Categories > Cartoons > Daria > Silent Cynic
Endings & Beginnings
0 reviewsTroy & Daria further their relationship; a number of Lanes appear; Daria, Jane, & Quinn start their NY summer
0Unrated
The Silent Cynic
By Dr. T
Chapter 18 – Endings and Beginnings
After the Fair, many students’ attention turned to the Prom. Daria also faced a decision beyond that, since she would be going to the Prom with Troy. (Jane and Tom would be attending both the Lawndale and Fielding Proms, which would be on successive Saturdays in early May). Troy would be at a major tournament in June, and then Daria would be gone for nearly all of July and the first week in August. Troy would be leaving for Georgetown in late August. Therefore, as April turned to May, the pair would really only have a little over nine weeks to be together.
The weekend after the Fielding Prom, when all the other Lanes were out of town, Daria and Troy and Jane and Tom spent the Saturday afternoon upstairs at Jane’s for the first time as couples. It was the first time for Jane and Tom, and so Tom had treated the two couples to a great lunch at an upscale bistro in a neighboring town. Then the two nervous couples made their upstairs, Tom and Jane going to her room, Troy and Daria to Penny’s.
As he closed the door, Troy said softly, “We don’t have to do this, especially not today, if you’re not ready.”
Daria, who had already discarded her jacket, paused as she undid her boots. ‘I know; you are not, and have never, pressed me on this. I want to, at least once before you leave. After today, there are going to be other time pressures.’ She smiled bravely. ‘I know, the first time can be…painful…messy….’
“I know, even if this is the first time for me, too.”
‘But I want to. Hopefully there will more times, not just before you leave but after.’
“I hope so, too.” Troy slipped off his loafers and went over to the bed, kneeling on the floor. He started to undo Daria’s boots for her.
Troy looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder; Daria leaned forward to kiss him. When they broke the soft kiss, and while Troy continued to undo Daria’s boots, she started to unbutton her blouse.
Some three hours later, after the boys had left, Jane sat Daria down on her bed. “Are you okay?” She was concerned.
Daria just nodded and then sat looking off into space for a few moments. Finally, she began signing. ‘It was not nearly as painful as I feared.’ She smiled slightly. ‘After that, it was…probably about as pleasurable as a first time could be, since it also was not quite as quick as I expected, since this was Troy’s first time as well.’
“No other details?”
‘The first half hour or so of foreplay certainly helped, as did the long cuddling and then mild after-play as well.’ Daria finally looked Jane in the eyes. ‘How was Tom?’
“Good,” Jane simply said. She bit her lip for a moment, then added, “It…when Paul and I did it that first time, it was both our first times. It was quick, painful, and, well, unsatisfying. We got better, but this was…I was Tom’s third. He admitted he had been with two of what he calls the ‘Muffy-set’ a few times. So let’s just say Tom knew what he was doing, and he, and I, both had a good time.” She sighed. “I have to admit, as…pleasurable as it is, I sometimes prefer the other things he and I do…just like I prefer what we sometimes do now.”
Daria gave a silent, short chuckle. ‘Down girl; I do not think I can handle any more today; too sore.’
Jane slipped off her shorts and started to undo her top. “How about a nice cuddle and nap, then I can order a pizza.”
Daria nodded as she stood to undo her skirt. ‘Make it a carnivore; we need the protein.’
*
The rest of May proceeded as expected, and then early June would bring Troy’s graduation. Amanda had returned for a few weeks, and so there was no chance for another weekend in Penny’s room, although Daria and Troy had managed to get together twice, with one time being a repeat of that first time (this time at Troy’s). Daria (and Troy) had enjoyed that time much better than the first.
Just before Troy’s graduation, his collection of games was published. As promised, Daria’s name as editor was on the title page, as well as in the foreword and credits. While the pair was unable to find a bedroom to share the night of the many graduation parties, Daria took Troy ‘parking’ and, together in the backseat, she leaned over to give him an extra graduation present which would not figure in his thank you notes.
*
It was the Friday when Troy was leaving for the week-long tournament that something strange started to happen at the Lane residence. Daria had ridden with Troy’s mother to take him to the airport, and she was dropped off at Jane’s. As she approached the door, a cab stopped in front of the Lanes’ and Jane’s father, Vincent, got out. Slightly surprised, Daria went back to help him with his luggage. “Hi, Daria,” he greeted her as she approached. He wasn’t home that often, but he had met Daria a few times, and roughly knew how much time the teens spent together. As he and the cabbie unleaded his two suitcases and various cameras and equipment, he glanced back at her and inquired, “Are you doing okay?”
Daria nodded and gestured to the pile. He handed her his carryon and one of the camera bags, while he gathered the rest. Daria went on ahead and rang the doorbell.
“Hey, Daria,” Trent greeted her as she opened the door. Then his eyes went wide. “Dad? I thought you were in Alaska.”
“I was,” Vincent agreed as he approached. “I finished a few days early, and I don’t have to leave for Cameroon for almost two weeks.”
“Cool,” Trent said as he relieved Daria of the carryon and let the two enter.
“I was offered a short-term shoot in Maine, but I wanted to make sure to see Jane before she made her trip to New York,” Vincent added, which made both Daria and Trent smile.
From the top of the stairs, the trio heard Jane proclaim, “Dad?”
Vincent dropped his luggage (the equipment much more carefully than the suitcases) and went to meet his daughter as she rushed down the stairs to give him a brief hug. As he returned it, he simply repeated, “I wanted to see you before you head off for the summer. Excited about the trip?”
“It’ll be fun,” Jane acknowledged, as she broke the hug.
