The Diaries of Ayesha

I returned from Los Angeles disappointed by my failure to find Dominique La Forge, but not necessarily discouraged. In the words of a far wiser man then myself , "Up from the ashes, come the Roses of Success".

I decided to take a different approach to the problem and decided to try finding Dominique through her sisters.

If she was telling the truth about her given name being Erato, then I figured I could look for her sisters under the names of the other muses.

I remembered she said one was a historian and one was an astronomer, so I started searching the net for Clio and Urania.

As before I got tons of useless matches, but did find two possibly useful ones.

According to the index for Cornell University there was a Dr. Clio Hephaestus teaching a course on Greek History and the Astronomy department listed a Urania Ironbender as a teaching fellow currently doing research in Australia.

About that time the phone rang and I answered it to find Mistress Minx on the other end.

"Michael, I wanted to find out how the search was going. You haven't called me in weeks," she said.

"I'm sorry Mistress. I thought I'd found her in Los Angeles and went down there. I did meet a very nice submissive named Paige, but I didn't find Dominique," I explained.

"I see."

"Now I'm trying to find Erato by locating her sisters. I think I've found two of them," I said and explained what I'd found so far.

"That's an interesting approach. Did you also look for Terpsichore or Thalia?" she suggested.

"Who?" I said confused.

I could almost hear the sigh without the telephone.

"Michael, if you're going to search for her sisters, don't you think you should know who they all are? Pick up a book on Greek mythology or find the Muses on the net. Terpsichore is the muse of dance and Thalia is the muse of comedy. Do your homework," she scolded.

"Yes Mistress," I said embarrassed by my ignorance.

"Good. Let me know if you need any help," she said and hung up.

I decided to start with a phone call to Dr. Hephaestus instead of continuing the research.

The simple approach is usually the best.

It took me some time to get through to the right department at Cornell and reach Dr. Hephaestus.

It took far less time for the conversation.

"Dr. Hephaestus, my name is Michael Forbin and I'm calling from California. I'm looking for someone who might be a relative of yours," I said.

"And who would that be?" she replied in a warm but cautious tone.

"I was wondering if you have a sister named Erato?"

The warmth turned to ice instantly.

"And your interest in my sister would be?" she asked coldly.

"We were doing some research for a book and she left suddenly. I haven't been able to reach her since then."

"What type of book? Another one of her volumes of filth I take it?"

I was a bit taken aback by that question.

"We were working on a story on the adult entertainment industry," I replied.

"Filth. Mr. Forbin, if you couldn't reach my sister at her address on Mount Olympus, then I have no idea where she is. I don't keep track of her, nor do I care to. "

Before I could get her to clarify the comment about Mount Olympus, she hung up and when I called back I was told in no uncertain terms not to call again under threat of legal action.

Well half a loaf anyway. I had a place to start looking.

Assuming I didn't get shot on sight.

And sight was what the good doctor was going to have to deal with, as I was going to pay her a visit in person.

It was late afternoon the next day when I pulled onto the campus of Cornell University and parked. My flight had arrived in Syracuse near sunrise and I decided a few hours of sleep would be advisable before driving to Ithaca and my encounter with the Doctor.

I located her office by the simple expedient of asking at the main gate to the campus and was directed to a parking space. I was then escorted to Dr. Hephaestus' office in Goldwin Smith Hall where her aide informed me that the Doctor was still in class.

"Could I have your name please?" the aide asked.

"Yes, I'm Dr. Smith from Stanford University," I said, reluctant to give my real name, knowing the potential reaction of the Doctor to my presence.

"And the nature of your business?"

"Let's just say it's a family matter," I said and settled myself in a hard wooden chair in the corner.

"She'll be at least another two hours," he warned.

"That's fine, I'll wait."

I suppose I nodded off because I was startled awake by the slamming of the door and caught sight of a short dark haired woman wearing a sweater over her dress disappearing into the inner office.

"I take it that was Doctor Hephaestus? " I asked standing up.

