Miss Southern Belle

by: Paul G Jutras

     "Now stay warm and do you best to win." Mrs. Burbank said to her daughter Betty Jo. "Your MIT scholarship depends on it"

     "But, Mom!" Bill shouted then looked at the girls on the bus. He gave his mom a hug and a kiss on the check, then climbed on the bus
     with the other contestants. As he thought about what song he'd give in the talent part of contest, he heard Daisy, Dolly, Tammy and
     Crystal giggling at Bills plain Jane appearance compared to their cover girl looks. None of them aware that Betty Jo being really Bill.
     "Can't let them get to me. I must focus on winning and getting in MIT."

     Soon they arrived at the hotel where the pageant was being held. Bill signed his female name and went the contestant's floor.
     Because of their being less contestants than expected, each got to have their own private room. Each room had a mannequin
     supplied by James of MANNEQUIN INC in it so that they could have event outfits ready to change into without the fear of wrinkles.
     Since the program required some swim suit pictures by the hotel pool in the afternoon, Bill put her bathing suit on the mannequin. She
     then changed out of his Miss Georgia hoop skirt and prepared to take a shower.

     After taking a shower, Bill laid on his bed with only his bathrobe on. With his ankles crossed, he picked up the remote control and
     watched a little of his favorite soap opera. When a knock came at the door, James' voice was heard. "By the pool in fifteen minutes."

     "Okay." Bill said as he removed his robed and slipped into his pink bathing suit with butterfly pictures on it. As he walked along the
     edge of the pool he saw the photographer setting up. He also notice the group of girls from the bus had a better figure than the
     hormones he'd been taken had given him.

     "If it isn't miss wall flower." Daisy giggled as she and the other girls all got into position to have their group photo taken. "If you came
     any later, you'd miss being in the shot all together. Find a seat if you're not afraid of breaking the lens."

     "Were do I sit?" Bill asked as Dolly grabbed hold of his ankle. Trying to move, Bill toppled at an angle right into the pool. Dolly and all
     of the girls could only laugh as Bill rose to the surface soaking wet.

     "Guess your chances of being Miss Southern Belle is all wet." Tammy chimed in Bill swam for the ladder and climbed out of the pool.
     The anger of Bill's face was fuming. He grabbed hold of Dolly and raised his fist to belt her as he said: "I'll show you who's all wet."

     "Girls! Girls!" James said as he came and separated the two. "We will have none of that in this contest. while Mannequin Inc is the
     sponsor. If you girls can't get along, you're out. O - U - T!"

     "Yes sir." Both Dolly and Bill said together. Daisy and the others all nodded in agreement, though Betty had a feeling that her bulling
     problems had just begun if he didn't use his brains to deal with them. His mother would be heart broken if he didn't get that M.I.T
     scholarship.

     "You." James turn to Betty Jo. "Get yourself dried off before you get sick. Be back here when we start rehearsal for the talent contest."

     Bill looked at the girls again. They were going to do anything in their power to get her kicked out of the pageant. It was going to be up
     to her to figure out a way to make sure that it doesn't happen. With a sneeze, he was wrapped in a towel by James and headed back
     up to her room.

     He took another hot bath and laid on his bed, starring at the naked featureless mannequin in his room. In his imagination he could see
     Tammy and any of those other girls standing their helplessly with a rod up their ass. With that thought a wicked smile formed on her
     face. "I don't see why not." She got up from her bed. "I may not be the prettiest girl in America, but I'm probably one of the brightest.
     Once the formula is made, I just need the proper ways to apply it to those snobs."

     He got dressed as quick as she could in a pair of baggy shorts, a sleeveless shirt and a pair of old sneakers. He skulked down to the
     kitchen with small basket. Quickly filling it up with the items containing the chemicals he needed, he got back upstairs without any of
     the cooks becoming aware of him or the items missing. In the clothes he had on, there wasn't a chance of him being mistaken for a
     beauty contestant.

     After mixing two forms of the formula, he went into each of his enemies room. he mixed the spray formula in with Daisy's hairspray and
     Dolly's water bottle. He then pulled Tammy's pantyhose down the mannequin in her room and used the cream formula on the cotton
     crotch. The cream was also good mixed in with Crystal's tampons.