Since it was unusual for Amanda and Vincent to be home at the same time for any extended period of time (even a full week, never mind nearly two), Daria didn’t stay long. Jane mentioned that she would likely see Daria late Sunday morning. They were just starting to plan for the trip, but she wanted to spend some time with her father.
When Jane did show up just before noon that Sunday, she looked rather frazzled. When questioned, once she was in Daria’s room she said, “Guess who showed up late last night?”
Daria pondered that for a moment, then said, ‘Either one or more of Summer’s kids, or Wind.”
Jane frowned, “It was Wind. Apparently his latest broke it off yesterday.” She sighed. “At least it ended before they got married this time. I don’t think the idiot can afford a third alimony payment.”
‘What does he do, anyway?’
Jane shook her head, with a crooked smile. “Believe it or not, he’s a videographer. June is of course his busy season, all the weddings you know.”
‘A wedding videographer? Is that why he is so often tempted?’
“Probably. He’s taking hard, as usual.”
‘So he ran home to Mommy and Daddy?’
“Yep. Heartbroken, so he headed back here,” Jane acknowledged. “He just sits and cries.” She shook her head. “That man cries more easily than anyone else I’ve ever met. He makes O’Neill look macho.”
Daria placed a sympathetic hand on her friend’s shoulder, but then got them working on lists of what they might need to pack. They had learned they would be sharing a dorm room in New York, and the two and Quinn would be travelling together by train. They figured the two of them could pack everything they would need into two large suitcases and a carryon, and then help Quinn deal with what no doubt would be an abundance of miscellaneous luggage if she had her way.
When Jane showed up Monday just after noon, she looked more angry than frazzled. ‘What is wrong?’ Daria asked as they went into the kitchen to make lunch. ‘Is Wind crying too loudly and disturbing Trent’s sleep as well as yours?’
“I’ve decided to blame you,” Jane stated. “You put a curse on me yesterday.”
‘What did I do?’ Daria asked, puzzled.
“Summer showed up last night, with two of her kids – they caught them in DC and she picked them up yesterday afternoon, and instead of dragging their delinquent little asses home she dragged them here.” Jane slumped into a chair at the dinette set. “No sign of leaving soon, either. They’re driving Wind and Trent crazy, but I guess Summer thinks that’s diverting them from running off again. Mom and Dad certainly aren’t going to discipline them, and she apparently doesn’t believe in structure, never mind anything approaching discipline, at least that I’ve seen so far.” She looked up. “They’ve already broken three of Mom’s latest creations. She has to remake them, since they were part of an actual commission. She’s unhappy, to say the least; she almost looked angry for a second.”
That surprised Daria. ‘Really? Your mom?’
Jane nodded. “If Penny shows up, can I ask your mom to stay here until the place clears out? It’s a big house, but it’s not THAT big. It was hard living as a group when Trent and I were kids, and that was without Summer’s brats after they started walking.”
Helen had agreed that night, and so when Penny did show up Wednesday afternoon (with a parrot, no less), Jane arrived with a suitcase and a frown before dinner. After dinner, a very upset Trent, somewhat covered with parrot droppings, showed up and begged for sanctuary. Helen merely shook her head and sent him home to change. He showed up an hour later, in cleaner clothes along with a duffle bag and a guitar.
Helen also called Amanda and invited her to lunch.
An enforced family dinner that Thursday night at the Lanes saw the clearing out of Penny the next morning, while Summer (with her two children in children’s harnesses, an idea supplied by Daria) leaving that afternoon. Wind also had to leave, as he had to video a wedding rehearsal dinner that night and then the wedding the next day.
He did not return that night. By Tuesday, Amanda had remade all the broken pottery. Trent went home after his Saturday night gig, and Jane left Sunday afternoon. Vincent left the following Thursday, and peace was restored to the Lane household. With more than a little help from Daria, who had already rewritten most of Spiral’s lyrics, Trent composed what became known as ‘the dirty parrot song,’ which became one of the band’s more popular tunes.
Daria, Quinn, and their friends all attended a large 4th of July picnic at Jodie’s. Tom managed to avoid being cornered by the Landons for hints on how to impress his family’s exclusive country club membership committee (his great-grandfather had cofounded the country club, while his father was on the current board), and overall, most of the teens had a good time. Even Daria admitted to enjoying the food and fireworks, and (after some prodding) even some of the company. After that, Daria, Jane, and Quinn made their final plans for packing, which mostly involved getting Quinn to limit herself to two large suitcases and a very large purse. Jake would drive them to the train station that Saturday morning, and Amy would meet the trio in New York itself, where a van would carry them and their luggage to the dorm where they would be staying.
This would be Quinn’s first visit to New York City, and she was more excited than Daria and Jane had been before their first trip combined. Daria and Jane were nearly as excited this time as the last, but both pretended not to be, mostly to tease and irritate Quinn by acting as if it was no big deal.
Their dorm was on a side street, and fortunately had a loading entrance. Amy shepherded the trio to the lobby, where a number of teens and a few adults were congregated around two long tables, obviously this was for their registration. Daria pointed out a person a sign that had ‘Morgendorffers/Lane’ on it, and the quartet moved in that direction.
Seeing the movement, the person put down the sign, and asked (while signing) “Is one of you Daria?”
Daria nodded, adding, ‘I can hear perfectly well. This is my sister Quinn, our aunt Professor Amy Barksdale, and my friend and roommate, Jane Lane.’
“I’m Nikki, your spokesperson and when needed acting substitute while in class, and I be with you when needed and most of the time outside of class as well. Let’s get you three registered and I’ll show you to your rooms.” Along the way, Nikki learned that Quinn and Jane could interpret for Daria as well, and they learned that Nikki was a rising junior in the acting program and an intern for the summer program, the RA for their floor, and she again confirmed that she would be acting in place of Daria when pieces were performed.