The young man nodded nervously.

"I'd suggest you come back tomorrow, Doctor Smith," he warned, looking at the inner door.

"I flew across the country to speak with her but I'd hate to cause a problem for you. I can come back tomorrow, if you can tell me the name of a good hotel nearby," I offered understanding his concern completely.

"The Statler is right on campus. I will tell her you called," he assured me.

"Anderson, get in here!", the intercom on the desk snarled, startling the both of us.

"Yes Ma'am!" he replied after fumbling for the button.

I slipped out of the room, glad to be leaving, yet still concerned about young Anderson.

The Statler was just a short distance away from the office and I was lucky enough to find a room available despite the number of people visiting the campus for a seminar on the future of dance.

What I couldn't find however was a place to eat in the hotel as they were all full with people attending the seminar.

When I turned away from the coffee shop in disgust from the wait I accidentally stepped into a young lady who was standing behind me.

She spun about gracefully and bowed to me. She was blonde and full bodied, her breasts firm and high, her body well muscled.

"I'm sorry," I said .

"That's all right, I was standing too close," she deferred softly. "The place is full up tonight."

"Yeah. Do you know if there is any place else around here to eat?" I asked.

"I'd be happy to take you to the Temple of Zeus," she said.

"Temple of Zeus?" the expression on my face conveying confusion.

"Yes. It's a small place on the campus here," she explained. "Were you expecting something else?"

I shook my head in embarrassment.

"Sorry, it's just as of late I seem to be dealing with a pantheon," I explained.

She laughed softly.

"Something funny?" I asked.

She placed her arm in mine.

"Inside joke. Tell me about your pantheon over dinner," she said and led me into the night.

Over dinner she told me her name was Michele and that she was a dance instructor at a college in Southern California during the evening, and worked at a major film studio as a production manager during the day.

I didn't give a fully truthful explanation as to what I was doing on the campus, but indicated I was there doing some historical research.

"And what kind of work do you do?" she asked.

"I'm the assistant to the CFO of a large investment banking firm. I'm on a leave of absence to do the research I was talking about," I said as the food arrived.

"You're lucky that your company will let you do that," she commented.

"I have a bit of a tendency to get obsessive when I want to find something or learn something, so my boss ordered me to take time off."

"Obsessive huh?" she asked.

"Think of me as Don Quixote and you have it."

She laughed.

"Always tilting at windmills. And who is your Sancho Panza?" she asked.

I looked thoughtfully at her and then conceded that I didn't have a squire.

"I guess the allegory isn't very good," I said.

She shook her head negatively.

"You just haven't needed one," she said.

I sipped my coffee and smiled.

"You looking for a job?" I teased.

"Oh no, I already have enough windmills of my own to deal with," she demurred.

"How is that?" I asked.

"You don't really want to hear my problems I'm sure," she said looking down.

"Hey, I owe you. I might have wound up eating fast food without your help," I teased.

She looked up and smiled.

"All right, you asked for it. My family hasn't been terribly supportive of my career. In fact when I was seventeen I walked out on them with only the clothes on my back and a backpack full of books. I took care of myself and some people helped me. It took a long time before I could deal with my family again. It's not that they don't like what I do, it's just they would prefer I teach classical dance. And I want to teach all kinds of dance and learn even more kinds of dancing.

"I'm hoping to find a patron at the seminar that will fund my studies of dance as a form of communication."

"Communications with what? I think dancing can be expressive enough for the average person to understand, so what else is there?" I asked curiously.

She looked around before replying.

"I want to try and communicate with dolphins by dancing. There has been some research done by Dr. John Lilly some years ago with teaching them to talk, but it wasn't very effective," she explained.

I sat back amazed.

I had read of Dr. Lilly's research in one of Carl Sagan's books, and knew some of the idea for the film Day of The Dolphin came from his work.

But using dance to communicate with them didn't seem likely.

"That's an interesting theory," I said." But are you going to teach them, or are they going to teach you?"

She laughed.

