey, who plays my scatterbrained mother, and of course Mr. Tucker who performed in the role of ‘Charles, the butler’. Most of our original crew was there to move the scenery and handle the lighting and such.

The director called us all together exactly at 6 o'clock and outlined the shooting schedule. Basically we would do the play exactly as we had before but we would skip over various scenes that would be better served by using the original footage. Following the meeting we all hurried off to get into costume and makeup. Barbara and Mom helped me to get dressed. After I had stripped down to panties, bra, and corset, Barbara took a tape measure and checked my waist. Then stepping behind me she started to tighten the laces on the corset until I could barely breathe. It seemed that every time I put on the costume dresses, they got smaller. Of course it had been several weeks since I had worn one. Once Barbara was satisfied, they started layering me with the clothes; corset cover, several petticoats, and then the heavy dress and bustle. I couldn't bend so Mom put the 1890's style, high heel, ankle boots on my feet. When I was dressed I went to Makeup so that Marge could fasten the wig, and apply the stage makeup.

We started shooting at 7 o'clock and continued until after 11. The director from the TV studio couldn't change the play but he did move the cameras around quite a bit, and re-shot most of the scenes from different angles a dozen times. By the end of the night we had only completed the scenes in Act One. We broke for the night and the director called for us to be in makeup and ready to go at 10 AM, which meant that we had to be at the theatre by 8:30. Everything had to be done by Monday so we would stay with it for both Saturday and Sunday, if necessary.

On Saturday we worked all day until 10 PM. A buffet was available in one of the storage rooms offstage for the cast and crew so that we didn't have to break for meals. During the day many of the other cast members, including Debbie stopped in to watch. Even Carol, Heather, and Sheri took time out from their daily trip to the Mall to watch for a couple of hours. By the end of the day we were halfway through Act Three, and the director called for us to resume at noon on Sunday. I was really beat after the schedule so far. This was even far more grueling than doing two performances on Sunday. I couldn't wait to get home and hop into bed.

Sunday was more of the same. The director spent the most time with the kissing scene, near the end of the play, where Captain Martin bends me over backward and kisses me until after the applause stops. The director must have shot that scene from 20 different angles, and Marge had to touch up our makeup after each take. Right from the beginning I noticed a major difference in Rick's kiss. Instead of being the simple touching of lips that had characterized the kissing during the regular performances, his kisses had taken on the passion that I had felt in the hallway following our last performance. With each retake, his passion seemed to grow as he kissed me harder and deeper than the last. The director loved it and urged him on, but I was beginning to wonder if he was acting. At the urging of the director, I responded to Rick's ardor and tried to match his eagerness in the kiss. During the final take, Rick's tongue pushed its way into my mouth and began exploring. One of the things that I was aware of, but that was hidden from the camera's view by Captain's Martin's tunic, was that Rick's passion was not limited to his upper body. I also noticed that he walked a little stiffly during the last few minutes of the play.

Everyone applauded when the director shouted that we were done. As the TV people put away their equipment Mr. Tucker called us together and thanked us for our efforts. He said that he hoped that we would all be available for the next play. He hadn't decided on which one yet but would start auditions in November.

As we walked to the Makeup Room, Rick put his arm around my shoulders. I felt that it was only the presence of the others that kept him from expressing his passion once again. As it was he was never very far away except when I went into the wardrobe room to change out of my costume. When I emerged from the Wardrobe Room Rick was standing in the hallway.

He said, "Crystal, do you have a minute?"

"Sure, Rick," I said as I stopped in front of him.

"I wanted to tell you how much I've enjoyed performing with you. These last few months have been wonderful. I have always looked forward to our time together on the stage."

I smiled at him and said, "Thank you, Rick. I have enjoyed working with you also."

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… just 'working' with me?"

I did see, but I decided that it was better to play dumb. "I don't follow you."

He sighed. "Never mind." He smiled. "I hope that we have a chance to work together again sometime. This play has definitely been the highpoint of my life."

"Mine too. It has opened up a whole new world that I never imagined. I also hope that we have an opportunity to work together again sometime. Goodbye, Rick."

"Goodbye, Crystal."

I debated whether or not to kiss him on the cheek because I was afraid of where that might lead, but I decided that it was the right thing to do. He kissed my cheek as well, and then I turned and walked away. I found Mom standing on the stage talking with Mr. Tucker. We said our good-byes and left for home. It was just after 7 PM and I was starving. We had only eaten breakfast and then left for the theatre, arriving before 11 AM so that I could be in costume by Noon.

Carol had made dinner but it was cold by the time that we arrived home. We heated up the chicken, vegetables, and potatoes in the microwave, and sat down to eat.

Mom said, "Mr. Tucker was singing your praises again. He said that every time he sees you on stage, he marvels at your acting ability. He says that you are a natural born actress and that you should definitely make the theatre your life's work. He said that he knows that Crystal Ramsey will be a household name someday."

I smiled and said, "Sometimes it seems like I'm going to be a big fish in a small pond."

"The other will come, honey. In a few weeks this town will be buzzing with your name. Even if the TV series completely edits out your performance in the premier, you'll still be in demand here and eventually you'll get other jobs when people see your work. We're not very far from Chicago and perhaps you'll get some work from there. Remember that Mr. Daniels' agency is working for you in California. I predict that all at once you'll be inundated with offers."

"I do hope that I get something in California. We still haven't had a chance to do very much sightseeing, and Carol really wants to go."

"We'll get there again. If not this year, then next."

We finished eating and I was excused from cleaning up because I hadn't done my homework yet. Since Friday I had been constantly involved with the play. I worked on my schoolwork until it was time for bed. Carol had gotten to use all of my telephone time tonight because I needed to sturdy. She came into my room to help me loosen the corset before going to bed herself.

She said, "Sean and Pete want to double date next Saturday. What do you think?"

I'm sorry, I can't. I will be shooting the commercials at Barrett's next weekend. We're starting after the store closes on Friday, and if we don't get it done in one night then we'll have to work Saturday night also."

"But there's a chance that you will get done on Friday?"

"Yes, a chance. But I can't make any promises. I would hate to disappoint Sean at the last minute."

"Okay, I'll tell them that it's only a slim possibility that you can make it, and let them decide if they want to take the chance."

"Okay, Sis, Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Crys."

 

(continued in Chapter 28)

I want to express my grateful appreciation to Lynn Jennings for proofreading this story and all of the others in this series, and also to Lynn and J.B. for their editing help and suggestions. 

 

 

 

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© 1999 by Crystal Sprite. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.
Anyone wishing to make comments is welcome to e-mail me at crystal@storysite.org