On the third floor of the dorm, they learned that Nikki would be in what was the RA ‘suite’ (bedroom and very small shower room) while the other three would be in a corner suite (two small bedrooms and a small study room). Quinn’s roommate had not yet arrived.
After Amy had said her goodbyes, Daria turned to Nikki and asked, ‘May I ask you a personal question?’
“Sure.”
‘Does the fact that you are acting as the RA for a girls floor mean you identify as female?’
Nikki blinked several times in surprise, but then saw the other two girls were confused. “Well, I convinced two out three of you at least. Yes, I was born ‘Nicholas’ but now identify as Nicole. I’ll complete the transition after I turn twenty-one.” She gave Daria a suspicious look. “Is that a problem?”
Daria shook her head. Seeing that Quinn and even Jane were still somewhat confused, she said, ‘I will explain it to them. Is this something we should not mention?’
Nikki shrugged. “Probably not, but I’m sure the others will suss it out at some point.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ll be back around five to show everyone how to get over to the cafeteria. I need to go back downstairs to help out.”
When she had left, Jane said, “I never would have guessed.”
“Guess what? I don’t understand,” Quinn complained.
Daria and Jane explained it to Quinn, twice. “I guess I’ll take your words for it,” Quinn finally said. “I don’t think I would have ever thought about it.” Nikki was about 5 foot 6 and while dressed in just jeans and a short-sleeved top, they were both tight enough to reveal a very slender but feminine form, while her black hair was about as long and thick as Daria’s. Quinn shrugged. “Either way, she’s cute.” The other two agreed.
‘If you have questions, come over before we go to bed,’ Daria told her.
Hearing people coming off the elevator, and knowing the suite door was still ajar, Quinn signed, ‘I will.’ She smirked. ‘And I know better to disturb you two when you are in bed.’ She quickly escaped to her bedroom to start unpacking before either could retaliate.
Going into their bedroom, they saw it was fairly small – two cots, two tall narrow dressers, and two small closets. Fortunately, the small room between the suite’s bedrooms had room for four desks, each with a small set of bookshelves built into the top. “Cozy, I guess,” Jane commented. “Both of those cots are too small to sleep together on, although I guess we can snuggle on one for naps and such.”
Daria rolled her eyes, and then held a hand up when Jane started to comment. Daria had realized the problem ahead of time, and had planned accordingly. ‘Help me move these closer together.’
“Okay, but at least one of us will fall between them every night.” Daria ignored that as she and Jane pushed the cots nearly together. Daria pointed at the package of bed linen, thin pillow, and towels which had been left on each cot. ‘Put the bottom sheet on each, push the beds together, and set everything else aside.’ Daria then opened up a suitcase and rummaged around at the bottom, pulling out a coil of rope and a sheet.
“Oo, are we going to start getting kinky?” Jane teased as she made up the second cot.
Daria yet again rolled her eyes as she opened the coil. When Jane had finished dressing the cots, Daria pushed them fully together, handed Jane one end of the rope, and simply ordered her to not move. Daria ran the rope around the outside of the mattresses and then once around the legs before tying the rope so the mattresses wouldn’t slip apart. She opened the full-size fitted sheet, and Jane moved to help her put it on the mattresses, saying, “You would have been a great scout; always prepared.”
Daria smiled at Jane when they finished, and then went close to hug her. A bit surprised (as Daria rarely initiated hugs, although she loved them even more than Jane or Troy did), Jane leaned into the hug. Jane was then even more surprised when Daria asked, in the almost inaudible whisper that passed for her voice, “If you want, shall we be ‘out’ here in New York?”
Jane didn’t break the hug, but she did move her head so that she could look Daria straight on. “As in an open couple?”
Hesitatingly, Daria nodded twice, looking a bit apprehensive, mostly because she was unsure of Jane’s reaction.
Jane smiled, and kissed Daria very thoroughly. When they broke apart, Jane suggested, “We might want to be careful when being photographed.”
Daria merely nodded, went up on her toes, and leaned forward, as if requesting another kiss.
Jane obliged.
Each floor of the dorm could hold 32 students plus the RA. As it turned out, there were 84 female students spread over three floors and 27 males. In the end, Quinn did not end up with a roommate. Of the 111 students, there were 15 each in the stage design and costuming program areas, and the remaining 81 were divided into four groups, three of 20 and one of 21. The actual sessions went from 9:00-11:00 and 1:30-3:30, and it was well-drilled in to the participants that punctuality was required. Over the five weeks, a few students would be sent home early either because of tardiness or failure to complete assignments. While each floor had a small TV room, most of their down time during the weekdays would be spent on their assignments. Saturdays would see them visiting various shows, hopefully with some backstage visits. If they were caught up on their assignments, Sundays were free.
The first Thursday after the afternoon sessions, the group leaders and their main assistants met to go over the participants, to see who might be a problem, who was or wasn’t serious, and (they all hoped) who, if any, had some real talent – there was always the hope these could be encouraged to carry on. For the most part, all those in the design and costuming portions were more-or-less serious, and all had some talent. The design instructors were especially impressed by Jane’s raw talent, even if they all acknowledged she didn’t have a real background.
The writing groups were always more problematical. There were a number of theaters that co-sponsored this institute, and those theaters had angels, and some of those angels had children or other relatives who thought they could write. Writers, producers, managers, directors, and some of the more influential actors had similar relations. About a third of the 81 teens fell into that range to some degree. While Monday, Tuesday, and the Wednesday morning sessions had been mostly devoted to some basic acting exercises, the students had also been given their first assignment – write a 3-5 minute scene for three actors; all dialog to be original, but they could use known concepts. They would also have to direct and (except for Daria, who had the option) act in it. No one was to act in more than three scenes. These were done (and recorded) that Thursday. That way each author could see how their concepts actually looked and (more importantly at this stage) how they sounded.