"Probably both. They'll probably be easier to teach than people."

I nodded.

"Considering that I have two left feet, I have to agree with you."

She pushed her chair back and stood up.

"Come with me," she said holding out a hand.

I took it and we walked into the cool night air and across the campus.

Our path took us towards the edge of the campus and onto the greensward lining the river that flowed along the border of the campus. Overhead the full moon ducked in and out of a thin layer of clouds dappling the ground with light and dark patterns. I could smell wood burning in fireplaces carried on the light breeze.

"You think you have two left feet?" she said as we walked along the bank.

"Well, one right and most of one left. Motorcycle accident. Ankle is kind of messed up because of a shortened Achilles tendon," I explained.

"Have you ever danced at all? I mean before the accident?"

"I learned to waltz. Oh and I had a roommate who was a belly dancer. I practiced with her. Even got pretty good at it, although that was a long time ago. Now I don't even try anymore."

Michele released my hand and stopped me with a touch on my arm.

"What kind of dancing did you want to learn?" she asked softly.

I looked into the night gloom and then into her face.

"I wanted to learn how to tap dance. I know that's silly, but I see Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in their old movies tap dancing and I'm sure I could do it too. Fred Astaire is another matter, but I'm sure I could do at least as well as Bob Hope," I said honestly.

She just smiled and took my hand again and led me across a footbridge over the river and to a large modernistic building on the edge of the campus.

"Where are we going?" I finally asked.

"You'll see," was the only answer she gave me as she led me up a flight of stairs and then opened a door for me.

I stepped into the room as she switched on the lights to find myself standing in a small dance studio, my image reflected countless times by the mirrors on the wall.

"Now we'll see if you can dance or not," she said as she stepped behind a screen.

"You're not serious," I protested. "I can't dance."

"I think you can. You're just afraid to," she said as her skirt was thrown across the top of the screen, followed by her blouse.

"Afraid of looking stupid, not dancing," I replied.

She looked around the edge of the screen and frowned.

"And you've never looked stupid before?" she said.

"I don't go out of my way to look stupid, I do pretty well without trying."

Her lips turned into a hard line.

"I don't want to hear that kind of negative talk from you. I expect you to try your best," she said and disappeared behind the screen again.

When she came out she was wearing a dancers leotard and I heard the click of taps on her shoes.

"Now, I want you to think of a song, any song," she instructed.

"Tea for Two, " I suggested after a moment.

"That's a good one to start with," she agreed and walked over to the tape player in the far corner of the room.

A moment later a piano rendition of the song started and she went through the first motions of the dance slowly.

"Just watch my feet and when you're ready try and follow my steps." she said.

I watched as she moved gracefully through the steps and let myself relax into the rhythm of the old song.

Of course the words that were going through my head weren't the regular words as I had learned a slightly different version from a man named Peter Dana.

Singer, songwriter, and journalist he was awarded a medal from the government of South Viet Nam for his combat reporting and then next day was PNG'd from Viet Nam for singing his version of Tea for Two in a Saigon nightclub as Ti for Coup.

"Choy oy me, it's plain to see it's Ti for coup and coup for Ti ...."

Michele noticed the unconscious smile on my face and asked what I was thinking.

When I explained it to her, she started giggling.

"Sing it for me," she said.

I sighed and after she rewound the tape, started singing it, my feet taking on a somewhat clumsy life of their own as I tried to emulate her moves.

"Keep going, a little lighter on the feet," she instructed sharply.

I shifted my weight as she directed and then started to loosen up a bit more in my movements.

Five more times she made me go through the dance motions before she let me rest for a moment. I was sweating in my street clothes and my hard shoes were becoming a trial to wear.

"This is hard work," I said wiping the sweat from my face with the back of my hand. "I didn't expect to be working out."

"So change into something else. There's a set of tights behind the screen and some other shoes," she offered.

"Me in tights? We'd have to switch to Man on The Flying Trapeze for the next song if I did that. Or Men in Tights," I said with a tired laugh.