     After Bill finished changing his clothes, he headed down to the stage area for talent practice. he heard Tammy in her room and
     couldn't help but cause a smirk to appear on her face. He only wished he could of stayed to see Tammy's face when she first changed.

     "Wait till Miss Plain Jane find out what's in store for her next." Tammy said to Daisy on the phone as she pulled the panty hose off the
     mannequin and sat on the bed. She slid her sculptured nails into the nylon legs as pulled it up around her hips. When the cream
     touched her skin, she rubbed her crotch and felt the cream enter her pussy and smooth over her sex. Pulling the hose down, she notice
     the cream made her look like she had a sexless smooth mound like a Barbie doll. "I'll call you back."

     Tammy set the phone down and pulled the hose back up. As she started to walk to the bathroom to wash the cream off, she found her
     feet slip out from under her. As her hand reached for the bathroom door knob, she notice her arms vanishing . "What's happening?"
     her mind thought as she found her vocal cords were gone too. "I can't move a muscle. My face feels strange."

     Tammy tried to stand up, but the sudden movement cause her to orgasm. Bath in a glow of pleasure, she dropped back down on the
     bed. The heat in her pussy was intense. She tried to satisfy her appetite by fingering her pussy through the hose, but couldn't help
     screaming in pleasure. The hose tightened and she orgasm again.

     She inched her way along the bed while fingering her sex and her hips rocking. She let out a moan that could be heard through the wall
     separating her room with Billy's As Tammy sat up, she could no longer see her feet in the sheathe. What more, the nylon-ing effect
     spread up the rest of her body. Unable to get off the bed, she turned to see Bill standing beside her. "Wh - What are you doing here?
     What's happening to me?"

     "Guess you won't be apart of whatever your friends has plan for me next." Bill smiled wickedly as she ran her hand along the plastic
     sheen form. "Don't worry about catching cold. You'll have a panty hose form keeping you warm real shortly."

     "It is just a shame you're dropping out of the contest so suddenly." Betty said as she walked over to a desk and pulled out a pen and
     paper. She wrote a quick note about checking out of the Miss Southern Belle contest and hid the pantyhose and Tammy's things in her
     own room. "I'm just glad that I wasn't assigned a roommate. That would of made this a lot harder."

     Daisy, Dolly and Crystal had waited until each of them had finished their talent practice before meeting by the pool. "Where's
     Tammy?" Crystal asked as she took a puff on a cigarette. "She was suppose to meet us here after she performed."

     "Come to think of it," Daisy added, stretching her arms over her head. "I don't remember seeing her at the talent rehearsal at all. She
     wouldn't of ditched us, would she?"

     "I think we'd better find out." Dolly answered as she got to her feet and lead the three to Tammy's room. They found the note and
     Tammy's stuff gone. The girls stood in Tammy's room for a moment thinking things over, then went over to knock on Betty's door.

     "Yes?" Betty asked as she opened her door to three angry faces. With one towel wrapped around her hair and a robe on, she tried to
     appear as innocent as possible. She knew she mustn't let on that she knows something the others didn't.

     "Have you seen Tammy, country girl?" Dolly asked with a frosty glare.

     "I haven't seen her since the photo shoot this morning." Betty smiled. "I did hear her either talking on the phone or to someone in her
     room, when I headed down to the talent area. Did something happen to her?"

     "She dropped out of the contest." Daisy said in a nasty tone. "Something you should think about doing real soon."

     "Why would I want to do that?" Betty asked in a tone mixture of sweetness and contempt. "With Tammy gone, I'm that much closer to
     winning that scholarship. Now why don't you run along while I get ready for the next practice event."

     Betty kept the door cracked and listened to the girls talk as they walked off. "I thought we were in this together." Crystal said to the
     other two. "The four of us again little miss goodie two-shoes. Why would she bail on us? She didn't seem to care on the bus or at the
     pool about our teasing her, so I can't see how feeling guilty enough to leave."

     "Forget it, girlfriend." Dolly said wrist loosely while pointing her long painted finger nails. "We've got our own performances to deal with
     if we're going to beat that kid out."

     As Crystal went into her room, she removed the tampon she currently had in her, took a soothing bath and went over to the bed with a
     towel wrapped around her body and wet hair. She ran some skin cream on her legs and then pulled out a new tampon from the box.
     After it was in, she pulled the pantyhose off the mannequin and pulled them on. She could feel a cream inside the walls of her sex, but
     figured it was caused her hands were still sticky from the skin cream she was using.