Writing for three characters was not an easy first assignment: it was easy for at least one of the characters to be underdeveloped in some way. Also, even those teens who were more experienced writers really had not written much (if anything) for a live performance – many had a few publications, but even those were primarily the odd poem or short story. Of course, even then most of these ‘publications’ were student-level publications. Dialog which looked good on the page did not always sound that good when spoken aloud or vice-versa. And, of course, these had to rely on the dialog and the presentation: there really were few if any opportunities for props or costumes or anything but basic staging.
There wasn’t time to view all 81 scenes that Thursday, so after the two practical groups had been discussed, only the first of the four writing groups was gone over. Three scenes were shown just as examples of how bad those students’ writing currently was, but at least one of the three at least realized it; the other two needed to accept they needed to do much better or they would not learn much that summer. Another scene was shown to highlight that one student was either deliberately sabotaging the scene with poor acting or was just that terrible. Two others were shown to highlight good acting, considering the material
After dinner, the other three writing groups went, with the first two having similar results as to the first. Finally, at the end, that instructor said simply, “Watch, and tell me what you think.”
Unlike most of the other scenes, the opening shot here was of an actual title card, which simply said ‘Galatea.’
The camera swung around and two figures came into focus. One was a figure standing on a small model’s dais, raising the figure about nine inches off the ground. The figure was perfectly still, a teen with long auburn hair and only wearing a long white tight slip and a white silk scarf. Her face was totally expressionless, her eyes shut.
The other figure was moving around the still form, almost frantically. She wore a painters’ smock and had a palette in her left hand. The other hand held a long fine paint brush, and she was darting to and from the still form, as if touching up the skin tones on the arms, legs, and feet.
After about twenty seconds of this, she stopped, breathing heavily. “Finished!” she stated triumphantly. She walked around the still form three times, occasionally making a move as if she was going to add another brush stroke, but each time changed her mind. Nodding, she set the palette and brush on a small table, the only other prop, and knelt. “O, Athena!” she pleaded, with the camera zooming in on her face, “I pray to you! I have exiled myself from men so that I can devote myself to learning your wisdom, but I am lonely; so lonely! Please, hear my prayer; bring my creation to life! I enjoy the quiet, but ask for the company, a servant to ease my life and my loneliness.”
She bowed her head, and then looked over towards the ‘statue’ (the camera panning back to disclose the two figures) before looking off into the distance. The camera was back to just her face. “Please, Lady Athena! Grant my prayer for a companion!”
“But before, you asked for a servant,” came a second voice. The camera panned back to reveal another woman, in all white (blouse, skirt, stockings, and shoes) standing behind the kneeling sculptor. The first woman twisted around while falling backwards, but then she flipped to her stomach, prostrating herself. “My Lady!”
“Up on your knees,” ‘Athena’ commanded. When she had done so, Athena walked to the dais and raised her right hand, using her forefinger to caress the statue’s cheek as the camera went in for a closeup.
Over the next twelve seconds, the statue’s face slowly started to come to life, with the last two seconds showing the eyes slowly opening. Then, as the camera panned out, this started to show the statue/woman full length, and slowly relaxing and then gaining movement. Finally, Athena held out her hand. The former statue took the offered hand and was helped to stand down onto the floor. She slowly rotated to face her creator.
“I shall call you Galatea!” the sculptor cried out. She hugged her creation, shouting, “You are mine, and I will never be lonely again!”
Galatea made no move to return the hug. She merely stood, face again not showing any emotion. The sculptor stepped back. “What’s wrong with you?”
“You have forgotten several things,” Athena said. The sculptor looked at the goddess, confused. “I am one of the patron deities of the arts and crafts, but I am also the patron of wisdom. Do you think I would simply animate this artifice? No, I have given her spirit, self-knowledge, intelligence, and more.” She placed a hand of Galatea’s shoulder. “She is truly alive. Your choices? stay here and serve your creator, as she intended. She also wanted quiet, so you have no voice. You will be her handmaiden, and exist only to serve her. Or, you may come with me, and we will discover together what your best path shall be. Choose, Galatea.”
Galatea looked back and forth for a moment, then took a step and hugged the sculptor briefly but stiffly, her face still expressionless. Then she turned around and knelt before Athena. She kissed Athena’s hand, and then placed it on her head. Galatea looked up, and a small smile slowly animated her face, which seemed to spring to life.
Athena patted her hair and helped her stand. “Come, Galatea. Let me help you explore yourself and the world.” They turned, but Athena looked back. “Let us see what wisdom you learn from this.”
The camera went to a close-up of the sculptor’s stunned face, before moving back to show the credits.
“Galatea”
Daria Morgendorffer, writer/director
Pygmalion-Darcy Wilson
Athena-Nikki Brown
Galatea-Daria Morgendorffer
Camera-Jason Jones
Costumes and Makeup-Quinn Morgendorffer
Artist’s props-Jane Lane
After a few moments, the lead instructor asked, “Well, what do you think?”
“Well, it was better written than at least seventy-five of the others,” one said.
“Agreed, not the best written, but somewhere in the top five or six. Since she can’t talk, a good use of her disability.”
“I’ll say! Nikki did a nice job, as did what’s-her-name…Darcy, but….”
“Yeah,” agreed the main acting coach. “If this was seventy-five years ago, this Daria would have been great in the silents.” The others nodded, each knew the history of film to some degree, a few very well; Daria would have been a great silent actress.