"We'll try something a little slower for the next one. You're doing better than you thought you could aren't you?"

"If I survive, I'll tell you, " replied and staggered off to change clothes and shoes.

When I came back around the screen she looked at me appraisingly.

"Turn around for me," she said.

I did a model's turn for her and she nodded approvingly.

"Nice ass. Let's try Humoresque for the next number," she said and walked over to change tapes.

As the song started once more my mind drifted of an alternate version of the tune.

"Passengers will please refrain, from flushing toilets while the train, is standing in the station, I love you," rattled through my head as I went through the dance steps Michele patiently walking me through them.

An hour later I slumped to the floor exhausted while she was if anything more energized than before.

"Don't you ever run down?" I asked laying down on the hardwood floor.

She gazed down at me amused.

"Some people are Type A personalities, I guess I'm an A+," she said cheerfully.

"I'm going to start calling you a Go-Go Gopher, is what I'm going to do. What time is it anyway?"

Before she could answer I heard the chimes of the clock tower announcing the time as Midnight.

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed. "Midnight."

"Are you going to turn into a pumpkin?" she asked.

"A rotten one from the way I smell. I have to see someone tomorrow and I need my sleep."

I got slowly to my feet with a little assistance from her strong right arm and staggered behind the screen to get my clothes.

"There's a shower down the hall if you want to get cleaned up," she called.

"Lead on," I said walking slowly from behind the screen and following her down the hall to a bathroom.

She started the water running for me, helped me remove my leotard then pushed me into the shower.

The hot water running all over my tired body felt like a blessing from my Mistress and I closed my eyes in grateful relief and then was startled to feel soft hands scrubbing my back and shoulders.

"I thought you might like your back scrubbed, " Michele's voice said lightly.

"Only if I get to wash yours," I replied.

"Deal."

She scrubbed my back well and instructed me to turn around so she could do my front side.

I tried not to focus on her hands as she reached down and scrubbed between my legs, teasing my cock and then stroking it with a soapy hand.

"Have to make sure everything is clean," she said releasing me and handing me the soap. "My turn."

I scrubbed her as well as she had scrubbed me including between her legs where my fingers touched a very firm clit as I washed her off.

She moaned slightly closing her eyes as I touched it and then opened them again.

"I like that, but I don't think we'd better start anything," she cautioned.

"Sorry," I said stepping back.

"Don't be," she smiled.

After we finished dressing and cleaning up the studio, I escorted her back to the dorm she was staying in with a friend and walked back to the hotel.

Morning came all too early for me and I didn't even have the gumption to go downstairs for breakfast, instead ordering room service so I would have to get dressed quite yet.

When breakfast arrived it was accompanied by a very annoyed looking Dr. Clio Hephaestus.

"Doctor Smith, or should I say Mr. Forbin?" she said icily.

"You could call me Doctor Forbin, as I do have a mail order Doctor of Divinity degree I picked up in high school. Won't you join me for breakfast?" I offered politely.

She sat down across from me, her expression still hard and cold and took the cup of coffee I offered her.

"I'd like to apologize for the subterfuge Doctor. I don't usually misrepresent myself unless it's in the line of duty," I explained.

"And I take it lying is a standard practice for your job?" she commented.

"As a matter of fact no it isn't. But I'm not on the job right now. I'm looking for your sister and I'd like your help."

She set the cup down and smiled, the expression doing nothing to soften her attitude.

"Mr. Forbin, as I explained over the phone, I have no idea where she is, neither do I care. She has disgraced the family with her insistence on writing utter trash instead of applying herself to more suitable forms of expression."

"And when was the last time anybody made love to you?" I asked casually.

She stood up as if ejected from the chair.

"How dare you say something like that to me!" she exploded.

I stood up as well and moved face to face with her.

"I can say that because I think you're jealous of her. She can feel things, express things, and love. You care about your family's reputation more than you care about your sister.