     Crystal found her eye sight had become clouded, but after several seconds of gazing she notice that her outstretched arm was
     shrinking in on itself. Her frozen arm became stubs and then disappeared into her body altogether. She also notice the room seemed
     taller, like her body was shrinking in height. As she shrunk her body became even stiffer.

     When Bill finished at talent rehearsal, he headed back to the contestant floor. He notice Crystal door was slightly ajar and stepped
     inside to find Crystal a shinny pair of mannequin legs. The "blank" mannequin seemed to of disappeared completely. With a smile, Bill
     walked up to the new Crystal.

     "Something similar to what happened to poor Tammy." Bill said with a smiled. "Don't worry, she isn't dead. You won't die either, but
     you'll be keeping each other company soon enough."

     Crystal's vision blurred like she was looking through a nylon stocking mask. Her nylon fingers ran over her erect breasts, and past her
     head. She found her hair fell out onto her pillow. The features on her face also vanished. She had another orgasm as her breasts and
     body vanished, leaving only a pair of pantyhose behind.

     "I see you finished up well." Bill smiled as he stepped out of her shoes and picked Tammy. Her nylon legs dangled in the air. Sitting on
     the bed and hiking up her mini skirt, Bill pulled Tammy on her. "It would look strange if I carried a pair of nylons from your room to
     mine."

     As Bill got up and smoothed out his skirt, the heat of his pussy made Tammy want to orgasm. All she could do was pray that Betty's
     sculptured nails didn't cause a run as Betty forced her legs to swish together as her hatred enemy walked about. "Hope you don't mind
     dropping out of the contest." Betty said as she wrote as similar note as she had with Tammy. "I'm very good at coping other people's
     handwriting."

     Crystal felt like part of her were being crushed, as Betty stepped back into her shoes. As Betty's feet began to sweat, the heat made
     Crystal feel even hornier. Making sure that Daisy and Dolly wasn't in the hall, she slipped out of Crystal's room and made her way back
     to her own.

     Once she had her door safely locked, She slipped Crystal off her and laid her on the bed. Taking the pantyhose form that was once
     Tammy, she put the pantyhose on its shiny legs so that Tammy's torso extended a few inches from Crystal's waistband. "There now,"
     Betty smiled. "You two just get reacquainted and be glad that I didn't leave any cum on you, Crystal. Otherwise I'd have to have the
     maid service clean you."

     "We'll save that for whatever department store you and Tammy wind up in." Betty said as she ran her hand along the smooth, nylon
     covered crotch. "Don't worry about runs. Your nylon body will never wear and tear. You will need to either be hand washed or put in a
     washing machine when you become too dusty though."

     "Tammy, is that really you?" Crystal's mind reached Tammy's mind.

     "So that Georgia brat got you too." Tammy replied. "I only wish we could warn the others, but we can't do anything but wait and see
     what she has in store for us."

     That evening, Betty Jo took the backstairs down to the hotel furnace where she burned up all of Tammy and Crystals things. "So much
     for any evidence of my connection to their disappearances." Betty smiled at her own genius. She then returned to her room and went
     to sleep.

     "One hour, Betty." James said as he knocked on her door. As Betty sat up sleepily, she heard James knock on Crystal's door and
     then moved on. Betty just flopped on her back and stared up at the ceiling with a smile. She knew that James wouldn't be seeing
     Crystal at the contest anytime soon.

     As Bill practiced her song some more, she notice the crossed on looks that Daisy and Dolly was given her from back stage. They
     didn't know what happened to Tammy and Crystal, but they were sure than Betty was somehow connected.

     "Where are they?" Daisy asked using the fan attachment to her water spray bottle to cool off. "We know that you were the last to be
     anywhere near Tammy and Crystal's room is right beside yours."

     "Don't know what you're talking about." Betty smiled as she headed back up stairs. Dolly had to stay on stage since her time was
     coming up. Daisy followed Betty upstairs. Ever so often Daisy would give herself a squirt of water in the face from the bottle's pump.

     "Why couldn't you take the elevator like everyone else?" Daisy asked, only following her because she didn't trust Betty. Feeling a
     hardness in her legs, she had to concentrate on each step by the time they had reach each floor. She heard Betty giggling to herself
     over Daisy's walking trouble.