“So,” the institute’s director summed up, “so far as the actual writing, about seven likely duds, six to possibly keep an eye out for, and the others ranging in-between?”
The others agreed that was about right.
By Dr. T
Chapter 18 – Endings and Beginnings
After the Fair, many students’ attention turned to the Prom. Daria also faced a decision beyond that, since she would be going to the Prom with Troy. (Jane and Tom would be attending both the Lawndale and Fielding Proms, which would be on successive Saturdays in early May). Troy would be at a major tournament in June, and then Daria would be gone for nearly all of July and the first week in August. Troy would be leaving for Georgetown in late August. Therefore, as April turned to May, the pair would really only have a little over nine weeks to be together.
The weekend after the Fielding Prom, when all the other Lanes were out of town, Daria and Troy and Jane and Tom spent the Saturday afternoon upstairs at Jane’s for the first time as couples. It was the first time for Jane and Tom, and so Tom had treated the two couples to a great lunch at an upscale bistro in a neighboring town. Then the two nervous couples made their upstairs, Tom and Jane going to her room, Troy and Daria to Penny’s.
As he closed the door, Troy said softly, “We don’t have to do this, especially not today, if you’re not ready.”
Daria, who had already discarded her jacket, paused as she undid her boots. ‘I know; you are not, and have never, pressed me on this. I want to, at least once before you leave. After today, there are going to be other time pressures.’ She smiled bravely. ‘I know, the first time can be…painful…messy….’
“I know, even if this is the first time for me, too.”
‘But I want to. Hopefully there will more times, not just before you leave but after.’
“I hope so, too.” Troy slipped off his loafers and went over to the bed, kneeling on the floor. He started to undo Daria’s boots for her.
Troy looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder; Daria leaned forward to kiss him. When they broke the soft kiss, and while Troy continued to undo Daria’s boots, she started to unbutton her blouse.
Some three hours later, after the boys had left, Jane sat Daria down on her bed. “Are you okay?” She was concerned.
Daria just nodded and then sat looking off into space for a few moments. Finally, she began signing. ‘It was not nearly as painful as I feared.’ She smiled slightly. ‘After that, it was…probably about as pleasurable as a first time could be, since it also was not quite as quick as I expected, since this was Troy’s first time as well.’
“No other details?”
‘The first half hour or so of foreplay certainly helped, as did the long cuddling and then mild after-play as well.’ Daria finally looked Jane in the eyes. ‘How was Tom?’
“Good,” Jane simply said. She bit her lip for a moment, then added, “It…when Paul and I did it that first time, it was both our first times. It was quick, painful, and, well, unsatisfying. We got better, but this was…I was Tom’s third. He admitted he had been with two of what he calls the ‘Muffy-set’ a few times. So let’s just say Tom knew what he was doing, and he, and I, both had a good time.” She sighed. “I have to admit, as…pleasurable as it is, I sometimes prefer the other things he and I do…just like I prefer what we sometimes do now.”
Daria gave a silent, short chuckle. ‘Down girl; I do not think I can handle any more today; too sore.’
Jane slipped off her shorts and started to undo her top. “How about a nice cuddle and nap, then I can order a pizza.”
Daria nodded as she stood to undo her skirt. ‘Make it a carnivore; we need the protein.’
*
The rest of May proceeded as expected, and then early June would bring Troy’s graduation. Amanda had returned for a few weeks, and so there was no chance for another weekend in Penny’s room, although Daria and Troy had managed to get together twice, with one time being a repeat of that first time (this time at Troy’s). Daria (and Troy) had enjoyed that time much better than the first.
Just before Troy’s graduation, his collection of games was published. As promised, Daria’s name as editor was on the title page, as well as in the foreword and credits. While the pair was unable to find a bedroom to share the night of the many graduation parties, Daria took Troy ‘parking’ and, together in the backseat, she leaned over to give him an extra graduation present which would not figure in his thank you notes.
*
It was the Friday when Troy was leaving for the week-long tournament that something strange started to happen at the Lane residence. Daria had ridden with Troy’s mother to take him to the airport, and she was dropped off at Jane’s. As she approached the door, a cab stopped in front of the Lanes’ and Jane’s father, Vincent, got out. Slightly surprised, Daria went back to help him with his luggage. “Hi, Daria,” he greeted her as she approached. He wasn’t home that often, but he had met Daria a few times, and roughly knew how much time the teens spent together. As he and the cabbie unleaded his two suitcases and various cameras and equipment, he glanced back at her and inquired, “Are you doing okay?”
Daria nodded and gestured to the pile. He handed her his carryon and one of the camera bags, while he gathered the rest. Daria went on ahead and rang the doorbell.
“Hey, Daria,” Trent greeted her as she opened the door. Then his eyes went wide. “Dad? I thought you were in Alaska.”
“I was,” Vincent agreed as he approached. “I finished a few days early, and I don’t have to leave for Cameroon for almost two weeks.”
“Cool,” Trent said as he relieved Daria of the carryon and let the two enter.
“I was offered a short-term shoot in Maine, but I wanted to make sure to see Jane before she made her trip to New York,” Vincent added, which made both Daria and Trent smile.
From the top of the stairs, the trio heard Jane proclaim, “Dad?”
Vincent dropped his luggage (the equipment much more carefully than the suitcases) and went to meet his daughter as she rushed down the stairs to give him a brief hug. As he returned it, he simply repeated, “I wanted to see you before you head off for the summer. Excited about the trip?”
“It’ll be fun,” Jane acknowledged, as she broke the hug.
Since it was unusual for Amanda and Vincent to be home at the same time for any extended period of time (even a full week, never mind nearly two), Daria didn’t stay long. Jane mentioned that she would likely see Daria late Sunday morning. They were just starting to plan for the trip, but she wanted to spend some time with her father.