"I don't give a damn who your family is but I do care about Erato. She inspires people. She accepts people. You scare the shit out of them to get what you want Doctor. Goddess help your students if you treat them the way you treat your assistant! " I snarled back.

Dr. Hephaestus dropped back into her chair shaking her head.

"My sister is nothing but trouble for you if you persist in looking for her. She has more of Circe about her than Aphrodite," she warned.

"I've been a pig before and I expect I'll be one again someday. Think of me as Jason hunting for the Golden Fleece or the Knights of the Round Table seeking the Holy Grail. Or perhaps I'm a madman like Don Quixote," I replied.

She laughed at my comparisons.

"You have a somewhat inflated view of yourself Mr. Forbin. If you found Erato, I doubt my sister would even be interested in you."

"Perhaps not. But I'd like to hear that from her. You don't know who and what I am Doctor, so you can't understand what travails I've already endured in my life."

I walked away from her and looked out the window at the campus awakening below me.

"Perhaps you should consider me Captain Ahab instead. I shall pursue her around the Maelstrom and to the very heart of hell before I give her up," I said without looking back at Dr. Hephaestus.

"You can do what you want Mr. Forbin, but I won't help you. You're on your own." I heard her say.

I turned back to face her.

"Perhaps, but I won't quit. If you won't help, perhaps Urania will," I said.

"She might. But I can't see you traveling to Canberra to ask her."

I grinned.

"Doctor, there is such a thing as E-mail you know. It's somewhat of an improvement over clay tablets and styli."

She stood up and walked to the door but before opening it hesitated.

"Mr. Forbin, a word of advice. Be careful what you wish for. You may get it."

Her exit was blocked by Michele's arrival.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company," she said looking at Dr. Hephaestus sharply.

"The doctor was just leaving, " I said, " Come on in."

Dr. Hephaestus ignored Michele and walked out closing the door solidly behind her.

"Charming to the last," I said pouring a fresh cup of coffee for Michele.

"No thanks, I don't drink coffee. Is that who you came to see?" she said.

"You win. Wasted my time though," I said buttering a croissant and offering it to her.

"If I'd know you were here to talk to Clio, I could have saved you the trouble," she said taking it and sitting down.

"Why? Do you know her?" I asked stupidly.

"She's a friend of mine's sister. We both studied dance together here."

Oh my Goddess.

"Her name wouldn't be Terpsichore would it?" I asked certain of the answer.

"Yes. That's why I was laughing last night. You mentioned pantheon and I was thinking of Terpischore. She's supposed to be lecturing at the seminar, but I haven't seen her yet."

I almost stopped breathing.

"This is very important. I need to speak to her about her sister Erato," I explained.

"Oh Dominique you mean. Nobody calls her Erato. Not even Terpsichore. I'm not sure that she'll know. Why are you looking for her?"

"She and I were working together and then she disappeared before we could finish the project."

"Well I doubt that Terpsichore will know where she is, but I'll introduce you to her and you can at least ask," she offered.

"When does the seminar start?" I asked anxiously.

Michele looked at her watch and then back at me.

"About an hour. Why?"

"The way Clio reacted, I'm sure she'll order her sister not to talk to me if I don't find her first."

An hour later I was in the anteroom of the Center for Performing Arts lecture hall with Michele looking for Terpsichore.

A signboard listed the speakers for the morning program and next to her name was printed the word CANCELED.

"What happened?" Michele asked.

"Clio happened. Damn it all to Hades!" I spat.

One of the other participants turned around at my expression of disgust and cocked his head.

"If you're trying to see Ms. Coppersmith, you might still have a chance. She just left. Some kind of family emergency," he offered.

"Which way did she go?"

"That way," he said pointing to a doorway to the left of us.

I made my way through the crowd with Michele close behind me until we reached the exit door.

I passed through it in time to see a dark sedan with the personalized license plate APOLLO pull away from the curb and start to make a U turn. Heedless of the traffic I dashed across the street and tried to stop the car but had to dive aside to keep from being hit as it sped up.

