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The limo delivered Mrs. Blane and her daughter
Erin to the airstrip were one of those two engine private jets waited.
The chauffeur opened the door on her side just as an uniformed flight attendant
came down the jet access stair. She reached out and took her hand to lead
her back up into the plane as the car drove off with her mother waiving.
“You do look just like Agnes.” The flight attendant informed
the timid girl.
“Really?” Inquired Erin perking up, just like the attendant
wanted her too.
“Yes, I was on the flight that was aboard when she flew to the
studio.” The adult continued.
“And a demanding to be catered to hand and foot, pain in the ass
every minute of the flight.” She said to herself.
The attendant led her to a seat and carefully buckled her in.
“We will be taking off in a few minutes and I can fetch you a
soft drink as soon as we level off, if you like.” She informed
her only passenger.
“That would be nice.” Erin politely replied as she looked
out an airplane window for the first time in her life.
Soon the attendant brought her a plastic glass of ginger ale, and Erin
thanked her. Later she returned with a chicken dinner and again was politely
thanked.
“We have a perfectly polite little angel on board this time. “ The
attendant informed the flight crew up front.
“Yes we heard, or actually did not hear this one yelling and demanding.” The
pilot replied. “And figured out you had either gagged her or she
was a look alike of the last one.”
An hour later Erin had said goodbye to the stewardess as another limo
whisked her off.
A few minutes later it drove up to an imposing set of iron gates and
was immediately waived in by an uniformed guard. Inside warehouse,
sized buildings dwarfed the people moving beneath them. Some in light
blue
work attire, some in everyday wear, some in costumes. Erin’s
head almost twisted off as she tried to catch the latest colorful character
walking past her slow moving car.
The limo drove up to one of the warehouse-sized buildings next to a
regular sized entrance, the driver opened the limo door, and Erin stepped
out into the blinding sunshine and stifling heat. He then opened the
door leading inside and Erin walked into its dark cool interior and her
future.
But she was alone in a very large dark place. Dim lights high above
shed just enough light to discern large box like objects all around and
dark shadows on all sides.
“Hello, anyone here?” Erin inquired as she timidly walked
further inside.
She heard voices coming from further in and she saw a brighter lit area
further in towards the center of the cavernous structure. Erin peeked
around a thin wall to see a row of rooms, all open on one side. There
were a few more lights here so she decided to get closer.
The first looked like a modern hotel room, but the door leading in was
hanging by only one hinge and the furniture was pushed up against the
walls. The sliding door out to the balcony only showed a blue green screen
set a few feet away.
The next room was the hotel rooms bedroom. The single bed was all must
up and the closet door again hung by a single hinge.
There was a space of a few feet to the next room and Erin saw all the
wood framing and supports that kept the walls up in the space between.
The next room was actually a dingy looking gray painted corridor with
a row of rusty barred cells with cots and small barred windows set high
in the walls.
At the end was a metal door, and as Erin walked up to this last room
she gasped, her hands coming up to her mouth.
This dark gray painted room was about twenty feet square and contained
a single object set in the bare concrete floor. High wooden posts with
a ring near the top and a pair of leather cuffs hanging from it by short
rusty chains. A row of nails had been hammered into the wall across from
the single entrance door. Hanging from them were what Erin guessed were
a collection of whips. A few were different lengths. Some had single
and some had multiple strands hanging down from their handles.
“Welcome to the set of your first movie, Erin>” An
adults voice v came from behind. Erin twirled around to find a middle
aged fatherly
type man in a white short sleeved shirt and baggy light gray pants holding
out his hand in welcome. Two other casually dressed men and an equally
casually dressed woman were with him.
“My name is Debaucher and I am the director of the movie.” He
said as she shook her hand.
“This is Tabatha the set designer.” He said introducing
the woman.
“This is Eddy the lighting director. “ He added, introducing
the curly reddish haired man.
“And this is Max the one who wrote the script for my latest blockbuster.” As
he introduced a young man with a harried look and a very eager to please
smile.
“What do you think of my set” Tabatha inquired.
“It tells me a story. ”Erin replied.
“Really, all by itself without anyone in it.” Max added.
“Do inform us what it tells you.” The director asked.
“It is obvious someone broke into the hotel room and whoever was
inside resisted in the front room while someone had time to hide in the
bedroom.” Erin began as the adults stood respectfully around listening.
“Then the searchers went into the bedroom were they eventually
discovered someone hiding in the closet.” She continued.
“And then what?” The director asked.
“The inhabitants of the room were taken to prison.” She
continued.
“After that?” The writer took a turn asking this little
girl what the rooms said to her.
“The heroine, me, gets whipped.” She added in a very soft
voice.
-- added by Christopher Toilkien, October 16 2003
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