When Jane did show up just before noon that Sunday, she looked rather frazzled. When questioned, once she was in Daria’s room she said, “Guess who showed up late last night?”
Daria pondered that for a moment, then said, ‘Either one or more of Summer’s kids, or Wind.”
Jane frowned, “It was Wind. Apparently his latest broke it off yesterday.” She sighed. “At least it ended before they got married this time. I don’t think the idiot can afford a third alimony payment.”
‘What does he do, anyway?’
Jane shook her head, with a crooked smile. “Believe it or not, he’s a videographer. June is of course his busy season, all the weddings you know.”
‘A wedding videographer? Is that why he is so often tempted?’
“Probably. He’s taking hard, as usual.”
‘So he ran home to Mommy and Daddy?’
“Yep. Heartbroken, so he headed back here,” Jane acknowledged. “He just sits and cries.” She shook her head. “That man cries more easily than anyone else I’ve ever met. He makes O’Neill look macho.”
Daria placed a sympathetic hand on her friend’s shoulder, but then got them working on lists of what they might need to pack. They had learned they would be sharing a dorm room in New York, and the two and Quinn would be travelling together by train. They figured the two of them could pack everything they would need into two large suitcases and a carryon, and then help Quinn deal with what no doubt would be an abundance of miscellaneous luggage if she had her way.
When Jane showed up Monday just after noon, she looked more angry than frazzled. ‘What is wrong?’ Daria asked as they went into the kitchen to make lunch. ‘Is Wind crying too loudly and disturbing Trent’s sleep as well as yours?’
“I’ve decided to blame you,” Jane stated. “You put a curse on me yesterday.”
‘What did I do?’ Daria asked, puzzled.
“Summer showed up last night, with two of her kids – they caught them in DC and she picked them up yesterday afternoon, and instead of dragging their delinquent little asses home she dragged them here.” Jane slumped into a chair at the dinette set. “No sign of leaving soon, either. They’re driving Wind and Trent crazy, but I guess Summer thinks that’s diverting them from running off again. Mom and Dad certainly aren’t going to discipline them, and she apparently doesn’t believe in structure, never mind anything approaching discipline, at least that I’ve seen so far.” She looked up. “They’ve already broken three of Mom’s latest creations. She has to remake them, since they were part of an actual commission. She’s unhappy, to say the least; she almost looked angry for a second.”
That surprised Daria. ‘Really? Your mom?’
Jane nodded. “If Penny shows up, can I ask your mom to stay here until the place clears out? It’s a big house, but it’s not THAT big. It was hard living as a group when Trent and I were kids, and that was without Summer’s brats after they started walking.”
Helen had agreed that night, and so when Penny did show up Wednesday afternoon (with a parrot, no less), Jane arrived with a suitcase and a frown before dinner. After dinner, a very upset Trent, somewhat covered with parrot droppings, showed up and begged for sanctuary. Helen merely shook her head and sent him home to change. He showed up an hour later, in cleaner clothes along with a duffle bag and a guitar.
Helen also called Amanda and invited her to lunch.
An enforced family dinner that Thursday night at the Lanes saw the clearing out of Penny the next morning, while Summer (with her two children in children’s harnesses, an idea supplied by Daria) leaving that afternoon. Wind also had to leave, as he had to video a wedding rehearsal dinner that night and then the wedding the next day.
He did not return that night. By Tuesday, Amanda had remade all the broken pottery. Trent went home after his Saturday night gig, and Jane left Sunday afternoon. Vincent left the following Thursday, and peace was restored to the Lane household. With more than a little help from Daria, who had already rewritten most of Spiral’s lyrics, Trent composed what became known as ‘the dirty parrot song,’ which became one of the band’s more popular tunes.
Daria, Quinn, and their friends all attended a large 4th of July picnic at Jodie’s. Tom managed to avoid being cornered by the Landons for hints on how to impress his family’s exclusive country club membership committee (his great-grandfather had cofounded the country club, while his father was on the current board), and overall, most of the teens had a good time. Even Daria admitted to enjoying the food and fireworks, and (after some prodding) even some of the company. After that, Daria, Jane, and Quinn made their final plans for packing, which mostly involved getting Quinn to limit herself to two large suitcases and a very large purse. Jake would drive them to the train station that Saturday morning, and Amy would meet the trio in New York itself, where a van would carry them and their luggage to the dorm where they would be staying.
This would be Quinn’s first visit to New York City, and she was more excited than Daria and Jane had been before their first trip combined. Daria and Jane were nearly as excited this time as the last, but both pretended not to be, mostly to tease and irritate Quinn by acting as if it was no big deal.
Their dorm was on a side street, and fortunately had a loading entrance. Amy shepherded the trio to the lobby, where a number of teens and a few adults were congregated around two long tables, obviously this was for their registration. Daria pointed out a person a sign that had ‘Morgendorffers/Lane’ on it, and the quartet moved in that direction.
Seeing the movement, the person put down the sign, and asked (while signing) “Is one of you Daria?”
Daria nodded, adding, ‘I can hear perfectly well. This is my sister Quinn, our aunt Professor Amy Barksdale, and my friend and roommate, Jane Lane.’
“I’m Nikki, your spokesperson and when needed acting substitute while in class, and I be with you when needed and most of the time outside of class as well. Let’s get you three registered and I’ll show you to your rooms.” Along the way, Nikki learned that Quinn and Jane could interpret for Daria as well, and they learned that Nikki was a rising junior in the acting program and an intern for the summer program, the RA for their floor, and she again confirmed that she would be acting in place of Daria when pieces were performed.