     "What—Is—wrong—with—me?" Betty asked. Her words came out slowly as she had to concentrate on each word she wanted to say.
     She had just made it to the hallway on their floor when her sluggishness came to a dead stop. Betty watched as Daisy toppled right
     into her arms.

     "You'll make a fine full body mannequin." Betty smiled as she dragged Daisy into her room. She had already moved the mannequin
     that Mannequin Inc had provided her to the storage room where James kept the extras. Betty then lifted Daisy up and slid the display
     rod up her butt.

     Daisy stood stiff as a board on a glass display stand when she took a razor and shaved Daisy's head. She put the hair in the trash
     and then stripped Daisy of her clothes. Knowing that she be in the bathing suit parade rehearsal next, she put her bathing suit on
     Daisy. "Now don't go stretching it out of shape." Betty joked.

     Feeling filthy after all she had been doing, Betty took another bath. As Daisy stood planted on her pole, she gave a frozen gaze across
     the room. Inside her plastic body, the tightness of her body caused such arousal that she orgasm again and again.

     A short time later, a knock came at Betty's door. "Okay you wolf in sheep clothing, where's Daisy!" Dolly shouted. When Betty opened
     the door, the first thing she did was spray Dolly in the face with a bottle of hairspray. "Didn't think I could count on you to use the
     tampered bottle." Bill smiled as Dolly's eyes glazed open as the final member of the foursome found she could neither move her eyes
     or blink.

     Grabbing hold of Dolly by the dress, Bill pulled her into the room. Shock formed on Dolly's face when she nearly knocked the petrified
     Daisy over. "Now you can join the rest of your friends on eternal youth and beauty."

     "What.. did ... you...do. to... her?" Dolly's voice started to sound like a tape recorder played on slow or running low on power. She
     turned with a crazed look on her face and her arms outstretched to strangle Betty. Dolly's moves were so sluggish, it was easy for
     Betty to avoid.

     As her legs suddenly didn't want to move from her spot she reached down and felt the hardness of her tummy and legs. She began to
     feel hallow inside as the feeling reached her breasts. As it did, her breasts went erect like she was in a cold room. "I... can't... move."

     "Of course you can't." Betty said with a smile. "You don't think I'd be smart enough to get into a place like MIT without being able to
     handle a couple of snobs like you and your friends? I can't believe that you actually thought you could be a match for my intellect."

     "What... are ... you... going ... to ... do.. with.. us?" Dolly manager to speak before she realized that she could no longer talk. Her mouth
     froze up in an open position. Betty just smiled, walked over to Dolly and closed it for her.

     "I won't be doing anything to you." Betty chuckled. "James will think you're simply one of his mannequins from the Mannequin Inc
     warehouse. I'll look for you in the store window after this beauty contest is over."

     Dolly wondered what it would be like to be on a floor display as Bill walked out of his fixed field of vision. She could feel her clothes
     being removed and couldn't do anything to stop her. She could see in the mirror that her skin was as shinny as Daisy behind her.
     When she was completely nude, she noticed that she was sexless.

     Returning to her field of vision, Dolly watched as Betty picked up the phone. "Yes, room service." Betty giggled. "James put an extra
     mannequin in my room by mistake. Can you see that it's returned to storage or giving to one of the other contestants? Yes, I'll be here
     waiting for the bell hop. Thank you very much."

     Sitting on the edge of her bed, Bill painted her toes while waiting for the bell hop to show up. When a knock came, she pointed her
     toes up and hobbled to the door. With her finger nails also wet, she used her elbows to open the door and let the bell hop in. "It's right
     over there." Bill pointed to Dolly. "Please get it out of here."

     "Yes, ma'am." The bell hop said as he picked Dolly up and carried to the service elevator. Dolly was surprise at how light she was and
     how much sensual pleasure the mere touch of a person caused her as she was brought to the store room.

     "We seem to have lost several of our contestants." James said as the night of the contest finally came. With her four biggest rivals out
     of the picture, Betty Jo easily won the Miss Southern Belle contest with both her beauty and her talent. She soon got both her crown
     and the scholarship to MIT she wanted so much.

     At the end of the contest, Bill returned exhausted to his room. He striped down to his bra and pantyhose as he laid on her bed with his
     ankles crossed and turned on the TV. A replay of the contest was on, and she got to see just how lovely she looked when won the
     contest.