I dusted myself off as Michele helped me to my feet as other cars stopped to keep from hitting us.

"That was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen anyone do!" she snapped as she helped me to the sidewalk.

"Stick around kid. You ain't seen nothing yet," I said looking in the direction the car had traveled.

"Do you think she was kidnapped?"

"No, judging from the license plate, I'd say it's a family matter. Kidnappers aren't generally stupid enough to use a car with personalized plates. Come on," I said heading back up the street towards Goodwin Smith Hall.

"Where are we going?" she asked hurrying to keep up.

"I have a rendezvous with destiny. Or in this case, history."

When I reached Clio's office her assistant was waiting to stop me.

"I'm sorry Mr. Forbin, but Dr. Hephaestus isn't in right now," he said.

"You tell her that she'd better get in for me, or I'll have the State Police in this office faster than you can spell Halirrhothius," I replied and pushed my way impatiently past him and into her office.

Clio Hephaestus sat there with a self satisfied smile on her face holding a phone in her hand.

"Yes, send a security officer to my office immediately," she said and hung up." The campus security police will be here momentarily to escort you off the campus."

"And the State Police will be here to see you a few minutes after I'm gone to investigate charges of kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving and anything else I can pile on," I replied.

She laughed.

"I doubt it. Just because my sister left in a hurry and you were clumsy enough to get in the way of a car is hardly grounds for an investigation."

Michele pushed me aside at that point.

"Clio, how can you be so mean? What are you afraid of? He's trying to find Dominique that's all," she said.

"This is a family matter and none of your concern," Clio rebuked as a uniformed security officer arrived." Officer, escort this man back to his hotel room, make sure he checks out and then escort him off the campus."

He started to grip my arm and I waved him off.

"I'll go quietly officer. Doctor, I'm sure we'll meet again. This is not over yet," I said and walked out with the guard following me closely.

Michele arrived as I finished packing under the watchful eye of the security officer.

"I'm sorry about this," she said as I closed my travel bag. "If I can find out anything I'll call you."

I handed her one of my cards and we all walked down to the main desk when I checked out.

"Mr. Forbin, I have an envelope for you," the clerk said looking warily at the security office.

I took it and opened it up to find a court order, the ink still almost wet, barring me from approaching Dr. Clio Hephaestus, Terpsichore Coppersmith, Urania Ironbender and other parties named in the restraining order.

I handed it to Michele who read it and frowned before handing it back.

"Now what will you do?" she asked as we walked towards my car.

I loaded my bags in the trunk and suggested she take a ride with me.

We drove out of the lot with the security officer's car right behind us until I reached the edge of the campus where he stopped.

"Read the order again," I said handing it to her.

She looked at it again and shrugged.

"What about it?"

I pulled the car into a parking lot and stopped.

"The order lists all the names of her sisters. So I have a complete list of her family now to work with," I pointed out.

"But if you go anywhere near them, they can throw you in jail."

"Ah, all but one. Urania Ironbender isn't in the State of New York. She's out of the country right now, and a State court order won't hold in Australia. At least I don't think so. And if any of the others aren't New York residents, I have a chance."

She looked at me oddly.

"Don't tell me you're going to Australia?" she demanded.

"If I can. And if not, I'll find some other way to locate Dominique."

"Aren't you getting a little obsessive?"

"What is her family covering up? Why are they so defensive about her? Something isn't right here and I'm going to find out what."

"Looking for the Holy Grail?" she suggested.

"Mayhaps," I replied with a nod.

She opened her door and stepped into the parking lot.

"Good luck in your quest, " she said and walked back towards the campus.

I reached over and closed her door and then drove back towards Syracuse.

Searching for the Holy Grail?

Indiana Jones I'm not.

More like searching for the vessel with the pestle.

And I was the Maladjusted Jester.

Chapter 25 Sections 1 to 6

Xanadu
Don Quixote de La Mancha
Far Above Cayuga's Waters
Garden Party
Tie Me Kangaroo Down
Waltzing Mathilda