On the third floor of the dorm, they learned that Nikki would be in what was the RA ‘suite’ (bedroom and very small shower room) while the other three would be in a corner suite (two small bedrooms and a small study room). Quinn’s roommate had not yet arrived.
After Amy had said her goodbyes, Daria turned to Nikki and asked, ‘May I ask you a personal question?’
“Sure.”
‘Does the fact that you are acting as the RA for a girls floor mean you identify as female?’
Nikki blinked several times in surprise, but then saw the other two girls were confused. “Well, I convinced two out three of you at least. Yes, I was born ‘Nicholas’ but now identify as Nicole. I’ll complete the transition after I turn twenty-one.” She gave Daria a suspicious look. “Is that a problem?”
Daria shook her head. Seeing that Quinn and even Jane were still somewhat confused, she said, ‘I will explain it to them. Is this something we should not mention?’
Nikki shrugged. “Probably not, but I’m sure the others will suss it out at some point.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ll be back around five to show everyone how to get over to the cafeteria. I need to go back downstairs to help out.”
When she had left, Jane said, “I never would have guessed.”
“Guess what? I don’t understand,” Quinn complained.
Daria and Jane explained it to Quinn, twice. “I guess I’ll take your words for it,” Quinn finally said. “I don’t think I would have ever thought about it.” Nikki was about 5 foot 6 and while dressed in just jeans and a short-sleeved top, they were both tight enough to reveal a very slender but feminine form, while her black hair was about as long and thick as Daria’s. Quinn shrugged. “Either way, she’s cute.” The other two agreed.
‘If you have questions, come over before we go to bed,’ Daria told her.
Hearing people coming off the elevator, and knowing the suite door was still ajar, Quinn signed, ‘I will.’ She smirked. ‘And I know better to disturb you two when you are in bed.’ She quickly escaped to her bedroom to start unpacking before either could retaliate.
Going into their bedroom, they saw it was fairly small – two cots, two tall narrow dressers, and two small closets. Fortunately, the small room between the suite’s bedrooms had room for four desks, each with a small set of bookshelves built into the top. “Cozy, I guess,” Jane commented. “Both of those cots are too small to sleep together on, although I guess we can snuggle on one for naps and such.”
Daria rolled her eyes, and then held a hand up when Jane started to comment. Daria had realized the problem ahead of time, and had planned accordingly. ‘Help me move these closer together.’
“Okay, but at least one of us will fall between them every night.” Daria ignored that as she and Jane pushed the cots nearly together. Daria pointed at the package of bed linen, thin pillow, and towels which had been left on each cot. ‘Put the bottom sheet on each, push the beds together, and set everything else aside.’ Daria then opened up a suitcase and rummaged around at the bottom, pulling out a coil of rope and a sheet.
“Oo, are we going to start getting kinky?” Jane teased as she made up the second cot.
Daria yet again rolled her eyes as she opened the coil. When Jane had finished dressing the cots, Daria pushed them fully together, handed Jane one end of the rope, and simply ordered her to not move. Daria ran the rope around the outside of the mattresses and then once around the legs before tying the rope so the mattresses wouldn’t slip apart. She opened the full-size fitted sheet, and Jane moved to help her put it on the mattresses, saying, “You would have been a great scout; always prepared.”
Daria smiled at Jane when they finished, and then went close to hug her. A bit surprised (as Daria rarely initiated hugs, although she loved them even more than Jane or Troy did), Jane leaned into the hug. Jane was then even more surprised when Daria asked, in the almost inaudible whisper that passed for her voice, “If you want, shall we be ‘out’ here in New York?”
Jane didn’t break the hug, but she did move her head so that she could look Daria straight on. “As in an open couple?”
Hesitatingly, Daria nodded twice, looking a bit apprehensive, mostly because she was unsure of Jane’s reaction.
Jane smiled, and kissed Daria very thoroughly. When they broke apart, Jane suggested, “We might want to be careful when being photographed.”
Daria merely nodded, went up on her toes, and leaned forward, as if requesting another kiss.
Jane obliged.
Each floor of the dorm could hold 32 students plus the RA. As it turned out, there were 84 female students spread over three floors and 27 males. In the end, Quinn did not end up with a roommate. Of the 111 students, there were 15 each in the stage design and costuming program areas, and the remaining 81 were divided into four groups, three of 20 and one of 21. The actual sessions went from 9:00-11:00 and 1:30-3:30, and it was well-drilled in to the participants that punctuality was required. Over the five weeks, a few students would be sent home early either because of tardiness or failure to complete assignments. While each floor had a small TV room, most of their down time during the weekdays would be spent on their assignments. Saturdays would see them visiting various shows, hopefully with some backstage visits. If they were caught up on their assignments, Sundays were free.
The first Thursday after the afternoon sessions, the group leaders and their main assistants met to go over the participants, to see who might be a problem, who was or wasn’t serious, and (they all hoped) who, if any, had some real talent – there was always the hope these could be encouraged to carry on. For the most part, all those in the design and costuming portions were more-or-less serious, and all had some talent. The design instructors were especially impressed by Jane’s raw talent, even if they all acknowledged she didn’t have a real background.
The writing groups were always more problematical. There were a number of theaters that co-sponsored this institute, and those theaters had angels, and some of those angels had children or other relatives who thought they could write. Writers, producers, managers, directors, and some of the more influential actors had similar relations. About a third of the 81 teens fell into that range to some degree. While Monday, Tuesday, and the Wednesday morning sessions had been mostly devoted to some basic acting exercises, the students had also been given their first assignment – write a 3-5 minute scene for three actors; all dialog to be original, but they could use known concepts. They would also have to direct and (except for Daria, who had the option) act in it. No one was to act in more than three scenes. These were done (and recorded) that Thursday. That way each author could see how their concepts actually looked and (more importantly at this stage) how they sounded.