     As a knock came at the door, Bill through on the robe the hotel provided and found James was standing in the hall with a large case.
     "Hello, Miss Southern Belle." James said with a smile on his face. "As sponsor I thought a toast was called for. Some photographers
     will be up shortly if you wish to go into the bathroom and dress."

     "Thanks," Bill said as she clinked the glasses together and James watched Bill gulped down the wine. James was prepared to refill
     her glass when Bill noticed that the room was starting to spin. James watched as Bill crumpled to the floor.

     "I just love the way that drug works," he said as he dragged the unconscious she-male to a chair. It was his favorite line during his
     mannequin making process. "I don't need Crissy or Sandy to finish processing you my lovely."

     James began by carefully shaving Bill's head until she was completely bald. He then opened his case and pulled out a series of tubes;
     which he proceeded to run deep into her throat, and butt. Castration was needed. If he was awake, he'd probably of choked on the
     heavy toothpaste liquid that filled his body cavities. Slowly, a tightness filled her abdomen. "You will be quite lovely instead my young
     friend. Guess you should of read the contract about the winner getting a job with my firm."

     As the liquid continued to pump away, James notice Bill's diary on the table. "What's this?" He said, picking it up and flipping to the
     last few entries. "Oh my, Betty. This formula of yours is better than the one I'm using on you now. We really must talk when I need to
     bring your human portion foremost."

     When the pumping stopped, the tubes were removed and Bill had awoke to see a dildo put inside her before her sex was sealed. He
     wanted to orgasm but couldn't. With a display rod driven up her butt, she saw James in some kind of robe and chanting. Bill saw out of
     the corner of his eye that except for a loose pair of high heels, she was completely naked. The air around her sparkled into a golden
     blur as she blackout once again. When she came to this time, she felt oddly stiff. When James held up a mirror before her, he saw his
     skin had a glossy finish.

     James stepped up and ran his hand down her frozen check to her shoulder blade. With a snapping sound, he watched as his arm was
     detached from his body. "I think you deserve an explanation." James said with a smile. "Right now you are solid and inert because the
     mannequin you are time sharing with is currently in charge. Nobody will know that your a living, breathing girl. At times I can bring your
     human half foremost for a job or two at Mannequin Inc like I've done with others working for me as mannequins. I'll have to remember
     when that times comes to ask you about your own transformation formulas."

     Where faint lines ran across his hips, waist, shoulders and wrists, he was taken apart. Bill's segments were packed in a shipping
     crate with some other mannequins. Foam padding was put around her so that she would not be damaged in the shipment, but that
     didn't stop one girls arm from brushing her sexless crotch and bringing her to arousal. As James sealed the crate, he was lost in
     darkness.

     As suddenly as the darkness came, there was light. Some store's visual merchandiser lifted her out of the box and placed her parts on
     a double decker cart to be wheeled out. Facing upward, she watched at the ceiling lights past above while she was transported naked
     through the store to a window display.

     As Bill rolled through the store, he passed Tammy and Crystal up on a shelf in the lingerie department. When she was reassembled in
     the window, she noticed from her angle that Daisy and Dolly were displayed with her. While Daisy and Dolly seemed right at home in
     their skimpy, sexy sleep wear, it wasn't anything that Bill would normally wear at home. As he was dressed, he was helpless to resist.

     "Guess what turns around comes around." Bill heard Daisy's thoughts as their frozen faces just stared at pedestrians passing by along
     the sidewalk. He didn't mind the women who would stop and stare as if to decide to buy the outfit she was wearing or not. It did bother
     her when a man would stop for a second just to goggle her beauty.

     As the weeks and months went on, the girls got use to their new
     mannequin state. Especially the person attention when the woman, she
     heard being called Susie would dress them and retouch their make up.
     Even if anyone outside and in the store could watch. Ever so often,
     Susie would change their angle of view and the position they were
     posed in. "James really out did herself this time. Nobody how I fix you,
     you look simply beautiful."

     While Bill remained standing during the next couple of months, she
     noticed that Daisy and Dolly sometimes was reposition for sitting down.
     One such setting as a backyard barbecue display. Betty remain on her
     rod, slightly bent over a grill while Dolly sat down in a folding chair and
     Daisy laid in sunglasses and ankles crossed in a lounge chair. "This is
     the life." Daisy's thoughts said as the corner of her eye caught how
     miserable Bill seemed to be.