Writing for three characters was not an easy first assignment: it was easy for at least one of the characters to be underdeveloped in some way. Also, even those teens who were more experienced writers really had not written much (if anything) for a live performance – many had a few publications, but even those were primarily the odd poem or short story. Of course, even then most of these ‘publications’ were student-level publications. Dialog which looked good on the page did not always sound that good when spoken aloud or vice-versa. And, of course, these had to rely on the dialog and the presentation: there really were few if any opportunities for props or costumes or anything but basic staging.
There wasn’t time to view all 81 scenes that Thursday, so after the two practical groups had been discussed, only the first of the four writing groups was gone over. Three scenes were shown just as examples of how bad those students’ writing currently was, but at least one of the three at least realized it; the other two needed to accept they needed to do much better or they would not learn much that summer. Another scene was shown to highlight that one student was either deliberately sabotaging the scene with poor acting or was just that terrible. Two others were shown to highlight good acting, considering the material
After dinner, the other three writing groups went, with the first two having similar results as to the first. Finally, at the end, that instructor said simply, “Watch, and tell me what you think.”
Unlike most of the other scenes, the opening shot here was of an actual title card, which simply said ‘Galatea.’
The camera swung around and two figures came into focus. One was a figure standing on a small model’s dais, raising the figure about nine inches off the ground. The figure was perfectly still, a teen with long auburn hair and only wearing a long white tight slip and a white silk scarf. Her face was totally expressionless, her eyes shut.
The other figure was moving around the still form, almost frantically. She wore a painters’ smock and had a palette in her left hand. The other hand held a long fine paint brush, and she was darting to and from the still form, as if touching up the skin tones on the arms, legs, and feet.
After about twenty seconds of this, she stopped, breathing heavily. “Finished!” she stated triumphantly. She walked around the still form three times, occasionally making a move as if she was going to add another brush stroke, but each time changed her mind. Nodding, she set the palette and brush on a small table, the only other prop, and knelt. “O, Athena!” she pleaded, with the camera zooming in on her face, “I pray to you! I have exiled myself from men so that I can devote myself to learning your wisdom, but I am lonely; so lonely! Please, hear my prayer; bring my creation to life! I enjoy the quiet, but ask for the company, a servant to ease my life and my loneliness.”
She bowed her head, and then looked over towards the ‘statue’ (the camera panning back to disclose the two figures) before looking off into the distance. The camera was back to just her face. “Please, Lady Athena! Grant my prayer for a companion!”
“But before, you asked for a servant,” came a second voice. The camera panned back to reveal another woman, in all white (blouse, skirt, stockings, and shoes) standing behind the kneeling sculptor. The first woman twisted around while falling backwards, but then she flipped to her stomach, prostrating herself. “My Lady!”
“Up on your knees,” ‘Athena’ commanded. When she had done so, Athena walked to the dais and raised her right hand, using her forefinger to caress the statue’s cheek as the camera went in for a closeup.
Over the next twelve seconds, the statue’s face slowly started to come to life, with the last two seconds showing the eyes slowly opening. Then, as the camera panned out, this started to show the statue/woman full length, and slowly relaxing and then gaining movement. Finally, Athena held out her hand. The former statue took the offered hand and was helped to stand down onto the floor. She slowly rotated to face her creator.
“I shall call you Galatea!” the sculptor cried out. She hugged her creation, shouting, “You are mine, and I will never be lonely again!”
Galatea made no move to return the hug. She merely stood, face again not showing any emotion. The sculptor stepped back. “What’s wrong with you?”
“You have forgotten several things,” Athena said. The sculptor looked at the goddess, confused. “I am one of the patron deities of the arts and crafts, but I am also the patron of wisdom. Do you think I would simply animate this artifice? No, I have given her spirit, self-knowledge, intelligence, and more.” She placed a hand of Galatea’s shoulder. “She is truly alive. Your choices? stay here and serve your creator, as she intended. She also wanted quiet, so you have no voice. You will be her handmaiden, and exist only to serve her. Or, you may come with me, and we will discover together what your best path shall be. Choose, Galatea.”
Galatea looked back and forth for a moment, then took a step and hugged the sculptor briefly but stiffly, her face still expressionless. Then she turned around and knelt before Athena. She kissed Athena’s hand, and then placed it on her head. Galatea looked up, and a small smile slowly animated her face, which seemed to spring to life.
Athena patted her hair and helped her stand. “Come, Galatea. Let me help you explore yourself and the world.” They turned, but Athena looked back. “Let us see what wisdom you learn from this.”
The camera went to a close-up of the sculptor’s stunned face, before moving back to show the credits.
“Galatea”
Daria Morgendorffer, writer/director
Pygmalion-Darcy Wilson
Athena-Nikki Brown
Galatea-Daria Morgendorffer
Camera-Jason Jones
Costumes and Makeup-Quinn Morgendorffer
Artist’s props-Jane Lane
After a few moments, the lead instructor asked, “Well, what do you think?”
“Well, it was better written than at least seventy-five of the others,” one said.
“Agreed, not the best written, but somewhere in the top five or six. Since she can’t talk, a good use of her disability.”
“I’ll say! Nikki did a nice job, as did what’s-her-name…Darcy, but….”
“Yeah,” agreed the main acting coach. “If this was seventy-five years ago, this Daria would have been great in the silents.” The others nodded, each knew the history of film to some degree, a few very well; Daria would have been a great silent actress.
“So,” the institute’s director summed up, “so far as the actual writing, about seven likely duds, six to possibly keep an eye out for, and the others ranging in-between?”
The others agreed that was about right.
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