     "Oh, shut up." Bill thought back. "I should be in MIT right now, now
     modeling spring dresses in some store window. I just wonder what
     James told my family."

     One day Susie undressed Bill and moved him out of the window. On a
     pole with a wheeled trolley she was taken to a storeroom. On her
     display rod, Susie left her vision of sight. Shortly hearing the sound of a
     door opening and closing James appeared before her. "Well, Betty."
     James smiled, bringing her human self fourth and allowed Bill to
     complete his orgasm. "I said we'd have a talk someday. I've studied
     your formula and love the side effect that should allow you and the
     others speak to one another with your minds."

     "I must admit that it kind of took me by surprise, myself." Bill released a
     moan. He stretched but found that his body preferred to move stiffly along the invisible lines of his former fiberglass self. As he noticed
     in a nearby mirror that even as a human his breasts didn't sag, he couldn't help but smile. "I have to admit that the idea of being young
     and beautiful forever appeals to me."

     "I have noted that from your body language." James smiled as he knew how all the mannequins who worked for him found that and the
     clothes being the best part. "Though I never entered through the front door myself, I have notice you in the window and thought of how
     arouse you probably were to show off to those on the sidewalk."

     "That sizable dildo you placed inside of me helped in that department." Bill turned her head to see Susie return with a box of clothes.
     Bill just watched helpless as he had a pair of suntan thigh high nylons drawn up her legs and held there with a garter belt. A pair of
     panties were pulled up over the garter belt and then came a dress with a built in push up bra and slits all the way up to his waist. he got
     a pair of heels the same color of the dress. "This is lovely."

     "Before I make you inert again, I'd like you to sign this contact to allow me to use your formula." James said as he believed into doing
     everything above board. Taking the pen between her long polished fingers, she gladly signed.

     "Before I become a mannequin again, could you tell me what happened to my mother?" Bill asked as he found his arms and legs
     automatically taken a mannequin pose when he didn't think about it. "She must be worried when I didn't go to MIT."

     "Not to worry." James said with a smile. "I too am good faking other people's handwriting. I see to it your mother gets letters from you
     now and then saying how well your doing in your new mannequin modeling job. In fact, I think she's seen you while shopping here."

     "So she thinks I'm working as a living mannequin, instead of a real mannequin?" Betty said puzzled. "That at least makes me feel a
     little better."

     "Least I can do since you have a family." James said with a wicked smile on his face as he cast the spell to bring the mannequin fourth
     again. "You'll get the last laugh on your two full mannequin friends since they have no close contacts."

     Bill wondered what James meant as Susie wheeled her out to the middle of formal wear. he knew the next time her clothes where
     changed it would be as she stood as a floor mannequin. Before Susie moved her head into the position she wanted, she waited so
     that Bill's fixed eyes could see James workers Crissy and Sandy pushing Dolly and Daisy to the back room. "Wondering what will
     happen to them?" Susie whispered into Bill's plastic ear. "James has two buyers line up for them. One will end up in some mannequin
     collector's basement. The other is being sold to a nearby tailor shop."

     "Don't you worry." Susie said as she sensed Bills thoughts. "James never sells those with family connections. He gives them a chance
     to cancel their contract and become human in time if that's what you really want."

     As Susie finished positioning Bill in his new pose, Bill couldn't think of ever wanting to be human and growing old. Not when she could
     wear the most fabulous clothes each year, feel constant arousal from the dildo inside her, and have movement once in awhile when
     James had a job for her like with Crissy, Susie and Sandy.

     EPILOGUE:

     While Bill went on to exist happily ever after, Tammy, Crystal, Dolly and Daisy got just what they deserve. Crystal, whose legs were her
     best feature, sold many colors of pantyhose. When James learned the truth about Tammy, he took her home for his own wife. James
     knew she was hell on a pair of hose and could use one that would never run. Dolly wound up in the basement of a collector. She was
     kept dust free, but only saw her new owner and fellow mannequins. Since they were never alive, she couldn't speak to them. As for
     Daisy, she made a great tailor dummy with the option to be sold back to James if he ever didn't need her anymore.

     THE END

     © 2000
     The above work is copyrighted material. Anyone wishing to copy, archive, or re-post this story must contact the author for permission.